I was thinking about this all wrong...

I've had a bunch of fun and interesting conversations with some other CFIs over the past couple weeks.  It circled around a simple question...

There were a ton of great perspectives, but a few things really stuck with me.

1. The decision happens earlier than we think
• Biggest takeaway - by the time you actually commit to a field...a lot of the decision has already been made
• That shifted how I've been thinking about this.  It's not just, "What will I do when I commit to a field?"  It's "Where am I choosing to go before anything happens?"
2. Fixation is a real issue
   • the first decent field we see
   • an airport in the distance
   • whatever is directly outside the LEFT window
• Something I see with students (and honestly in my own flying too):
• We tend to latch onto:
• ... instead of actually looking at all our options
3. Time + Cognitive load are huge factors
• When you practice engine failures, time disappears fast.
• When that happens, the brain just wants a quick answer.
• So we often grab the first 'good enough' one instead of giving us the most options
4. The shift that's changed my thinking
• From "find the perfect field" to: "move towards the area with the most options - refine from there as you get lower."
• This simple shift has been surprisingly powerful.  I'd rather have a dozen good enough fields in one area, than a single 'perfect' field surrounded by trees.
5. This isn't just a night/IMC problem
1. Even on clear VFR days, I see the same thing...
• We don't naturally
• scan effectively
• compare areas
• think in terms of multiple options
• We pick something and go.

This is exactly why we built GlideScope in the first place.

Not to reduce good decision making - but to make it easier to:

• quickly understand what's under you
• reduce mental load of interpreting cluttered maps
• and get pointed toward areas with better overall options
• Stay ahead of the plane and know the answer before you even have to ask the question... "If my engine quit now, where would I go?"