Because our airplanes are so dynamically stable, we should question why we do what we do with the controls. We should ask what the airplane prefers to do. Thinking that way can mitigate forced error, eliminate unforced error, and translate gas into iterations rather than repetitions of poor technique.

Stay in low ground effect to accelerate to cruise airspeed because I have the runway left and there are gusts, sheer, downdrafts, or I just feel better that way...Forced error, unforced error, or iteration?

Pitch to Vx or Vy as appropriate, regardless of conditions, because that was how I passed the flight test...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

Up drainage takeoff where neither wind, sun glare, obstruction, nor other down drainage concern exists...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

Pulling back on the stick during my turn to crosswind...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

Forcing the airplane to climb when relative wind noise and elevator pressure says the airplane would prefer not to climb...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

In heavy traffic, I stall trying to get to pattern altitude...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

In absolutely no traffic, I stall trying to get to pattern altitude...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

I attempt to maintain altitude by increasing pitch in 1,000 FPM downdraft...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

I have no need of or concern with thermal or orographic lift in an aircraft that is weaker than the mountains...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

Downwind base to final in heavy traffic...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

Downwind base to final with absolutely no traffic...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

Gust spread causes me to land with higher groundspeed than in a no wind condition...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

I use coordinated turns on final to maintain the centerline extended...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

I don't go around because of what other pilots might think...Forced, unforced, or iteration?

I go around because of what other pilots might think...Forced, unforced, or iteration>

I always pull back on the stick in all turns because that is how I maintained altitude in turns on the flight test...Forced, unforced, or iterations?

A year of many hours but few iterations...Forced or unforced?

Safe pilots pay attention to feelings of unease with situations. If that unease is concern with what other pilots or passengers might think about our choice of action or inaction, that is an unforced error. FARs are there for a reason. The lack of FAR or ATC control at uncontrolled fields is lacking for a reason. The two FARs are logical and practical in uncontrolled airspace, see and avoid and pilot in command. Advisory rather than rule doesn't mean, contact, that we can do whatever we want without full consideration of others. Give way is legal and safe. Peer pressure is not a rule, however. It is the PIC who must take responsibility for her or his actions and inactions. Passengers can be briefed on why certain actions are safer and they actually enjoy even steep 1 g turns more than multi g turns at lesser bank. Test the spirits advised the apostle Paul.

Almost all of these situations, this muscle memory, is benign. Routinely there is a margin of error. Engines are a bit bigger on many of the old and new airplanes. Iterations of less safe technique, however, gets pilots closer and closer to perfection...the razor's edge. But do we want to be on the razor's edge in normal operations? The comeupence is when a shear or downdraft causes poor technique to take us beyond the razor's edge. Now we have upset and problems. Now we have stall/spin statistics. Difficulty of mitigation is further thwarted when, to be nice, we say the wind or a downdraft got him. The wind does not slam us into the ground. We fall into the ground trying to beat the wind. The airplane will fly if we just put the nose down, or even just let it do it for us automatically. The design of the airplane is to fly. Only pilots can mess that up.