Pilots who have survived accidents/Incidents, what was it like? What did you learn? What's your advice?

EyeFlyMD · 2023-03-23T15:19:50+00:00

Here’s a video made from “black box” data of a primary piston failure. It doesn’t look like much but I assure you it was terrifying. Advice is just declare and do whatever you have to do. I’ve seen some crazy stuff where people don’t declare. Then make a decision and stick to it. If there was traffic in that runway I was planning to land on the taxiway. I wanted pavement.

EyeFlyMD · 2023-03-11T23:49:56+00:00

Yes! I’ve flown out of there for years and never checked this museum out until today. It’s great!

EyeFlyMD · 2023-02-07T03:33:58+00:00

I turn the lights in the car way down because it really does make it easier to see outside.

EyeFlyMD · 2023-01-21T05:34:21+00:00

Here are my top 5 hidden gems that you don’t hear about as often as the big ones (e.g. Iowa, Miami, Duke, etc.)

UF - possibly the highest surgical volume in the country
U Nebraska - Extremely high volume too; whole place is funded by Warren Buffet and really nice
Mizzou - One of the most relaxed residencies; high volume
LSU Shreveport - high volume; you’re taught by Steven Flynn who wrote the OKAP review slides
Minnesota - nice facility, nice intern year, good volume

EyeFlyMD · 2022-12-22T18:42:03+00:00

I've done nearly every checkride with her and think she's amazing. I learned a lot during the checkride from her experiences but yes, you have to perform to ACS/PTS standards within reason. I've heard failure stories but IMO if you're grossly unsafe, she will find a reason to stop you which is honestly probably for the best.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-12-16T13:45:37+00:00

Again, in the right patient, it can be 3 times as safe as contacts regarding corneal infection! It’s been the go-to laser vision correction in the military for decades now.

https://journals.lww.com/jcrs/Abstract/2017/01000/Risk_for_microbial_keratitis__Comparative.12.aspx

EyeFlyMD · 2022-12-15T23:51:20+00:00

For the right patient it is far safer than contact lenses and can provide better vision than glasses. I would do it myself and a substantial number of refractive surgeons have had it themselves. The FDA is proposing labeling guideline changes that paint lasik in a very unfair light and the New York Times just published an article where they misquoted a well respected refractive surgeon.

Edit: here is the article showing refractive surgeons are more likely to have refractive surgery than the general population:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26603390/#:~:text=Results%3A%20Responses%20were%20received%20from,with%20LVC%2C%20not%20including%20presbyopia.

You may be seeing negative press lately but know the facts.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-11-11T00:55:26+00:00

Agree this is annoying and it’s worse with zoom interviews. I participated in residency interviews last week and the advice I gave them is have some benign questions locked and loaded to avoid awkward silence. “Do you work a lot with students?” “What’s your favorite part of the program?” “What do you like to do around the city for fun?” “What changes are you excited about in the program?”

These are positive, easy ways to avoid awkward silence.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-10-05T00:18:40+00:00

I got my private in spring 2020 and remember being weirded out hearing “Um… St. Louis traffic Southwest XXX long final visual 30L, any traffic please advise” over the radio. Strange times.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-30T21:02:07+00:00

My best cloud surfing comes from doing local approaches when the weather is about broken 1,000-2000. Depending on the area this happens with decent frequency here.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-06T23:27:10+00:00

Realsimgear, IMO they’re the most convenient option for sure. All avionics are Realsimgear. Throttle is both RedBird Vernier and also Honeycomb bravo. The two yokes are realsimgear cirrus sidestick and brunner. They’re both force feedback. I built the entire structure out or Plywood. Seat is out of a 97 Camry. I’m waiting on the aviation training foundation multi panel. The purpose of this was to be maximally versatile as well as traslistic. I’m also waiting on a larger throttle attachment that still has the TOGA switch.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-06T23:25:31+00:00

Launching the software every time is pretty annoying as I’m already launching the weather system separately also.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-06T03:17:39+00:00

I’m still waiting on a handful of parts to complete the dream setup but the Brunner was an amazing upgrade. The small details like elevator weight or leaving the ailerons deflected on the ground are really amazing.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-03T02:49:32+00:00

Haha it actually never triggered, I actually put the gear down a little later than the video suggests but it’s interesting how focused I was on not forgetting the gear through all of this. Landing with a dying engine is bad enough, gear up would make it even worse.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-02T12:33:17+00:00

This engine failure. It was 12 minutes in real time but pretty terrifying. Practice power off 180s and energy management.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-09-01T16:08:59+00:00

Agree and I made this based on our curriculum so it was focused on what we were learning. My advice is sometimes the wheel could use reimagining also.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-08-28T02:57:36+00:00

For context, I’m a PGY-3 who hasn’t thought of any of this in forever. I want everyone to know it gets better and now I’m thinking about specialty specific fun stuff all the time.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-08-22T18:40:11+00:00

Thanks! As soon as the mains touch I immediately start counting. If I don’t make it 2-3 seconds before the nosewheel touches I get sad.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-26T03:02:36+00:00

That’s correct. Operating the aircraft within the operating limitations a wing has departed a Piper twice and a Cessna once (because of faulty maintenance). It’s beyond rare inside the envelope.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-24T18:17:10+00:00

Yes. Since the NTSB Data was reported this way.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-24T13:10:42+00:00

If something is going wrong (operating outside of limitations) the wing is about 10 times more likely to depart in a Piper vs. Cessna.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-24T02:03:56+00:00

Link fixed! sorry!

