Brought down a peg or two
 

I had a real eye opener the other day, I have been reading on here about engine failures and the need to practice and prepare for them, I had a somewhat dismissive view of this as it pertains to myself for the following reasons,

1. I know my plane and its performance inside and out.
2. I fly 150 hours or more a year in this plane.
3. I had just finished up some intensive training at the beginning of the year where power off 180 was part of the training and I aced it several times in an unfamiliar plane at an unfamiliar strip .
4. A lot of my flying is in and out of unprepared strips, pastures, cropped fields and rural dirt roads with a lot of STOL type operations.

So I figured there was no point practicing at my home field as I had built the damn thing from scratch ploughing , leveling and sowing it and knew every dimension and contour on the field and the entire surrounding area and all the landmarks for judging a glide approach making it so easy it would be pointless.

But I gave it ago last week, the results:

1st Attempt: Not even close, would have been in the pond 400 feet before the threshold
2nd Attempt: See number 1. ( now I'm getting pissed off with myself and change from L to R pattern.
3rd Attempt: Too high and no amount of slipping would have prevented overshoot.
4th Attempt: See number 1 Again !!!
5Th Attempt : Acceptable safe approach and landing.

Take away from the experience ? Humbled , in fact extremely humbled and realized familiarity really does breed contempt. Never ever pass up a chance to practice emergencies.

Piperboy

I agree we don't practice these things enough.

Its the same with twins after practising an engine out with an instructor/ examiner most pilots treat a twin like a single albeit it has two engines and never practice engine out procedures should the worst happen. Never mind experimenting with different scenarios should one go bang

Same with SEP! FLs are not practised again. How many pilots even consider that always noting the wind direction and looking for possible landing sights 45 degrees either side of the nose in the climb out?

Not many its head down and playing with the vast array of screen displays on the latest Gizmo :ugh:

Well done to you that is the mark of a good pilot

Pace