My Private Pilot Flight Training- Day 4: Emergencies and RV’s (Full) from Aaron Larsen on Vimeo.
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As I was stuck behind the RV, I began to go over in my head the emergency procedures we were to cover that day…but I was interrupted by some fond childhood memories…
There was a time during my youth when crashing toy airplanes was not only the cool thing to do, but even more so, it was a rite of passage into becoming a “Big Boy”. You see, “Big Boys” were the kids that “Little Boys” always looked up to.
They were always doing “Big Boy” things like wrecking their bikes into curbs (without training wheels), climbing trees in complete darkness, shooting BB guns at dragonflies in the ditch, putting bullfrogs in their neighbor’s mailbox, and of course, crashing their toy airplanes.
And while I did do a lot of bike wrecking (eventually without training wheels on), I seemed to have a knack when it came to crashing toy airplanes.
It was an art really…and the degree to which you were considered a “good” toy airplane crasher was determined by the following criteria:
1. Speed
2. Control
3. Damage
Speed: Simple. The harder you could throw the toy and still hit the target, the better your score. Having also played baseball most of my life, this one came naturally ; )
Control: Not so easy. Control was judged based on where you predicted the plane to land, the path it took to get there, and how it ended up after it “landed”. It was a lot like the game Michael Jordan and Larry Bird played in that commercial, except much more dangerous-
“Okay, Billy. Off Mr. Anderson’s garage, two corkscrews down to Ms. Stewart’s cat, Fluffy, around her tail and into the curb. Nothing but Wing!”
“Nothing but Wing”, of course, would mean that after impact, nothing was predicted to be left but wing. Which leads to Damage.
Damage: Even simpler. The more damage, the better! Calling “Nothing but Wing!” was like Babe Ruth calling his shot over the left field wall.
Like all great games, “crashing toy airplanes” eventually evolved into “crashing toy airplanes with GI Joe pilots”. A slightly more sadistic, yet highly enjoyable modification. The same rules mentioned above would apply, but this time to the GI Joe as well.
“Okay, Billy. Off Old Man Cletus (asleep in the rocker), into the hummingbird feeder, as Bazooka Bob (the pilot) does a double-Mcnasty-backflip into birdbath. Nothing but Leg!”
As I pulled into the airport, I began to think these fond memories as not so fond. Is there such as thing as GI Joe karma? Gosh, I hope not. For some reason I cannot begin to fathom, my hands uncharacteristically began to spray sweat all over the steering wheel. “What the heck?!”
I kept telling myself not to be nervous…after all, I had survived hundreds of toy airplane crashes. This would be cake.
As when circled the practice fields, my instructor gave me the news…
“Okay, the engine has failed. What do we do?”
A process immediately popped into my head…
“Speed. Control. Damage.”
Shoot, no, that’s not it! Wrong game, idiot! Then I remembered…
“Maintain attitude and control of the airplane. Check. Acknowledge the problem. Check. Find a suitable field to land. Check. Cockpit check.”
Good. I was back on track.
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As we reached 1,000 ft, I noticed how everything seemed so small from up above. The brown fields were neatly organized and divided in rows of green lines. The people working in the fields all wore white (most likely due to the heat) and it reminded me of the tiny Star Wars figurines that I used to play with when I was young.
I felt like reaching out, pinching one between my fingers and lining them up into battle formations.
“Hey, what’s the Big idea, punk!”
-”Sorry, Han, today you are joining the Dark Side…”
Some habits never die : )
Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by a smirking Bazooka Bob, as he waved his dismembered leg and informed me that,
“What goes around comes around, buddy…”
I felt like Sid in Toy Story when the all of his abused toys rebelled against him. Creepy little booger…I should have done a “Nothing but Body”….
Though we didn’t land, I was told that I handled the situation well. Fortunately my instructor is not a mindreader ; ) For the rest of the lesson we practiced some stalls, and even got into some steep banked turns. When we touched back down, I began to reflect on a few things I had learned.
First, I used to think that altitude was directly proportional to the risk of death when flying an airplane. In other words, the higher you were up in the air the more likely you are to die if you had some sort of emergency. But, after a few days of actually taking control of an airplane, I realized that I was dead wrong.
In most cases, the opposite is true. That way I see it, in regards to survivability, there wouldn’t be much difference in crashing straight into the ground from 1,000 feet, and crashing straight into the ground from 5,000 feet. In a lot of cases, altitude is your friend.
For example, if I was cruising on a straight and level at 5,000 ft and suddenly my engine failed, I would have much more time to maintain control of the aircraft, assess the situation, determine my options and take action to resolve the problem than if I were 1,500 ft. In the air, an abundance of time is always preferable.
Also, one continual theme that I have picked up is the importance of wind in aviation. It can play a huge role in basic aircraft maneuverability and navigation. It also comes into play often when landing, especially emergency landings.
Now, I have NEVER been great at directions. And if it wasn’t for the handy Never Eat Shredded Wheat mnemonic device that I still employ whenever I think of a compass, chances are I would still search for an Eastern sunset. So when it comes to identifying the direction of the wind, I’m going to need some practice.
So, I asked the instructor how in the world pilots identify wind direction while in the cockpit. Fortunately he gave me some handy visual cues that I can use.
He told me to look for flagpoles with flags waving in the wind, or smoke/steam. Look for standing water, such as a pond. The wind blows into the water creating a smooth spot on the edge. The ripples then follow. In farm country, look for tractors kicking up dust.
And the most interesting one was if you see a large herd of cattle, note which direction they are facing. Cattle like to have their tails into the wind. Not sure why, but they like it : ) But how can you tell if the cattle are facing downwind as opposed to crosswind?
Well, if you listen closely, when cattle are facing crosswind, you can hear a slight hollow whistling sound, much like when you blow across the top of an empty glass soda bottle….haha…Okay, that might not be completely accurate ; ) But the tail thing is true! I saw it for myself when I drove home. Pretty neat, huh?
Overall, learning about possible emergencies and their respective appropriate courses of action to resolve them has really boosted my confidence. And while I don’t have everything solid yet, I’m eager to keep pressing on and have it down pat. For motivation, I try to put myself in emergency situations in my head, with my mother in the seat next to me.
If you know my mother, you’ll understand why I chose to place her in this imaginative scenario. I love her dearly, but she gives a new definition to the term “Worrywart”. That being said, if I can see step by step what to say and do in my head, while she is panicking, and successfully resolve the situation without ejecting at least one of us from the cockpit, then I should be prepared for any possible emergency scenario in record time.
It may not be how Sully (Capt. Sullenburger) trained, but it works for me! ; )
Talk to you soon…I have some bullfrogs to catch 
~Aaron
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***This is a selected post from the Silver Wings Members Area, an exclusive, invitation-only group for family, close friends, and/or passionate and dedicated student pilots. If you’d like to see more posts like this one, and meet the criteria, please request and invite…
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