This will be my last words on this subject as I think this post has run its course.
With respect to my pretending to wig out in the cockpit , I thought ( and still think ) that for that student at that time, it was a good teaching tool and at the end of the exercise I truly beleve he gained a measure of confidence in his ability to handle emergencies,( not to mention paying more attention to what knob he is pulling! ) that he would not otherwise had. Nevertheless it is situationally dependant and there would be only be a limited set of circumstances this scenario would be appropriate for.
With respects to the brakes off check I have heard nothing which will cause me to change my mind that this check is unnecesary
in the context of post number one, which is the operation of your typical light flying club type aircraft. I still believe that the call
brakes ------ pedals firm
provides a sufficent check of that aircraft system and is likely to catch any likely system abnormality. Since it is obviously impracticle to have a check list that would cover every possible abnormality I think particularly in the high work load environment of the phase of flight where the prelanding checklist is done, the checks have to strike a balance between covering the essential items but not being so involved and lengthly that it detracts from flying the aircraft. Therefore I came to the opinion in I say again the operation of your typical light flying club type aircraft ,the brakes off check is not required.
As it happens I have yet to fly an aircraft or aircraft operation where this check is necessary. However it is entirely possible that in future I may add the brakes off check for valid operational reasons.
So Divergent Phugoid et al if your have thought through the issue and come to the conclusion that this is the best way to operate then good for you. I must note that over the years when I have challenged pilots on why the did something ( the run up mixture check is a good example ) often the best they could offer was because "I always did it" or " somebody told me to " and really had no idea why they were completing th action.
But you know what the best part of this forum is ? It has made me think about things. I can guarentee, I never would have put this level of thought into this one issue if it had not been brought up and for that reason I intend to contribute to and learn from this forum
