This is my corner office in the sky, I have been in this place for over two decades. I started out just like you, a person with a passion for aviation and a desire to be my best. We all start our aviation career journey's from many different directions. Mine started as an Air Cadet, learning how to fly a glider in 1989 and then waiting years to finally become a Private Pilot, with the dream of making flying my job someday. I really struggled to get the required money together, I flew and got a rating, ran out of money, got a loan, flew lots, then ran out of money; the cycle was brutal and happened over and over. It seemed like my dream of flying as a job wasn't going anywhere fast. It took a decade to make things happen, but when it did, things happened very quickly.
My journey started in Edmonton, Alberta. My first FAM (familiarization flight) was in a Piper Tomahawk at the now-defunct Aero Aviation Flight School located at our downtown Edmonton airport. After Aero Aviation closed I moved my training to Tran-Sky Aviation at the Edmonton International Airport. Flying was becoming serious for me, flying almost daily in the Cessna 152 out of the big International Airport with the big boys was a thrill. The thrill lasted until, you guessed it....no more money
I was able to get more money together and then fate struck once again, Tran-Sky Aviation closed its doors forcing me to move to another flying school and another type of aircraft. This time I moved to Centennial Flight Centre at the now- closed Edmonton Municipal Airport CYXD. I began flying the larger Cessna C172 Skyhawk which was a good move for me as I am a big 6' 4" tall guy. I was really flying in earnest now, flying every few days and really getting the hang of things.
One day I was in the East Practice Area (North East of the Cooking Lake Airport) and was returning to land via the Edmonton Oilers Arena when I flew into the wake turbulence of another aircraft just over the Royal Alexandra Hospital. I was told by the tower I was number two behind a Dash 8, I was a new out of the chute solo pilot, just beginning to get the hang of flying into the Busy City Centre Airport. I thought cool, I'm all set for landing, pre-landing checklist is complete, looking for the Dash-8, there it is at my 11 o'clock position over the buildings on a tight left base. I'm far enough behind him, all is well, the Dash 8 is well ahead. Continuing, flap extension, slowing, slowing....Tower: "X-Ray Alpha Alpha cleared to land Runway 30". Let's do this. Continuing my approach and just coming over the Royal Alexandra hospital my life nearly ended. The Cessna violently rolled nearly upside down, I could clearly see the air conditioning units on top of the hospital. Something in me, whether it was divine intervention or something in previous training told me to instantaneously apply full power and roll those wings level! I did that and the Cessna responded quickly, I could see the runway now, much lower than planned and coming quickly, I was in a near panic now, what should I do? Go around? Hindsight is obvious, go around and sort stuff out and return for a non-eventful calm landing. But that wasn't my decision that day, I continued because my instructors never showed me how to do a circuit at this airport. Ab-initio solo flights were not allowed to occur from CYXD back at that time, it wasn't in my deck of cards I just had to keep going and land the plane. I did, I hit the Dash 8 wake turbulence once more just above the runway threshold and that scared me bad, but I just kept going. I managed to taxi in the Cessna 172 and shutdown. It almost ended that day folks, thank God it didn't and what a lesson to learn.
What are the takeaways from this incident? Firstly it is really important if you are a solo pilot to know and be very comfortable doing circuits at any airfield you fly out of.
Most importantly - Commit to go around when it doesn't look good, don't hesitate just do it! Not looking good can mean a a few things: your not stabilized. In IMC conditions below 1000 ' or 500' in VMC, you are not configured for landing, airspeed too low or high, high rate of descent or anything that makes you uncomfortable or not ready to land.
Note: your company will have strict SOPs for a stabilized approach, follow them!
Here is a link to the Skybrary's defination of a stablized approach: https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Stabilised_Approach
Here is a link to the Flight Safety Foundation's recommendations for a Stabilized Approach:
On every approach you make, now and into the future - review the go around sequence in your head as you fly down the approach. Be ready for the call from the tower "XYZ pull up and go around...", be ready for the plane pulling onto the runway that you thought was holding short for you, whatever the scenario is just be ready to execute the go around at any time.
When your at home practice it in your flight sim if you have one, practice it in your office chair closing your eyes while thinking of each action to take, walk yourself through each step, imagine applying power, etc. - it's a busy task and you need to know how to do it quickly and safely. I was once told by a Airline Line Check Pilot that my job is to execute a go around just as much as it is to land the plane. That means, you must know the go around sequence by memory. In the aircraft I have flown such as the ATR, Boeing, Falcon, Hawker or King Air this is a really busy time, not a time to guess what needs to happen next, execute the missed approach safely and without delay.
How? practice - practice - practice - every day if needed
