Originally Posted by
SayAlt
Yup. And that principal is "the airplane and Wx is always trying to kill me and my pax at all times."
Wow - how tall is that high horse?
It sounds like you've got this aviation thing wired. You've got all the little proverbs down - so that's good. I'm a little less dramatic with my opinion of the wx and my aircraft, but it's good to respect them both. BTW, a
principal is the guy in charge of a school.
I was really just asking if you really take full length all the time or if you were just using another one of those old proverbs. You seem pretty spun up and defensive over a simple question. I don't like or dislike it, as you said, it's your choice.
Originally Posted by
SayAlt
#2 to that is "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".
As a PIC I'll always take every extra foot of safety margin I can possibly get.
I will NEVER have to tell anyone "well, I could have had the extra room, but I let time pressures make the call for me."
When everyone in this industry says the #1 concern is safety...and everyone does...I take them at their word. It's how I practice the fine art of flying, even when it's "not very practical".
Feel free to take all the calculated risks you want. Me, I'll take the best possible odds every single time.
I took the liberty of separating all these absolutes you posted for easier reference. Does this attitude apply to all aspects of aviation or just takeoff? I ask because most of us take calculated risks daily.
Based on principle #2 above, I'm assuming you takeoff with a full load of fuel regardless of flight length and what is actually required by FAR, company procedure and basic prudence, etc.
When you land do you always request the longest available runway regardless of your computed stopping distance even if they're not using that one?
Do you refuse to operate an aircraft that has any system deferred (MELed, whatever your company lingo is).
How about a visual approach? Full ILS might be safer. Heck, maybe you autoland every flight. Do you hand fly or always use the autopilot?
I think you see my point.
I would never fault someone for taking the most conservative option. I think we all want to operate at the highest margin of safety that is appropriate for a situation. Those simple axioms we've all heard about runway behind you or fuel left in the gas truck are worthy advice. But, attempting to follow such advice without any regard for the specific situation you're in removes the other critical component of aircraft command - judgment. Industry putting safety #1 isn't a directive to inflexibly apply every old adage you've heard in your career. IMO, we evaluate the specific situation, use some judgement and pick a safe option.
That's my .02 - Tailwinds.