Bootch- I wonder if Cassidy Copter fells (feels) good highlighting everyone elses (else's) bad / not-even-that-bad points so often?
Indeed! I am neither perfect nor the greatest Aviator. At least, I try.
When I was younger, much younger, I could not spell my name. I always asked my Dad the meaning of this word or correct spelling of that word. One day, he told me to look it up in the dictionary. He told me that I would have as much knowledge and education as any university professor, if I would read the dictionary from cover to cover. Taking several pages a day, I had read the dictionary cover-to-cover.
Computers, word processors, spell checkers and handheld calculators have made us all mentally lazy -forgetting even the basics. We can relate that to flying. The more quality flying we do, the better our flying skills and aeronautical-decision-making become.
I certainly do not intend to criticise anyone, here, or anywhere, merely to make myself feel superior or to belittle or demean someone.
Being professional Aviators, we should simply accept criticism as a tool for self-improvement.I will give you an example. Many, here, believe I am a well and truly experienced Aviator. Yes, I have seen and done much. That said, I have not seen and done it all. I accept and am the first to admit that I still have much to learn and experience.
I was in a full-motion/visual Flight Simulator for a multi-engine transport-category jet, doing recurrent training and assessment. The instructor was a former Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force pilot. He does not speak English well. He was stern and had a reputation that he routinely fails pilots and doesn't like foreign Captains.
My first takeoff, he gave me an N1 Overspeed in my #1 (left) engine. Of course, I am looking down runway centreline and peeking inside for a quick crosscheck of the instruments. I was below 80 knots, began to execute a Rejected Takeoff. "I've got this made." I was momentarily right on centreline. A moment later, I was fighting to keep it on centreline and using full left rudder and differential braking, but still rapidly approaching the runway edge/grass, to my right. Damn! I was now driving a golf cart.
He reset the Sim and he told me, "In the old QRH, for the 'Classic', there was a procedure to cutoff the Engine Start Lever of the bad engine." We were in a New Generation aircraft Simulator and such was neither specifically covered in the QRH nor Memory Recall Items. He, went on to say that even if I shut down both engines, on the runway, at least I will be able to stay on centreline and that would be better than shutting down the wrong engine. I simply replied, "Yes, Sir." He gave me a second chance, but failed #2 engine. Bang, I was right there. I cutoff #2 Engine Start Lever, immediately, keeping it perfectly on centreline and stopped in a short distance. A high thrust low speed Reject is a very difficult manoeuver tp perform and many pilots take it off the runway (liken it to a quick stop in a confined area on a hot day). In all my years of flying and operating multi-engine transport-category jets and completing recurrent Sims, that was my first time to experience that scenario.
What is my point, you may wonder?
I learned something.
I simply accepted his criticism as a tool for learning and becoming a better Captain. Though I am not, I continuously strive to be the best Captain and Pilot out there. I set that standard for myself.
You can either accept my and others' criticism, as a tool for self-improvement, or fob me off as an a$$hole with too much time on my hands. Choice is yours.
Never take "No" for an answer.