Falling asleep at the wheel

[Ewen McPhee]

I don't know if it is just me, but having done two dual navs now 1.8 each I am finding that my landings have gone off. I just seem to be too tired and in a bit of a daze? Both times we got back to base the wind had picked up to a decent cross wind. I find crosswinds very challenging at the best of times, and really had trouble keeping the airspeed up, nose in the right direction and am flaring too high. Has anyone else found tiredness and poor concentration at the end of a nav to be a problem? How do you get around that? I have done about 34 hours flying now, thought I should be better, very humbling.

 

 

[facthunter]

Fatigue.

 

This is the reason that doing more than forty minutes of concentrated training in one go, is a lesson in reduced returns. You have "run out of puff" because of the time you have been concentrating on performing.

 

1.8 hours is not a long flight, but you are in a training situation where you are new at what you are doing. You are inputting at a high level, you may not have slept too well the night before, and you arrive back at your "home circuit", something with which you are familiar, and you say to yourself "well I'm back home, at least I'm across this', and then do not make a big success of the landing because you do not work hard enough at it, OR you are simply too tired.... Nev..

 

 

[Guest brentc]

You will start to relax after a few more trips, particularly when you know exactly where you are going (the GPS is handy for this) which will make for a far more relaxing flight. Flying is supposed to be fun, not stressing and tiring!

 

I got through your problem quite some time ago and it's interesting how when people fly with me (particularly low time pilots) how they get quite tense and stressed on even a half hour flight that for me is a relaxing cross country flight. One in particular holds the controls so tight that when I take over I almost have to wring the sweat out of the foam hand grip :confused:

 

 

[turboplanner]

Ewen, after experiencing this and reading a few Aviation Safety Digests, I always shake myself and go up a few notches in concentration from about 15 minutes out. At Moorabbin, had to keep it up after landing too because the ground traffic can also be creative at times.

 

 

[Ewen McPhee]

Thanks for replies, I thought it might be not uncommon newbie thing. I will have to carry some pins to stick myself with as I come in. It is understandable how things can become unstuck when you arrive at a new airport after a long Nav. How do people prepare for an unfamiliar Airport?

 

At least I found all the Navpoints, including Terang an unserviceable runway in the middle of nowhere (Looked just like it did on Google Earth when I planned the Nav the night before).

 

I agree that 1.8 is long but looking at the map around Emerald there isn't much to track for thats close. What do people usually track for as navpoints - We have been aiming for towns, airstrips and large stations.

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

I've found that taking a bit of food and some drink, even an ice coffee can be very helpful. We do flights of up to 7 hours and they get very fatiguing at times.

 

Like driving, every now and then, have something to eat and something to drink in between legs, hopefully that'll perk you up a little.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

After a long leg, I often feel the need to talk to myself. I tell me to switch to circuit and landing mode, and to focus. I stretch and shift my bum in my extremely comfortable seat, then go through a check of everything. That does the trick.

 

You're right - it's very common for landings to get ugly after a long nav.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

A good way to minnimise stress when flying to unfamiliar strips is to plan, plan and plan some more.. Two aviation credo's leap to mind.

 

1. Don't let the aeroplane go anywhere your brain hasn't arrived 10 minutes earlier.

 

2. Propper planning prevents poor performance.

 

Read up on the strip as much as you can. Get a picture in your head of how you will arrive at the field, i mean, what will it look like from your planned track heading..

 

Even draw a picture if you want to, draw in the circuit directions,deadsides and any features that may cause you problems...

 

Don't wait untill your overhead to decide wich runway is which..

 

At 10 miles out you will most often be able to see the strip. Use that time to put your maps away, run through the approach sequence, prelanding checks, scan for traffic, and so on.. A pet hate of mine is guys packing stuff away on downwind, 9 out of 10 times they forget the d/wind checks and stuff up the app and landing because they didnt get there minds into landing mode..

 

cheers

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

Don't let this faze you but learn to do something about it, as others have suggested. Early in your training 1.8 is in fact a long time to concentrate and concentrate hard. Soon though navs become a more learned thing and so the load gets less and your come home less tired.

