It’s nice to see your rationale expanded upon.Difficult enough with our/ my own internal dialogue without having to consider a fan club cheering on your potential misfortune. These would indeed be keyboard pilots that are nasty people.
A note on that internal dialogue and the subject at hand.....
I make a living as an inventor. I seem to pretty much the absent minded one portrayed in movies etc. Wasn’t going to take up flying specifically for this reason. However, I just have to do it better. At home and work it’s strict systems that make everyday life work. Transition points from work to gym to home and emails, invoices etc all have a disciplined approach or it’d be impossible. Living in 3 countries has its own nightmares we won’t go into.
Anyway, to stay on track here.... I’m really disciplined in my flying procedures. Go through them in the car on way to airport. Plan carefully. Run checklists precisely. All the stuff we are supposed to do. When flying I’m running the numbers near the airport and ground manoeuvres etc and do allow a bit of relax time to just enjoy the scenery when safe to do so. Back to strict routine when required.
I’m also on here looking at things that have gone wrong for others as a learning experience and trying to live it with the pilots that suffered the misfortune that ended up with us writing about them. It’s unfortunate that it’s easiest done when the accident is current and I absolutely get that we need to consider the families and friends.
Incidents.... The terrible recent 2 plane accident made me decide not to do IFR training when I return to the USA. I have my GA training and I think I have the discipline if caught in cloud to fly instruments out. I’ve run this in my head and just like in the check ride I’d make very small corrections with a relaxed hand. I’d stick almost completely in the instrument scan while getting 180 degreees about and proceeding back and hopefully out of cloud. The way to pretty much guarantee a spiral dive in my mind would be to panic and stare out the window into the gray mist. I guess that happens and it was stressed and imprinted firmly that without recent training we have just a little time before spiral dive. Helicopter pilot in USA as case in point with IFR training. I’ll just stay clear of cloud and check weather as the main plan.
The other theme running here is bloody forums. Still the same from when I used to be heavily involved in one.....A small number of prolific posters. A huge number of lookers (I’m not being critical and may return to onlooker) A number of trouble makers, politicians, practical common sense types and the obligatory comedians.
I’m unsure about continuing involvement. My personal criteria is if things bother me as a poster and I’m taking them away to worry over then I shouldn’t be involved. The good still outweighs the bad here. The learning and community sharing is here in abundance And likely worth supporting.