Usual caveats here- not a multi engine pilot, don't fly heavies. However I do work with a crew when I fly a balloon and yes we do have something like SOPs at least for the take-off. After that it's solo pilot until the retrieve.
Remember SOP's were put into place by trial and error and designed to enable crews to fly with each other in specific aircraft and specific flight regimes.
These SOP's are designed to take advantage of the machinery they are written for and to achieve the best all around end result.....
.....they are not however written stone nor are they always the best actions to take, because occassionally one must be creative and do something that will save your day that are not written in the SOP's.
I may be old fashioned and even wrong in many of my methods and my decisions regarding how to fly aircraft, but for me it has worked well enough for me to have survived without wrecking any flying devices for a long time.
What does bother me is the mindset that is molded into doing everything by the book with no room for using common sense when it is required.
I don't want to comment on whether the decision was right or wrong. I just want to say how strongly I agree that common sense has a huge place (or should have a huge place) in flying. How many people let themselves make stupid decisions because they have been hammered into doing it by the book? And to get back to the poster's original point - how often do you need to do anything in a hurry? If the aeroplane, or glider, or ballon or whatever is ahead of you and you are reacting instantly then you are not far short of panicking, and that is what will kill you. Like he says, slow down! Take a deep breath and THINK before you move. And if the decision you make enables you to be around later to argue about it, then it was probably the right one
