Introduction to the 34th Richard G. McSpadden Report

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[NathanBallardSaferFlying]

I appreciate all of hard work and effort to not only produce this report, but to keep all of us GA pilots and our passengers safe out there. Thank you ASI.

[murrethmedia]

No disrespect to Mike, but I miss Richard. His loss was such a massive tragedy. I'm glad his name will live on in this report.

[dmitryandrianov]

Thank you all for striving to keep our aviation community safe

[jimmydulin]

Back in the Nall report days, we continued to have fewer incidents and accidents but very nearly the same number of fatalities. Having a lot of experience, yes hours but also incidents and accidents, I thought perhaps we should strive for more incidents and accidents to get the experience to reduce fatalities. So 22 was the first year we had more incidents and accidents but fewer fatalities. Was somebody listening to me? As Rob says, keep flying and practicing. If the PPL is a license to learn, why not explore more energy efficient techniques than what Airman Certification Standards maneuvers teach. I'm not a STOL contest participant, but as a crop duster and mountain pilot I have needed the extra free level in low ground effect energy. Try the soft field technique you have learned, actually also the most energy efficient short field technique, but accelerate level in low ground effect until Vcc on long runways. Of course we crop dusters do not pitch up until obstructions require it and then only to just over. Our low altitude orientation emphasizes that until high enough to recover from an inadvertent stall, airspeed and not altitude is life. Trading airspeed early, say Vx or Vy, for rapid climb when thousands of feet of runway remaining is really poor energy management.

ACS emphasis on altitude maintenance, both high altitude and instrument flying orientation, can lead to startle and stall due to slow airspeed, say Vx or Vy before startle delay. If my student has climbing turn on his mind when he turns crosswind, he will pull on the yoke and decelerate to slower than trimmed Vy. Should we not emphasize Wolfgang's admonition to understand and consider what the airplane wants to do? Yes, it wants to lower its nose to maintain trimmed airspeed and not maintain either climb or altitude. Which is the safer technique at 400' AGL, where a stall is fatal? Use your PPL as a license to learn.