 

The things I do go like this:

 

1. Inbound get on the CTAF frequency nice and early - at the very bare minimum by 10 miles out but better to be early. Always before top of descent. So imagine that if you cruise (and descend) at 100 knots, 10 miles is 6 minutes. If you are cruising at 4,500 feet and you are going to come across the top at 1,500 feet and the strip is at SL you have 3,000 feet to lose and at a sensible 500fpm that's 6 minutes. So 10 miles out is TOD. So CTAF needs to be on well before 10 miles. I use that as a situational awareness aid - who's around, where are they going, what's the wind etc. It's also a personal trigger - it is a "sit up straight and pay attention" warning.
    
    
   
2. As I switch to CTAF I do a cockpit clearance - get rid of the lolly wrappers, the charts, the ERSA, the kneeboard. I settle myself in the seat and I literally wriggle my feet and hands. I'm waking up my brain and body. I sit a little forward and check out the view of the strip that's starting to emerge. I get my bearings. Meanwhile my body is responding to these cues by coming to a higher level of alertness.
    
    
   
3. I rehearse the approach and arrival. I talk myself through the arrival - a personal briefing. What's my height now? What's my distance to run? Does it all fit together? Am I going to arrive at the right height at the right place? What is the likely active runway? What length is it? Which is the dead side? Which is the live? Do I have to manoeuvre to place myself in the most sensible spot for an arrival? Are there particular risks and challenges? I'm already part way through my sequence of arrival calls on the CTAF having made my intentions clear to the masses.
    
    
   
4. I run an instrument check, I mentally review the risks and issues, by now I have already "flown" the arrival, approach and landing in my mind. If I have a pax they have been briefed as part of the previous step.
    
    
   
5. Now I'm making my overhead call, checking the windsock and making sure there are no white crosses or obstructions anywhere. I use this point as my opportunity to engage in a little flying. I challenge myself to arrive at a predetermined position on the dead side at _exactly_ circuit height and to not sink one foot below it. I make the reversal turn bold and deliberate. I'm waking up my flying brain and muscles. I'm in charge of this aircraft.
    
    
   
6. As I come back crosswind I do my downwind checks. Get them out of the road before or as you turn downwind.
    
    
   
7. Now fly the aircraft. Be precise, you have already "flown" this circuit as you approached. It's all planned, now you just have to execute. Challenge yourself to get it just right.
    
    
   
8. If you muck it up then _go around_. My very first solo nav I didn't like the crosswind that everyone else was coping with at my first landing point. So I bailed out and decided to use the short dirt cross strip. Of course I crowded that and ended up too high. So around I went and make a perfect second approach, cursing myself all the while.
    
    
   

 

 

Whatever works for you...but you need a system that puts you on top of the aircraft early in the arrival phase and keeps your brain well ahead of the action.

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[BigPete]

Now that's what I call GOOD advice. :thumb_up::thumb_up::thumb_up:

 

regards

 

:big_grin:

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

Great advice Mike, might even put that in my voohey toohey for when I do my navs next year.

 

 

[Ewen McPhee]

Excellent advice everyone - I'm glad to have raised it as an issue. Learnt a lot.

 

 

[Barefootpilot]

I'm usually pretty tired by the end of my week so I'm ultra strict on checklist use. Its on that last leg when you are already thinking about that first beer or what you have to do when you get home that you forget something simple... like fuel or gear and it bites you big time. So work out a system that works for you and then stick to it! Its a little early after only two navs but one will form and then just make sure you follow it each time (even if its only a 20 mile run to a mates place) Its when your half asleep and think your king of the world that aviation will come a prove you wrong!

 

Adam.

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Another perspective. A lot can depend on how your instructor is monitoring (or influencing) you work and personal pressure.

 

 

Early navs are a learning exercise – not some kind of check!

 

 

I learnt long ago that actual manipulative skills (even familiar ones) weaken dramatically under the influence of judgemental and procedural pressure that is not yet instinctive.

 

 

I take this to the point of usually helping out with the first couple of away landings and almost always land the aircraft myself at the completion of the exercise back home.

 

 

I want exercises to end positively on an up-beat. If we are this far down the syllabus then the student can land and that does not need proving any longer. Far better to get them out feeling chuffed about good nav and general procedures than demotivated about an error on a routine basic exercise due to fatigue.

 

 

What you are going though is quite normal and you will revert to normal ability as you pick up the new mental workload

 

 

Aye

 

 

Tony

 

 

[Yenn]

That sounds like an excellent way to go Tony. I know that my landings are not as good after a long time in the air and I think I am past the student stage.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Thanks Tony, great teaching.