PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - The Downwind Turn - What Isn't Covered in the PPL Syllabus
Old 3rd Feb 2017, 03:19
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Clare Prop
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,330
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it was covered in the PPL syllabus in the UK in the lesson "operations at minimum level" which included turns around a point. There is no such lesson in the Aus syllabus and the closest you get is the precautionary search and landing exercise.

What students need is to understand how a series of bad decisions will lead to a scenario where a stall can happen and how to stop the "swiss cheese" holes lining up. It's not going to happen at 3500 feet with plenty of warning and then a sudden yank and boot on the controls out of nowhere and then a shove forward to solve it. Completely unrealistic.

It's going to happen when everything is turning to sh#t VFR into IMC, turnback after EFATO, optical illusions at low level in strong winds, badly handled go-around, idiots showing off with low passes and pull ups etc but most of all disorientation, not believing what is happening, brain playing tricks on you. Learn to recognise and rectify a deteriorating situation before it is too late. Human factors. Then learn what it looks sounds and feels like and how the aeroplane if trimmed right will recover pretty well on its own.

Lots of youtube vids of analysis of loss of control accidents in light aircraft which are much more informative than some of the "particle a" type pre-flight briefings.
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