Reverserbucket,
Personally I find the comment in your last post regarding the instructor's "ability to perform cockpit duties, including lookout" to be in bad taste - I do know the guy personally and am certain he takes your implications as a slight at his professionalism.
I based this comment on your earlier intimation that the instructor had problems sleeping at night. If this is true, my observation on how this would effect his ability to perform his duties holds true, and I would stand by this to my last breath, but, in the lack of any evidence to the contrary, I took it that the instructor did not have a sleep problem and did carry his duties out to the required standard, and I thought this would have been perfectly clear by my following quote
(This is for you------>
)
With his aircraft already established in a designated holding pattern and having right of way in accordance with FAR Part 91 Section 91.113(d), and an aircraft coming at him from below at his 7/8 o'clock, DWW would have been very lucky to have spotted it in sufficient time to avert a collision, so he has no need to worry about any blame on his part for the collision.
From 4500 feet, a standard PA161 would have been able to glide to Coolidge Municipal, but at the 3500 feet where DWW gained control this would have been borderline but certainly Sarita would be very possible. But DWW wasn't flying a standard PA161 post-collision, so nobody can ascertain what the glide performance would be with the increased increased weight and drag. What we can be sure of is that the shock factor and the adrenaline would be fairly prohibitive in allowing the mind to calculate relative bearings, distances and options quickly, at the same time as trying to ascertain structural integrity. Thankfully there were many adequate fields below but this isn't always the case so this incident is a helpful reminder to readers to try and plan flying activities that allow escape options (if possible) and ask where I would land if 'this' happened 'now' when flying. Given the circumstances DWW faced I think he did a great job. Like any professional I'm sure he has thought about things he may have done differently which will benefit him and his students in his career.
I was in the crewroom the day AB suffered his close call at EGTK and have lost two instructor friends and colleagues in recent years in training accidents - please show some sensitivity.
I'm not sure this is addressed to me as I don't believe I have demonstrated insensitivity in any of my comments. As others have mentioned, the flight training industry is potentially very dangerous and not for the faint hearted. I had to shut down my engines at Oxford once because an aircraft crashed less than 500 metres away. I don't think that I was insensitive to want to continue the flight - not possible as ATC closed the airfield - I just think that this was me being professional and very aware of how difficult it could be getting flights at that time. Never-the-less I was still concerned for the people involved and hoped they escaped unharmed - as they did.
Strict regulation, training and modern technology has seen to it that the days of the heroic jet pilot are decades behind us, and from a bravery point of view I admire the GA fraternity far more than the airline fraternity. Statistics show that you are far more likely to be involved in fatal accident (midair or otherwise) in GA than commercial aviation. I know many, many airline pilots who have never set foot in a GA aircraft since the day they passed their IR, and never will again, under the guise of cost or airline specific rules, when in fact it is because they are just not comfortable with the risks involved. That is fair enough, you have to go with your feelings. It is quite funny how so many retiring airline pilots suddenly decide after decades of keeping as far away as possible from GA, to return to it. It is almost like they think, sod it, I've not got much time left in me anyway. Still, GA should be grateful to have them return both for their knowledge pool and because GA needs all the numbers it can get these days. Fly safe!
VC10 Rib22
