JohnMitchell 16 #26 May 11, 2009 Thanks for the link. When I first saw this thread title again, I thought "Oh crap, not another one." It's a sad relief to find we're visiting an old incident. So . . . it appears he flunked up to 5 check rides, but finally passed. I'm not a pilot, but how hard is it to apply power, let down the nose, and keep the wings level? How many times can a tandem master flunk the course before he gets the rating? Dunno.When I became an air traffic controller, I went to FAA "boot camp" in Oklahoma City. In 3 months they washed out 2/3rd's of my class. Once training back at the home facility probably another 15-20% or more washed out of training. Tough? Yes, but the end product was better. Now we have "Train to succeed." Second chances, third chances (maybe fifth or sixth tries, just like the airlines). Do we still have the best product possible? When do you say when? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmsmith 1 #27 May 17, 2009 Here's an excellent follow-up to this sad story! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/nyregion/17pilot.html?hp May 17, 2009 Commuter Pilot’s Life Defies Glamorous Stereotype By DAVID M. HALBFINGER, MATTHEW L. WALD and CHRISTOPHER DREW This article was reported by David M. Halbfinger, Matthew L. Wald and Christopher Drew, and written by Mr. Halbfinger. Alex Lapointe, a 25-year-old co-pilot for a regional airline, says he routinely lifts off knowing he has gotten less sleep than he needs. And once or twice a week, he says, he sees the captain next to him struggling to stay alert. Neil A. Weston, also 25, went $100,000 into debt to train for a co-pilot’s job that pays him $25,000 annually. He carries sandwiches in a cooler from his home in Dubuque, Iowa, bought his first uniform for $400, and holds out hope of tripling his salary by moving into the captain’s seat, then up to a major carrier. Assuming, that is, the majors start hiring again. Continued... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #28 May 17, 2009 Quote I'm not a pilot, but how hard is it to apply power, let down the nose, and keep the wings level? Replying to myself here, but I heard they've determined he pulled back on the control yoke when it started to stall, the exact opposite of what you want to do. It's a basic a mistake as pulling your handles in the wrong order. Too bad. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #29 May 17, 2009 I read that it was speculated that the pilot might have thought it was a tail stall necessitating a pull-up...Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #30 May 17, 2009 QuoteI read that it was speculated that the pilot might have thought it was a tail stall necessitating a pull-up... Agreed..quite possible. Reference pg. 4: http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/sa11.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