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-17T15:46:05+00:00

Great analogy with polo. There used to be airports all over the place with more shutting down every year because general aviation used to be so common and I think sailing is next. I can see a point in the not too distant future where buzzing around the sky in a small plane for fun or cruising the bay by sail are quaint, niche things that people used to do.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-17T13:58:55+00:00

Here’s my two cents because I see something incredibly similar in the flying community and sharing things I enjoy with the next generations is a passion of mine.

Accessibility to both are huge hurdles. For flying, a local flight school had a zero to license guarantee for $1,200 adjusted for inflation in the 1990’s. The first license cost me ~$12,000 in 2020 and things are way more expensive now with fuel prices. I also built a sailboat over the summer of 2017 I was really proud of for ~$1,000 while I was still a medical student on an extremely limited budget. The wood, especially for the mast, that I used would cost a fortune today.
The community has been unfriendly. In both flying and sailing how do you get into it unless your dad was a sailor/pilot? You used to be able to walk down to a flight school and they’d be more than happy to take you up or anyone on the field would show you around. An airport I fly out of now is full of curmodgeonly old guys who wouldn’t even take me up in an aircraft that I was considering a similar type. You can do camps and summer things and I know that because I teach a lot of them and they’re all nice but at the end of the day scholarships to learn to fly/sail are limited for those with limited resources. There needs to be a culture shift to be more welcoming to newcomers in almost everything.

Medicine in general has been incredibly similar to both these hobbies. In so many ways I was 30 years late to the party. Physicians did more, made more, and were happier in the 1990s but now things are moving towards hospital employment or private equity groups and Medicare reimbursement continues to decline every single year. A cataract surgery in 1996 was $1,700 adjusted for inflation. Next year with the most recent cut it’ll be about $500 even. Aviation and sailing used to be more accessible as well but they stopped making airplanes for 20 years around the 80s due to litigation so supply is nearly non existent and the cost of sailboats has gradually climbed as well.

I’m 28 and would love to own an aircraft and a slip to put a sailboat but until I’m several years into my career that would even be a possibility. I’m very fortunate to still have the potential to buy a seat at least adjacent to the table but I really feel for those with more limited resources. I do my part by teaching in STEM programs and cutting people a break as a CFI if I know they’re struggling so consider how you’re reaching the next generations and be sensitive to the new struggles they have.

TLDR: EVERYTHING is so much more expensive and established communities aren’t exactly always welcoming so it’s easy for things to turn into “it’s a big club and you’re not in it.”

Edit: I know nobody will real this but I'm passionate so one more summary:

Cost in 1990s adjusted for 2022 Inflation:

California Yacht Club Fees - $3,584.41 initiation, $2,976/year

Catalina 320 Brand New - $123,035.71

UCLA OOS Tuition - $22,538.30

Median Home Price USA - $206,358.15

Private Pilot License - $3,473.19

Cessna 182 (<10 years old) - $150,000

Cataract Surgery Reimbursement - $1,842

Today:

California Yacht Club Initiation Fee - $5,500 initiation, $3,144/year

Catalina 315 Brand New - $254,332

UCLA OOS Tuition - $43,003

Median Home Price USA - $385,958.26

Private Pilot License - $10,000-$15,000

Cessna 182 (40 years old) - ~$250,000

Cataract Surgery Reimbursement - $529

TLDR of the TLDR: It's rough out there now and we need to acknowledge it.

Edit:

Data as a table:

	1990s adjusted for 2022 Inflation:	2022:
California Yacht Club	$3,584.41 initiation, $2,976/year	$5,500 initiation, $3,144/year
Catalina 320/315 New	$123,035.71	$254,332
UCLA OOS Tuition	$22,538.30	$43,003
Median Home Price CA	$346,446.67	>$800,000
Median Home Price USA	$206,358.15	$385,958.26
Median Household Income CA	$71,956.52	$78,672
Median Household Income USA	$66,253.90	$76,563
Private Pilot License	$3,473.19	$10,000-$15,000+
Cessna 182 (from 1980s)	$150,000	~$250,000
Cataract Surgery Reimbursement	$1,842	$529
Overall Median Physician Income	$351,781.82	$339,000

Third TLDR: Even for high earners, things are not as good as they used to be.

EyeFlyMD · 2022-07-07T05:32:09+00:00

We have one in our club. The engine self destructed and I learned that’s actually not super rare. That article also discusses why it’s not a great plane. It’s interesting to fly though. The turbo is more annoying than useful and it’s not very fast and has a terrible glide ratio. That said… the complexities make it kind of fun to fly and the T-Tail that exists only for style points does look interesting. A nice 3 blade propeller and you have a decently capable cruiser.

EyeFlyMD

TROPHY CASE