Emergencies are equal-opportunity hunters: They’ll strike high-time pilots and newbies alike. Now you’re alone in an airplane with under 50 hours of total time—and an engine that’s out of control. What are the risks and tradeoffs given four different plans to get this airplane on the ground? Can you adjust the plan on the fly?
Dave Hirschman
Dave Hirschman is an ATP/CFII who specializes in aerobatic and tailwheel flight instruction. He has provided more than 2,000 hours of aerobatic dual instruction in airplanes including the Decathlon, Pitts S-2B, Extra 300L, Stearman, WACO, and T-6. He has flown piston singles in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the Bahamas and performed air-to-air photo missions in those places.
Dave is the author of “Hijacked: The Heroes of Flight 705,” and he has been on the editorial staff of AOPA Pilot magazine since 2008. He has logged more than 8,000 flight hours in single and multi-engine land and seaplanes. He has a masters degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.
