Originally Posted by
cardiomd
The posters here are truly unfamiliar with the way that GA pilots, airfoils, and operations take place, and want to force your way of flying / thinking onto them. This is why my experiences are similar to expert GA pilots, not freight dogs or jet jocks. Unless you are pulling G's in the pattern, ASI give appropriate info and safety margin. If you are pulling G's in the patten or don't have a good feel for the airplane, then IMO you have bigger problems.
Perhaps a better analogy would be is it worth hooking a patient up to a costly and redundant instrument "just in case" when identical information is available via other means?
Doc, that's an erroneous assumption: just because you aren't familiar with military aviation doesn't mean the posters here aren't familiar with GA.
Maybe an AOA gauge wouldn't have been a "costly and redundant instrument" for this Mooney pilot at a critical instance:
https://vimeo.com/26640491
I'm sure he should have been better at visualizing the rapidly changing AOA as his thrust suddenly decreased to a negative value and increased AOA, his AOA increased due to bank and increased back pressure, and of course we can flog him for attempting to turn back in the first place. I'm sure his experiences weren't similar to yours or other GA experts, so he's the guy who actually might benefit from using this gauge in the pattern, especially during an emergency. Here's the rest of the story:
The "Impossible Turn" and Three Mooney Crashes in Two Weeks : Aviation Law Monitor