Tunnel vision and Forced approach vs Forced landing
Darrell111 said:
BTW.. how does someone really even get that low on an engine out practice.. i can tell if i can make the field i chose without going to low.
IMHO, two main contributing factors. Both related to the classic tunnel vision mindset:
(1) You will go where you are looking. If you don't look away from the landing area, you will likely continue the approach below your base altitude and possibly won't initiate the go-around until the world outside is lifesize.
(2) Losing the ability to think beyond the maneuver while it's in progress. The mind instinctively wants to switch from "set the approach up as best as possible, when at xxx AGL check to see if the energy works out, then power up without exception no matter what the approach looks like" to "this is a forced landing and it must work, keep working the energy out until the landing is made..then(?afterthought?) go around from there." (You are NOT going for a functional solution here, you ARE going for a setup that would lead to a functional solution)
(2)(a) If it's not being done solo and an instructor (or other pilot) is onboard when this happens, the instructor/2nd pilot isn't keeping up with the real world (see 1 and 2 above) and lets the approach continue below the minimum descent altitude that he/she can force an abort from.
There's other contributing factors but those two alone can cause a world of grief.
Darrell111 said:
Learn from this crap people..
When I practice forced landings (solo or with someone), I tell myself this is a forced approach with an unconditional go around at xxx AGL, and it is not a full down forced landing.
It's also very important to be able to realize when you're starting to experience tunnel vision with a one track mindset and know how to break the pattern. I deliberately look out the side window at the wingtip during an approach for just a second. It breaks any tunnel vision and as a useful side effect, it helps recalibrate depth perception and velocity estimates as well as lets me see details that I might miss otherwise.
...my two marbles worth...