Ed Graham and his Rentals

Ed started flying when he was 16, soloed and got his private at 17 and earned his instrument rating at 18.

His aspirations: "I'm not set on anything, really, other than flying as much as I can and hopefully making a career out of it. Ten years from now I could be doing anything from flying airliners, bush planes, or maybe I'll still be instructing." His experience teaching kids to swim prompted this comment: "I think flight instructing is going to be fantastic."

Ed flies rental airplanes and got his instrument rating in a Cessna 152. He also flies a Piper Arrow and takes some trips with friends and family in 172s. He's also flown a Diamond and a Warrior.

He does fly IFR and night IFR but the latter only if conditions are benign or his instructor is along. Ed has flown seven hours of actual, four of those without an instructor on board. He has also logged 45 hours of simulated instrument time in the past year.

There have been two actual approaches in the past year. Both were related to tower en route control flights with a 2,000 to 3,000 foot thick marine layer with bases around 500 feet and visibility of about a mile and a quarter. Both were ILS approaches.

Ed has already had two "events" in his flying. One was on his long solo cross-country as a student pilot. The engine started losing power and running rough as he was climbing through 4,000 feet about seven miles northeast of John Wayne. He ran through the proper procedures to no avail as the engine became even rougher. Power was reduced to lessen the vibration. He told Socal (Southern California) Approach that he'd like to return to the airport due to engine problems, and they told him to proceed to a VFR checkpoint on the other side of the airport. Not wanting to do that, Ed declared an emergency and was cleared to land on any runway. He took the big one, 19R, and landed without further incident. He later learned that the power loss and roughness were caused by a cracked cylinder.

The other incident came on his first solo IFR flight in IMC. There was a marine layer that topped out at 3,000 feet, and he was flying a 172. Even though everything had checked out on the ground, the radios filled with static as soon as he took off. He was quickly in the clouds and following lost comm procedures. After breaking out on top he was able to contact ATC, and the rest of the flight was uneventful. No word on what caused the screeching in the avionics. He now flies with a handheld transceiver but hasn't yet had the budget for a handheld GPS.

Most of the airplanes that he flies don't have autopilots, but he does fly a relatively new 172R occasionally, with a Bendix/King KAP 140 autopilot, and he feels that he has a good understanding of this equipment. The airplane also has a KLN 94 GPS, but the database is not kept up to date, so he can't use the IFR approach function. He does find great situational awareness value in the KMD 550 moving map display.

As for redundant equipment in most of the airplanes that he flies, there is none. But, he says, "I have two eyes, two legs, two hands, and two ears."

Looking to future airplanes he might fly: "Anything I get paid to fly."

As for the risks in general aviation flying, Ed offers this: "I believe the absolute greatest risk in GA is pilot ignorance of the risks. You simply cannot manage the risks if you don't know what they are or fail to take them into account."

He goes on to offer examples. One relates to VFR night flights in an area where there are frequent marine layers and very large mountains. He says that an understanding of the risks would prevent the VFR-only guy from even trying to fly in adverse conditions.

Another potential problem comes from "The pilot who does not recognize complexity for what it is." He adds, "Obviously, the more complex the airplane is, the more there is to monitor and do, but if the pilot is not up to the task, he or she should fly something less complex or put in the time and study necessary to fly the airplane safely." Finally, Ed observed that "most pilots do a pretty good job when things go well. It's the times when things go wrong that set the good risk managers apart, and in many cases this is life or death."

The fact that Ed is learning to fly in some of the busiest airspace in the United States is a positive. He'll be ready for any airspace thing. It's interesting to ponder the difference between his training experience and that of a person learning to fly at the local small-town airport in a sparsely populated part of the country. The end result would be two different pilots.

It is also true that all of us tend to have weather knowledge that relates mainly to where we fly, or where we learned to fly. It will be important for Ed to be aware that as he flies away from where marine layers are the biggest deal to where thunderstorms, or stationary fronts, or ice, are the items of consequence, he'll have to develop new weather senses.

He is working toward a degree in psychology, which is good. A four-year degree is a requirement for airline pilots.

Shame on that FBO who doesn't keep the database current in the KLN 94 GPS so it can be used for approaches. By not doing so, he is depriving renters and students of the opportunity to learn the current navigational system. Certainly VOR is a past system, the use of which is fading away, and it is a shame that some training entities are still teaching it as primary. If I were Ed, I'd find a place that keeps databases current and learn to use GPS for everything.

His handling of that engine problem sounds exemplary. Most pilots fly through a career without having major engine problems, and he had an event early on. That's a positive because he now has firsthand knowledge that engines do have their moments. The same goes for his radio problems, though it would be good to know what caused them.

I especially like his observations on complexity. There are a lot of pilots out there who could lower their risk markedly if they would think like he does.

It's also interesting that he astutely and realistically puts a "life or death" condition on good performance. It is critical that all pilots be aware of how their actions affect that little choice.

It's hard to say much other than "carry on" to a young pilot who comes across this well. But it's easy to say that someday there'll be a Captain Ed Graham if that's what he wants.

Flying Check Ride is a feature based on readers who express a desire to participate. Richard Collins follows up with e-mail questions and then prepares the report. We'd like to hear from readers who want to participate. E-mail and tell us about your flying. Remember, though, that Richard can pick only one a month.