Why Do We Remember Events Worse Than They Are?

[Sinistar]

So our local flying group flew up to the Breezy Point (8MN3) Fly-In yesterday. Great event and turn out. But wow was the landing and takeoff tough for me. I've done a enough (small/busy) fly-in's to not be overwhelmed by the traffic but this was heavy chop/turbulence + gusty near direct crosswind over tress + short field + trees on the arrival end. I bounced once kinda hard on landing but never let the wind under the wing.

After I got home and lots of thinking I had this recollection that I cut the turn from base to final and thus didn't setup good which led to the crappy landing. Today I looked at the track on Garmin Pilot and it was a nearly perfect rectangular pattern with 90 degree turns and exactly 1 mile final...no way!

Now that I think of it, it seems we (well at least I) recall things being worse than they really are in these types of situations? I know I have thumped it down now and then thinking its 10ft and its probably 1ft. Maybe that bounce yesterday wasn't even as bad as I thought it was? Its like the more stressful parts of flying are often recalled worse than they really are. Why is that? Do we all do that?

 

[benyflyguy]

Sounds like a stress filled landing that will usually equate to carrying a bit more speed then you need. Turb and gusty usually equates to that alone. You brain is certainly more “turned on” (not in a good way ) during periods of increased stress. Everything goes faster but you replay it slower in your mind.
Nothing broke on the plane??
Only thing was some broken balls when you got out by some friends lol. At least my friends would. A lot.

 

[LongRoadBob]

Experience and trying for perfection?

Experience in that you are experienced enough to feel like you shouldn’t be flummoxed and have those moments that are just “a normal day of flying” for us students where we feel like all is wrong.

Perfection in that you maybe expect (again hitting the first point) it should be easy, but also recognize quickly that its a challenge, and are so focused on getting it right that any deviance from the plan is some kind of fail, except you handled it and corrected for all of that?

I’m just guessing. I can only really equate it to...I’ve been playing guitar for 40+ years, in bands, and gigging and sometimes it seems like all is going to hell, yet I can hear the recording of the show and think “actually, that was damned good” but it wasn’t “good” as I had planned it and I felt a few times like it was all getting away from me, like I wasn’t “in control” yet listening to the recording I hear I was actually handling it and playing well. Just not as planned or also I wasn’t cool, calm, collected, in my mind, but to outward appearances, to the crowd, i was nailing it.

Maybe?

 

[champ driver]

Not all landings are going to be pretty. Some days, for whatever reason, whether it lack of full concentration, gusty crosswinds with trees or something in the pattern that throws you off just enough, and you get an arrival instead of a greaser.

 

[Sinistar]

Sounds like a stress filled landing that will usually equate to carrying a bit more speed then you need. Turb and gusty usually equates to that alone. You brain is certainly more “turned on” (not in a good way ) during periods of increased stress. Everything goes faster but you replay it slower in your mind.

Yes, was carrying +10mph on final due to the upcoming crosswind landing and not wanting to get pushed down into the trees on short final. I know that played a role. I think wind was just ripping across the upwind tree line and swirling and pushing down into the runway clearing.

It does make sense regarding the replay speed....my replay just plays back a bit funny.​

Nothing broke on the plane??
Only thing was some broken balls when you got out by some friends lol. At least my friends would. A lot.

Nothing broke on the plane

Here's best part. Six planes from our group went up. Everyone landed on the first attempt except our youngest pilot who is just about done with his commercial. He did a go around - smart! Once we were all down, everyone was commenting on how wobbly/bobbly it was, how everyone just felt being pushed down and all of ballooning and trying to work it back down. We each had a passenger. They we are all thinking of switching to a better ride. In the end no one heard a good enough story to switch LOL!!! And leaving was no cake walk either. I had my mains lift off and drop down once and then up. The Skylane was not pulling 1000ft/min on that climb out either The first 200ft was really being rocked and struggling to climb. One of our 6 planes decided to wait it out for departure. Unfortunately the event was ending and the winds got a bit worse. I was estimating about every 8th landing approach was a go around by someone.

I just find it weird how my mind over emphasizes the more "scary" events. I don't feel stress as its happening, but I am sure it is stress. Also, I didn't feel any andrenaline dump or after effects. I think I still don't have that comfort/awareness of the last 2 or 3ft of flight. That's when I am most likely to "over record".

 

[Sinistar]

Experience and trying for perfection?

Experience in that you are experienced enough to feel like you shouldn’t be flummoxed and have those moments that are just “a normal day of flying” for us students where we feel like all is wrong.

Perfection in that you maybe expect (again hitting the first point) it should be easy, but also recognize quickly that its a challenge, and are so focused on getting it right that any deviance from the plan is some kind of fail, except you handled it and corrected for all of that?

I’m just guessing. I can only really equate it to...I’ve been playing guitar for 40+ years, in bands, and gigging and sometimes it seems like all is going to hell, yet I can hear the recording of the show and think “actually, that was damned good” but it wasn’t “good” as I had planned it and I felt a few times like it was all getting away from me, like I wasn’t “in control” yet listening to the recording I hear I was actually handling it and playing well. Just not as planned or also I wasn’t cool, calm, collected, in my mind, but to outward appearances, to the crowd, i was nailing it.

Maybe?

I would say if on one end of the spectrum was "Perfection" and the other end was "Fear Of Death"....I am pretty sure my funky internal recorder was being influenced by the "Fear of Death" side of things LOL

 

[alfadog]

... Do we all do that?

No

 

[Sinistar]

Not all landings are going to be pretty. Some days, for whatever reason, whether it lack of full concentration, gusty crosswinds with trees or something in the pattern that throws you off just enough, and you get an arrival instead of a greaser.

I think yesterday taught me that for the first real time. I remember being on downwind thinking along these lines: "There's 50 planes down there, everyone is watching so you gotta rock this landing." That's the perfection thing @LongRoadBob was mentioning. About 60 seconds later on short final after being bounced around, skimming over trees and crabbed like crazy: "****, there's people lined up under the approach watching landings that not good." Now I'm in the "Fear of Death" mode

 

[Sinistar]

No

Great now I even weirder than I thought

 

[alfadog]

Great now I even weirder than I thought

Just speaking for myself. "Forgive" is one of my watchwords in life and it includes self-forgiveness so I do not dwell on my shortcomings nor exaggerate them in my mind.