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Old 12th Mar 2018, 07:42
  #411 (permalink)  
paco
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: White Waltham, Prestwick & Calgary
Age: 72
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Quite agree with the last statement. The basic premise is flawed, as it is with the gun control mention above. Until you change basic attitudes, you will always get accidents such as the Biggin Hill 206 crash. It's why many examiners, including myself, refuse to deal with private owners. It's a long process, having taken many years to change attitudes towards drunk driving - I don't believe legislation has helped there at all.

Having said that, many things could have happened with this accident. In trying to maintain VFR, many people try to fly as high as possible in mountains, too near the cloud base. This is a mistake, as a bit of turbulence could put you unexpectedly IMC. Couple that with the lack of any help from the stabilising surfaces at low speeds (typically below about 45 knots, but VTOSS on that machine is 55 kts if memory serves) you are in a situation where you should be climbing and speeding up, which is not instinctively what you want to do. At least with FW you get a basic stability from the machine.

Of course, that may well not have been the case here - I just mention it as a general safety point.
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