Investigators Say Student Pilots Should Be Flagged

"Travis Marlatte" wrote in message
et...
"Peter Dohm" wrote in message
news

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote in message
...
Not IMHO a bad idea really. When I was training and flew to controlled
airspace for XC flights it was suggested that I mention I was a student
and
they did seem to slow things down a little.

I can see how a uniform way of doing this might be helpful both in
controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Example, "Bumfigle Tower, Cessna
Student 1234A, ...."

From AVWeb

Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is recommending that
student pilots on solo flights be identified by a radio call-sign prefix
so
air traffic controllers can take into account their limited experience
and
knowledge. The recommendation came from the investigation of a crash on
July
19, 2006, that killed a 16-year-old student who had logged 15 hours and
was
on his second solo flight. Just before he touched down at Southend
Airport,
a controller ordered him to turn left and climb to pattern height so an
overtaking Piper Meridian could land. It's believed he did not
reconfigure
the aircraft and apply enough power for the unorthodox go-around and the
Cessna he was flying stalled and crashed a short time later. The
four-person
investigation team concluded pilot Sam Cross was put "in a situation for
which his training and experience had not prepared him" after being
"instructed to carry out an unfamiliar and nonstandard manoeuvre," the
AAIB
report said. Adding to the mix was the fact that Cross was returning to
the
field after just eight minutes in the air because haze was reducing
visibility. His instructor was watching from the ground as the order to
deviate from the runway heading was complied with and he noted the
nose-up
attitude of the Cessna before it stalled and spiralled into a park.
Investigators determined the flaps were at 20 degrees, the carb heat was
on
and the engine was turning at 900 rpm at the time of the crash. Cross
was
the youngest pilot ever to be killed in a plane crash in Britain.


In may very well be a good idea and, as several contributors have pointed
out, it is commonly done by both civil and military flight schools.

However, in my none too humble opinion, it has nothing whatsoever to do
with
the cited accident--in which the student pilot's status was presumably
well
known. And, of course, it is phrased as though someone would like to see
it
become a regulation.

(rant temporarily witheld)





Well, that wasn't a very useful post, was it?

What I meant to say was that "judgement" training should start early.
Starting out, I added "student pilot" to my call sign. Once I stopped doing
that, I can remember a time when I responded to an odd request with "Unable,
student pilot."

--
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Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK