At 11:01 PM 3/9/00 -0800, you wrote:

NTSB Identification: LAX00FA093A

                                        Accident occurred FEB-07-00 at

SYLMAR, CA

                                   Aircraft: GRAY QUESTAIR VENTURE,

registration:

N869DG
                                                  Injuries: 4 Fatal.

Vaughn Mann wrote:

Paul, this may not be a long term fix but is a way I keep my eyes outside
when I have a passenger of no matter what level of experiemce.  If you have
the passenger when available to dial or key in the transponder codes it
alows you as PIC to have to only verify what he or she keys/dials in the
transponder.  To take five minutes with your passenger before liftoff can
save both or more lives.  This in no way means to depend on what they key
in as correct, but to verify each time is a lot less time taken than to do
it yourself.  Beside they feel included as a part of the operation and
helps to encourage awareness in the cockpit and interest of the mission.
On the other hand solo manipulation of the transponder is usually one digit
at a time and I suggest set a digit and scan outside between entering the
next.  Best Regards, Vaughn.

Thanks for the suggestion. Good idea. I will start doing this.
Might be a good thing for instructors to teach.
Come to think about it if you have to change radio frequency more
than about once (using a flip flop or two radios) this too could be a problem.

Paul Lamar
 
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