I saw Mr. Buckland's classroom. I've spent a few hours learning about Aviation Safety in that very room. UAA has knowledgeable and experienced instructors, I'm very pleased with what I've learned so far.
The day you think you know it all is the day you need to stop and leave any job/task behind. I remember when I was learning to fly a guy in another Cessna 172 was about to do his 1st solo, was told to hold short, he pulled out in front of a Air Force 747 Looking Glass. Both came out ok(thanxs to a 3 mile runway) but after that things changed at KSLN.
Wyatt Hicks I have zero problems understanding him, and English isn't even my first language. The accent aside, his English is flawless, and his pronounciation very clear. I'd actually prefer getting my instructions by him than from a native speaker going slurred and too fast.
These near misses probably happen far more frequently than the FAA reports would indicate. Around 1979 or 1980 I was on a flight out of "O"Hare. It was night, we had just taken off and were in the middle of our climb out in a heavy Delta Airlines jet. I was sitting on the right side of the aircraft in a window seat. Sudden, drastic evasive action by our pilot. We had a near miss with another heavy jet cleared to land. We missed by only 200 to 300'. Never saw a report on that one.
One thing that I don't see mentioned in the video is CLARITY OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION from ATC. I personally have a great deal of trouble understanding what is being said on many occasions even though English is my primary language, my hearing is excellent and I know aviation jargon. In flying, one learns to EXPECT what will be said over the radio to make up for what is otherwise audibly unclear. That means that often, a pilot is going at least partially on a guess as to what was said.
@airste172 In the busy, noisy and sometimes stressful environment of a cockpit, it can be difficult enough to understand even clear communication, but add to that slurred rapid fire directions and you have a guessing game going on. If you ask ATC to clarify, they just repeat the garbled garbage. Ask them again and very clearly, in no uncertain terms, they will pick an attitude with you. If communications are usually clear, why do they bother to transcribe ATC audio clips in RU-vid videos?
