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ACRO E-mail Archive Thread: [IAC] Accidents

Thread: [IAC] Accidents

Message: Re: [IAC] Accidents

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From: MDSkaggs at aol.com

Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 18:15:13 UTC

Message:

  Damon,

I know a lot of friends of mine have not received the July issue. Mr. 
Pramer's letter is long and I agree with certain points he makes but disagree 
with some and the general idea of his letter. Again, I am not referencing any 
accident, just suggested policy.

I was not talking about test flights, trying a lump for the first time, or 
other nonstandard type of flights. I am talking about flying the sequence in 
whatever category that you fly or practicing individual maneuvers. Let me 
quote Dr. Pramer...

"The most efficient way to correct a maneuver gone sour is to sense it 
instantly, know exactly what went wrong and why, know exactly what control 
input needs to be immediately taken to correct the situation, and fly the 
plane out precisely. Carl Pascarell can do this in a Pitts special. I 
personally cannot, and many of my novice acro friends cannot."

Now, I might be misunderstanding him, but I take this to mean that a botched 
maneuver would consist of sportsman category maneuvers in proven aircraft. If 
the standard spin entry in the sportsman sequence is 3000' at a contest and 
someone needs more than that to recover on a daily basis, what will happen 
when that person comes to a contest and 'botches a maneuver'?

Also, a low time pilot can be taught to recognize just what Mr. Pramer thinks 
novice acro pilots are not able to do. When I did my training, (we started at 
6000 ft) the main idea was to learn to recognize what was going on. This is 
my point. How many eyebrows would be raised at a contest if someone spun out 
of the immelman or hammerhead in sportsman and took multiple turns to recover?

My stance is that everyone should take a rigorous spin course. That is all. I 
am not trying to discourage someone from flying as high as they want, but it 
needs to be for other reasons than the inability to recognize a spin. I just 
think that Mr. Primers statement that those of us who practice low (standard 
contest altitudes, not airshow altitudes) have "lost touch with reality" is 
not correct. 

It looks like General Aviation is going to get another black eye 
today....Like it need one.

I can't wait to see a Model 12 start flying competition...Hurry up Damon!

Mike Skaggs