Unicom
January 2006 Issue
Unicom: 01/06
How To Crash 101
For a safety magazine, the “Crash” Course sidebar on page 7 of the November issue is indeed a course on how to have a fatal crash. Suggesting that an approach should be flown with the stall horn blaring is an invitation to the classic stall-spin with no altitude for recovery.
A friend of mine was of the opinion that you should fly the pattern same speed, wind or not. He’s dead now—spun in on a windy day. And he likely at least had the recommended margin for a no-wind day.
I’m not advocating faster is better—it’s not. Flying the right speed for the conditions is the answer. If there’s no wind, fly 1.2 times Vso, not 1.3, not 1.25. And do this every landing...
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