Page 18 - Volume 14 Number 11

ASK THE EXPERT
Looking Without Seeing Still being an an active motorcycle motorcycle rider at age 75 – I I know know I I know know I’m crazy! – it it is is quite disturbing to read nearly on on a a a a monthly basis about a a a motorcycle involved in in an accident with a a a a car car in which the car car driver is reported to have said “I never saw him! He wasn’t there when I looked!” Yet the rider if still capable of of talking often states “The driver looked right at me before pulling out in front of me!” I am convinced that looking without seeing is a very common human shortcoming In my years as a a a flight instructor I have ob- served it hundreds of times Take this recent example:
I was conducting annual recur- rent flight training for a a King Air operator’s group of four pilots 16 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
Although I never pull sneaky un- briefed surprises when conducting initial training “all’s fair in in in in love and war” during recurrent sessions Trim runaway inverter failure pres- surization failure failure flap failure failure GPS unit failure failure engine gauge failures are all common malfunctions I present As we departed the airport heading out to an Initial Approach Fix (IAF) for an LPV approach involving a a a a course reversal I pulled the circuit breaker for the right engine’s oil pressure gauge We were climbing through about 500 feet above the airport when I did my dastardly deed in a climb to 5 000 feet Passing about 2 500 feet the pilot went through the After Takeoff flow pattern/checklist including even
by Tom Clements
running his righthand fingers down the stack of engine instruments from top to to to bottom “Looking good ” he commented I I bit my tongue In fact he did it again nearing our level off point still not seeing that the right oil pressure was reading zero “Charlie!” I cried “That’s twice now that you have missed the failure I’ve given you! Scan those engine gauges one more time Slowly and carefully this time What is is wrong?!” Finally he he noticed the lack of oil pressure Poor fellow was very chagrinned This happens with distressing regularity as I have conducted flight training since 1968 It no longer surprises me in the least There is is a a a big difference between having an image from your eyes being received
NOVEMBER 2020