Are pilots really good or just lucky???

Michael wrote:

Gerald Sylvester wrote

When I first got my PPL almost a year ago, my first passengers were
beyond nervous with my being so green. The first few passengers raved
and now people are going out of their way to come visit and go for a
ride.


And in reality, that means nothing. Non-pilot pax are not equipped to
evaluate the safety or proficiency of a pilot in any meaningful way.
For that reason, we as pilots are responsible for managing risk for
them.


I'm now working on my IFR rating right. In this newsgroup
we had a thread running about taking friends and family into IMC and
their reactions and the added risks compared to VMC flights. For
me, going into IMC gets the adrenaline running for a week if not
more. I love the challenge but someday I just can't imagine
my friends and family feeling comfortable when they can't see anything
but the inside of the flask they are drinking from and the ceiling
as they pray.


I fairly routinely carry non-pilot passengers in IMC. None of them
have been uncomfortable, primarily because they have noted no changes
in how the airplane is flown, and they can see that I'm comfortable.
You see, as you develop more experience, it takes more to get the
adrenaline going. I find that simply going into IMC is no longer
enough to even break the ho-hum factor. Now if we're talking about an
overwater crossing, out of radio and RADAR contact, steering around
the storms using spherics, that's something. I would not take a
non-pilot passenger on a trip like that.

When I was flying IFR in IMC frequently in an airplane I was familiar
with (I owned a 182 for several years), I actually found it very
relaxing and peaceful. Even more so than in VMC. There is much less
traffic, no need to spend time scanning for traffic, etc.

Now, after a four year layoff, I'm not yet nearly that comfortable in
IMC, but it is coming back quickly. Also, I switched to a Piper Arrow
and learning a new plane takes away some of the comfort level, but I
agree that IMC should not be an adrenaline generating experience.


Matt