Just to be clear about it, I didn't say the left downwind to 33 at ASE couldn't be done, I said I wouldn't want to be seen doing it in a bizjet! (subtlety alert!) Obvious reasons. Right traffic to 33 is another matter. I've only done that a couple of times and only in clear weather. Yeah, you gotta do a little of that pilot stuff, but it's not as if you need the stick & rudder skills of the uber talented Bob Hoover to make it work!
We let the FAA inspectors ride on the divan in our Lears and Westwinds for check rides. It's near the front so they can kinda see. They would strap into their seats for takeoff and landing and kneel behind the center console for airborne work. The Hawker I flew for awhile had a jump seat, but the inspectors didn't like to sit in it for takeoff and landing since it would be difficult to egress in a hurry. When I was a check airman, our POI had to observe every tenth checkride I gave. Poor guy. They don't really want to go unless they actually have to! I usually gave combined .293/.297/.299 rides so following the oral exam, we'd be gone at least a couple of hours. We'd order them a crew meal and set out a well stocked snack basket just to make them feel a little better about having to ride along...
Anyway, as far as this Challenger deal goes, I can almost imagine what it was like. With the FDR traces, the visualization will seem all too real. I still remember how sick I felt while I was sitting with our chief pilot listening to the raw unedited CVR playback from N303GA almost 13 years ago. I hope all pilots reading that report and the final report on this crash can picture themselves in the same situation and learn from it rather than repeating it for real. In the end though, the temptation to push on will always be there.
westhawk