Sloppy Piloting

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:Bj5gj.287919$Fc.120969@attbi_s21:

Another example: Practice can make perfect, but repetition can also make
you forget things, over time. Mary and I were recently discussing the
fact that neither one of us could remember the precise V speeds for
Atlas -- a plane we've flown every few days for six years. They've all
become automatic and ingrained in our muscle memory -- but we'd have to
look at the panel placards to tell the exact speeds. Sloppy.

Actually, I think this is not a function of being sloppy. I think it's a
function of being human.

Having your V-Speeds on a placard (or in my case on my Checklist) is more
important than remembering them. Especially for those of us that might have
the opportunity to fly more than one type of plane - in my club there are 3
different types of planes and I don't remember all the VSpeeds anymore. But
I have them on the checklists and know exactly where to find them - often
having a glance before takeoff just to be sure.

IMHO, the mark of a sloppy pilot is one who flies in the face of the tools
that are presented to him. One who refuses to use checklists because he
thinks he can remember it all.

As for not looking at a sectional - again it's about the tools you have and
need. If you really have no need to look at a sectional because of the GPS
you have, then I would say no problem. Our planes have GNS-480's, and they
are really good. But I find that every once in a while I still have to look
at the sectional to prepare, for example, to know the airspace boundaries
of Class-D and Class-C airports that I might be flying near, or even more
importantly the boundaries and schedules of Restricted Areas on my flight
path.

The point is, I don't think it's sloppy to be willing to use new
technology. Certainly it's important to make sure that you don't forget how
to use the old technology in case one day you find yourself with a dead
battery or what not. But if you still can figure out how to read a
sectional, even if you haven't looked at one in a year, I wouldn't call you
sloppy for it...