I know there are a lot of shows on the television which are about aeroplanes crashing and the
re-construction of what happened.
People may argue that it is not a good thing to watch for pilots, and though I was not sure, after a bit of thought, I think there is some merit to watching them.
Being recreational flyers, we are "exempt" from certain rules however we still need to know the limitations of what we can and can't do, and maybe try to be better pilots than we are. However these exemptions also preclude us from doing things.
Checking the weather forecasts for where we are going to fly, up to date charts, EPIRB, telling someone where you are going and going there (planning the flight and flying the plan) and planning for the worst and hoping for the best; are all good examples of extra things we can do which when done add little extra cost/time to the flight but improve the safety greatly.
Another thing which puts my feet firmly on the ground about not trying to do that which you are told you shouldn't is this:
Bear with me on this as it changed my life!
Back in 1997 I was overseas scuba diving. I was grouped up with some other people and one was about to become an instructor; he was nearly there and only had a couple of things to do to graduate; and while I was there he instructed a couple of our dives.
Like flying, there are do's and don'ts to diving; and one of them is you MUST take a rest between dives - usually a good time to have lunch - and get ready for the afternoon dive. Meanwhile you don't go swimming either! That is a big NO!
I ate and was resting on the boat sleeping - together with the "instructor" - through the intermediate period.
As I was sleeping, I wasn't paying too much attention to the other noises going on, and so the yelling going on was initially ignored by me until it seemed to keep going on.
Anyway, cutting to the chase: This guy who was about to become an instructor had gone swimming. Specifically "shallow diving", where you hold your breath and go underwater.
He had disappeared and not come back to the surface. His body was found 80-ish feet underwater and only there because his body caught on a snag protruding from the drop off (coral cliff) - had he not been caught there, we would never of found his body. His body was there in a virtual zero gravity environment. No scuba gear. Eyes open and arms floating in front of his body.
He had been told not to do that for the exact reason which killed him: Holding your breath caused him to faint and lose consciousness. Not good when you are underwater.
So, back to why we should watch these shows:
Watching some of them I agree that there are problems with how they are presented but some really show that even people who "should know better" are prone to make mistakes.
Watching the re-constructions; we can learn to recognise these situations when we are in a similar situation and know what probably will happen if we continue.
I think that this is a very good reason why you should watch them.
Granted these shows are usually about "our bigger brothers" and we are flying the dinky versions, but still, the situations can still sometimes present themselves to us. They also let us see things from the other side of the fence and - I hope - help re-enforce WHY the rules are there and WHY it is so important for us to obey them.
Anyway, safe/happy flying!
