And the point of a Safety Pilot is???

[Fearless Tower]

Came across this photo by accident and had to do a double take...

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0288505&size=M

Yes, he's using a sectional to simulate IMC......ya gotta wonder what's the point of having a safety pilot when a good portion of the safety pilot's view is obscured as well.

 

[Princedietrich]

Funny you should use the word accident in describing that photo, because that's what is waiting to happen there. I'm sure some CFIIs will advocate a tactic like this because it prevents the student from cheating. Ok, I'll buy that. But the advantage of a hood or foggles is that in an emergency and you NEED forward visibility to save your butt, you just simply tilt your head back or whip the things off your face really quick.

Besides, a good CFII can tell when the trainee is cheating. Then it's just a simple whack upside the head with a Jepp IFR plotter to convince them the error of their ways.

 

[avbug]

I realize the picture presented was outside the US, but here we're still required to ensure that the safety has adequate vision forward and to each side of the cockpit. If the safety pilot is unable to do so, then his position must be augmented with additional observers.

Perhaps someone else, such as the photographer, was filling that role.

§ 91.109 Flight instruction; Simulated instrument flight and certain flight tests.

(b) No person may operate a civil aircraft in simulated instrument flight unless -

(1) The other control seat is occupied by a safety pilot who possesses at least a private pilot certificate with category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown.

(2) The safety pilot has adequate vision forward and to each side of the aircraft, or a competent observer in the aircraft adequately supplements the vision of the safety pilot;

 

[nosehair]

If the safety pilot is unable to do so, then his position must be augmented with additional observers.

Perhaps someone else, such as the photographer, was filling that role.

Not unless the photographer had a camera mounted outside on the cowling in front of the sectional, with a live picture feed to inside the cockpit.

 

[avbug]

You really don't know how much others in the aircraft are able to see; the picture could be quite deceiving. Clearly additional observers are necessary. What pains were taken to achieve this requirement are not made clear in the picture. Don't speculate.

 

[nosehair]

Don't speculate.

Wha?..Don't spe..hu!..don't spec..whu?..whudja...whuduya think this is here?
I speculate this is funnin' on thu innernet...

 

[AngelKing]

If the sky is blue, avgnat will tell you it is green, and then berate you endlessly until either you agree or just laugh him off as just another keyboard commando.

Of course you are right, noone could see outside that part of the windshield, but avgnat will never, ever, admit he is wrong.


Ak

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Well, to be honest Ive seen this done before, except it was with a jacket. The jacket only obstructed the lower half of the window and left the top half viewable to the safety pilot. The jacket was placed on the glareshield AFTER the pilot intercepted the ILS and was close, if not at the OM. Being that the approach was inside controlled airspace (class C), with positive radar control, it was perceived as not much of a safety hazard. Granted, something could stray into the path of said plane but unlikely as the aircraft was on final and all traffic within the class C airspace was being managed by the controller.

 

[avbug]

Angelking, I thought you were dead.

See, I can be wrong. Unfortunate, but I can be wrong.

If only I can separate truth, from hope...

 

[Princedietrich]

Well, to be honest Ive seen this done before, except it was with a jacket. The jacket only obstructed the lower half of the window and left the top half viewable to the safety pilot. The jacket was placed on the glareshield AFTER the pilot intercepted the ILS and was close, if not at the OM. Being that the approach was inside controlled airspace (class C), with positive radar control, it was perceived as not much of a safety hazard. Granted, something could stray into the path of said plane but unlikely as the aircraft was on final and all traffic within the class C airspace was being managed by the controller.

Never assume that anything is unlikely, especially in controlled airspace. Just because there's a guy on the scope who's barking out orders doesn't mean that there isn't some bonehead out there who decides he'd rather zag when he's being screamed at to zig.

There's been 2 instances that someone almost splattered me all over a windshield, and both were in controlled airspace. The first was at LUK when some dude in a Falcon 20 cut me off on final, missed me by about 1000 feet laterally (he claimed to be lined up for 25 but was actually on 21L). The other was in CVG class B airspace when a Piper Lance just about ran me over on his way into busting the airspace, scared the crap out of the poor kid who was under the hood with me at the time.