Hazardous attitude : macho

[D-K]

Hi everybody

I'm a ground instructor and i am currently working toward my cpl and
i was wondering if the hazardous attitudes : macho would apply to me on my recent IFR flight.

Everybody knows basically the macho attitude is "I can do it" and the antidote is "Taking chances is foolish".

Being a private pilot instrument over 200h tt and about 10h actual time,
i flew IFR solo somewhere it was reported ovc002, i wasn't planning to land there but only shot the approach, go missed and fly back to my departure airport where the ceiling was expected to be ovc007.
My goal on that particular flight was to experience actual IMC.

Most of the people i know wouldn't want to fly that day because of the low ceiling and i guess in a basic 172 with only a single vor/glideslope. I totally understand that. Everybody fly the flights they are comfortable with.

In my opinion, in smooth air, non icing environment, i don't believe there is anything difficult to shoot an ils down to 002 for practice. If for some reason the needles are not aligned, you just go missed, it is as simple as that.
Am I wrong ? Am I thinking with a macho attitudes ?

I believe the biggest probable issue would be an engine failure, gliding, breaking out at 002 and landing on whatever is straight ahead.
Other than that, a vacuum pump failure is still manageable flying partial panel somewhere close.
Spatial disorientation may happen.
There are of course many other factors flying IMC, but with the proper training it is possible to deal with them.

Please post your comment..

 

[MikeD]

No. Nothing macho about that. Good training opportunity so long as it was planned, you checked that the WX was nothing outside your aircraft's capabilities in terms of present/forecast conditions (icing, thunderstorms, etc), you planned for contingencies, you understood what you were going to do, didn't leave the ground with any questions, and most importantly.....set and understood your limitations. Sure, there are the risks you posed; but mitigated as best as reasonable. Heck, flying itself is a risk. And getting legal IFR/IMC time.....there's only one way to do it: actually fly in it, with proper planning and training.

A macho attitude would come with doing your stated flight without exercising any kind of due diligence; especially in realizing or seeing hazards such as WX that your aircraft can't handle.....forecast or actual, and still deciding to launch anyway. That would be unduly hazardous.

 

[MidlifeFlyer]

I agree completely with @MikeD.

"I can do it" is not the macho hazardous attitude. We hopefully say "I can do it" every time we do most anything. Especially something that has risk associated with it. We assess the situation, acknowledge the risks, and make the decision that we have the tools to accomplish the goal.

Macho is something far more. It is more an unrealistic disregard of risks, a sense that risks that apply to others don't apply to me because I'm so much better than everyone else.

You point out a problem with the hazardous attitudes. It's too easy to take them literally and use them to describe normal and positive behaviors. They describe extremes. "Macho" (bad) is self-confidence (good) taken to an unrealistic extreme. "Resignation" is an extreme abdication of normal hesitance in making decisions in difficult situations.

 

[Jordan93]

Doesn't seem like you did anything wrong.

 

[mshunter]

I think @MikeD nailed it. Not much else to say.

 

[flyingbum]

Great insight here already, the only thing I'll add is that you're possibly dealing with a bunch of *female cats*.
There are way to many flight schools out there that don't allow exposure to IFR flying. Actual IFR and using ATC in the IFR system can give you or any student a wealth of experience to draw from. If the conditions are safe to do so there is nothing wrong with blasting off into IMC.

Having said that, their point may have been something like this;
You're single engine.
You've only got one radio and receiver.
OVC 002..! You're crazy!
But but errrrmagherd!!!!

Any way you slice it, yes there are risks, and say a multi certified with known ice and gee-whiz tech is comforting, more importantly you flew a 172 on basic IFR equipment down to 200. Congrats you're a real pilot, all the nay sayers can learn from you. I say keep on keeping on, you're going to be a great CFI. Just remember to mitigate risks constantly and you'll stay alive. That's the job description of a true professional pilot.

Have fun and fly safe.

 

[D-K]

Thanks everybody for the comments.