Martin Brassard, with the aid on screen shots of the Power Flarm, explained in detail what the various screens mean. He emphasized that when the Flarm alerts the pilot with an audio signal the pilot should look at the screen to understand where the threat is in relation to the aircraft. The Farm will display if the threat is above or below you, the distance from you and the height difference between you and the threat.
The members asked many questions and Martin took the time to answer all their questions completely. Members need this type of refresher regularly to use the Power Flarm effectively.
Paul Chafe gave examples of Military combat training, FBI marksman program training, special forces urban warfare training and how each group react in stressful situations. He also explained how a person's body reacts to stress from low stress to the highest stress levels and how effective decision making is under various levels of stress.
When push comes to shove, your training is what you fall back on in the real world. All of the great daydreams you’ve had about how you will deal with a given situation will remain just that – day dreams. When tested under pressure, your body will invariably return to what it knows the best. This simple fact indicates that if we end up in an unexpected low level rope break or even a stall and spin in a thermal, we will react exactly as we have trained. This can be good, or it can be bad. Avoid reinforcing bad habits because whatever you have practiced the most will be how you react when the pressure is turned up.
Members asked Paul many questions and came up to him to share their memories of stressful times and how “tunnel vision” effected them of how they managed to stay safe through difficult rope breaks and even events on Hwy 401.
The next Pilot Safety Meeting will be held in August.