Testing your glide. Are people doing this?

My experience is that most people don't actually know how to fly their
airplanes. They know how to get them off the ground, from Point A to Point
B, but they never do touch and gos, they never go out and do stalls, and
they really don't know how their airplane performs in anything other than
the cruise. Personally, I enjoy simply controlling the machine. Kind of
like racing drivers - they enjoy being in control of the machine, not using
it go to anywhere. Therefore, I get a hell of a kick out of touch and goes,
I stall the airplane all the time simply because it's fun, I do all kinds of
turns and maneuvers just for the hell of it. What this all means is that I
know how my airplane performs at all edges of it's envelope and with the
engine off more than I do in the cruise. Possibly all for fun, but really,
in the back of my mind, it's so I know how to get out of trouble faster than
I got into it.

Shawn
"Montblack" wrote in message
...
("MLenoch" wrote)
Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning
high
above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a feel
for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.


Talking to folks at airports, do you get the sense that people are, in
fact,
doing what you suggested? Or is it just a good idea ...."I should do that,
one-of-these-days"...kind of thing?

Just curious.

--
Montblack

"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
| My experience is that most people don't actually know how to fly their
| airplanes.

Really? How do you know that?

As a flight instructor who does a LOT of BFRs I find that the vast majority
of pilots perform emergency procedures, stalls, and other maneuvers quite
well.

"C J Campbell" writes:

Really? How do you know that?

As a flight instructor who does a LOT of BFRs I find that the vast majority
of pilots perform emergency procedures, stalls, and other maneuvers quite
well.

That's good to know. On balance, do you see any difference between
owners and renters? Does the owner's extra familiarity with the plane
make any practical difference?


All the best,


David

In article ,
Really? How do you know that?

As a flight instructor who does a LOT of BFRs I find that the vast majority
of pilots perform emergency procedures, stalls, and other maneuvers quite
well.

That's good to know. On balance, do you see any difference between
owners and renters? Does the owner's extra familiarity with the plane
make any practical difference?

LOL, so you think owners make better pilots than renters just because
they own a plane. A fair number of owners fly very little, these lease
back their planes to FBOs so to keep it in the air.
I know this is semi-OT but renter v owner has nothing to do with being
a safe/good pilot. Most people are most familar with cruise because
that's where they spend most of their time during flights. But I would
say that ~50% of the pilots _I_ know (not a random or presentive sample)
go out and do stalls, T&G, slow flight, etc. And they're all renters

"'Vejita' S. Cousin" wrote in message
...
That's good to know. On balance, do you see any difference between
owners and renters? Does the owner's extra familiarity with the plane
make any practical difference?

LOL, so you think owners make better pilots than renters just because
they own a plane. A fair number of owners fly very little, these lease
back their planes to FBOs so to keep it in the air.

He asked a question. He did NOT make an assertion. He didn't say anything
about what he thinks.

But since you got all hot and bothered, I'll go ahead and point out that
I've learned FAR more about my airplane as an owner than I ever would have
as a renter. Being the person who oversees and pays for the maintenance
provides a MUCH better education with regards to aircraft systems than any
renter would get. That's important information that comes in handy if
anything should go wrong while flying (and before flying, for that matter).

As far as your claim that "a fair number of owners fly very little", I guess
you'll just have to define "a fair number". Certainly some owners do lease
back their aircraft and do not fly any more than the typical renter might.
However, that hardly characterizes the majority of owners. When speaking in
generalities (such as I assume David was), a minority -- even if it's a
large one -- isn't really all that relevant to the question.

Finally, the issue of whether a pilot is more familiar with an airplane is
significant, even for planes that are essentially the same. Over the years,
various controls and capabilities of the C172 (for example) have varied
somewhat. A person flying the same C172 (for example) all the time is going
to be much more familiar with where things are and how to react in a given
situation than someone who flies a variety of C172s and has to adjust for
the subtle differences in each airplane.

I know this is semi-OT but renter v owner has nothing to do with being
a safe/good pilot.

Nobody said it did. I'm guessing you don't own an airplane, but rather rent
one, given how primed you appear to be for inferring offensive where none
was stated or implied. Next time you think someone's pushed one of your hot
buttons, you might take a look around and see if anyone's standing anywhere
near it first, before flying off the handle.

A relative lack of familiarity does not imply that a pilot is neither safe
nor good. It simply is a relative lack of familiarity. It may or may not
translate into better piloting, but one cannot question the presence of that
difference in familiarity.

Pete

A person flying the same C172 (for example) all the time is going
to be much more familiar with where things are and how to react in a given
situation than someone who flies a variety of C172s and has to adjust for
the subtle differences in each airplane.


But would that same person be better equipped to handle a DIFFERENT 172 (for
example one he rents after travelling commercially)?

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...
But would that same person be better equipped to handle a DIFFERENT 172
(for
example one he rents after travelling commercially)?

I don't see why he would. But I also don't see how that's relevant to this
particular train of thought. CJ's original comment was specifically
regarding owners flying their own airplanes, and was in response to a person
claiming that "most people don't actually know how to fly THEIR airplanes"
(emphasis mine).

('Vejita' S. Cousin) writes:

That's good to know. On balance, do you see any difference between
owners and renters? Does the owner's extra familiarity with the plane
make any practical difference?

LOL, so you think owners make better pilots than renters just
because they own a plane.

No. I've heard arguments on both sides -- renters are better because
they fly more different aircraft, owners are better because they know
their specific plane better, etc. I was just curious whether you'd
noticed any difference.


All the best,


David

"'Vejita' S. Cousin" wrote:

That's good to know. On balance, do you see any difference between
owners and renters? Does the owner's extra familiarity with the plane
make any practical difference?

LOL, so you think owners make better pilots than renters just because
they own a plane.

He asks a question and YOU jump to HIS conclusion?

George Patterson
You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the mud.

Renting vs. owning can have a significant effect. Most people I know who
own fly much more often than people who rent. I went from 25 hours a year to
over 80 per year when I bought. Individual planes can vary, too.
Modifications, rigging, weights, equipment all can play a role.

mike regish

"'Vejita' S. Cousin" wrote in message
...


LOL, so you think owners make better pilots than renters just because
they own a plane. A fair number of owners fly very little, these lease
back their planes to FBOs so to keep it in the air.
I know this is semi-OT but renter v owner has nothing to do with being
a safe/good pilot. Most people are most familar with cruise because
that's where they spend most of their time during flights. But I would
say that ~50% of the pilots _I_ know (not a random or presentive sample)
go out and do stalls, T&G, slow flight, etc. And they're all renters