Did you ever have a "moment" when flying
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Had a few scary moments (Tromso, Albert, not flying), and in the civvy world, passing between a farmhouse and a barn at 50' doing a conversion after a misjudged EFTO almost had us in the weeds.
But you guys are making me shiver here.
Imagegear.
But you guys are making me shiver here.
Imagegear.
Well, there was the Lighting climbing vertically that shot out of the cloud tops about 500 ft in front of my Canberra, and the time I lined up on the Watton High Street lights after breaking out of a low cloud base, and landing off an ILS well below my BOH because the whole of UK was out in fog, and.....
This is pretty lame alongside much of the foregoing, but many years ago while ferrying a DH89 ( a 1940 British twin engined biplane) , cruising along on a bright summers day at about 800 feet agl , both engines suddenly quit at the same moment. Stuffing the nose down immediately revealed a beautiful big paddock with no trees to speak of at the nearer end. Before you could count to ten the old girl was on the ground, stopped , without a scratch or a bingle.
There was still an hours fuel in one tank. Due to an antiquated and not easy to select precisely arrangement of fuel selectors, it was possible to inadvertently select cross feed. Both engines had been running off one tank which had not been obvious. That the unreliable Lucas gauges were in an awkward place right behind the drivers seat, only compounded the problem. FATE IS THE HUNTER !
There was still an hours fuel in one tank. Due to an antiquated and not easy to select precisely arrangement of fuel selectors, it was possible to inadvertently select cross feed. Both engines had been running off one tank which had not been obvious. That the unreliable Lucas gauges were in an awkward place right behind the drivers seat, only compounded the problem. FATE IS THE HUNTER !
Interesting question and quite typical of human nature: I was once seriously injured, totally blind and the only pilot in the aeroplane. Was I worried? No. Just did my job. The adrenalin took over. There are also many cases of people doing very dangerous jobs; FJs or F1 racing drivers, who worry heaps before the race/flight, but once busy get on with the job.
Avoid imitations
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Many "moments".
A very near miss with an overtaking Jaguar whilst flying a Puma at very low level; the sky went very briefly dark as it overflew us. We only saw it as it appeared from our 6 o'clock to our twelve o'clock. Not only did we hear it but at the same time its down-wash hit us and we smelled its exhaust fumes. There must have been about ten metres of (vertical only) separation.
A more recent one: Flying a civvie helicopter in solid IMC and in torrential rain over mountainous terrain, knowing that the extensive cloud extended well below "deck" level below us (down to 300' amsl as it turned out at the coast) when the amber flashers and tail rotor chip light illuminated. The checklist drills (operating the "fuzz burner" switch) didn't make it go out. There were no other symptoms of an impending tail rotor gearbox failure so the only option was to carry on and hope it was a spurious caption. Thankfully, it was and it went out all by itself (water ingress into the connecting plug). But anyway, it caused a very worrying few minutes.
A very near miss with an overtaking Jaguar whilst flying a Puma at very low level; the sky went very briefly dark as it overflew us. We only saw it as it appeared from our 6 o'clock to our twelve o'clock. Not only did we hear it but at the same time its down-wash hit us and we smelled its exhaust fumes. There must have been about ten metres of (vertical only) separation.
A more recent one: Flying a civvie helicopter in solid IMC and in torrential rain over mountainous terrain, knowing that the extensive cloud extended well below "deck" level below us (down to 300' amsl as it turned out at the coast) when the amber flashers and tail rotor chip light illuminated. The checklist drills (operating the "fuzz burner" switch) didn't make it go out. There were no other symptoms of an impending tail rotor gearbox failure so the only option was to carry on and hope it was a spurious caption. Thankfully, it was and it went out all by itself (water ingress into the connecting plug). But anyway, it caused a very worrying few minutes.
Scary stuff.
As [unwilling] SLF, terrified of flying, I have a dozen "moments" every flight, but it goes with the body and brain that I am lumbered with.
However, as a car driver I have come to the conclusion that, on our busy British roads, it is well-nigh impossible to drive 100 miles without either participating in a "moment" of varying hairiness, or witnessing one such. My driving is conservative, risk aware and defensive, as appropriate for someone with near 60 years experience in cities, all over Europe, Australia and NZ who knows that his eyesight, reflexes and reactions are not what they used to be.
But it is indeed a risky environment. I am reminded of: "I want to die in my sleep, like my Grandpa, not screaming with terror like his passengers!"
Keep the moments coming please!
As [unwilling] SLF, terrified of flying, I have a dozen "moments" every flight, but it goes with the body and brain that I am lumbered with.
However, as a car driver I have come to the conclusion that, on our busy British roads, it is well-nigh impossible to drive 100 miles without either participating in a "moment" of varying hairiness, or witnessing one such. My driving is conservative, risk aware and defensive, as appropriate for someone with near 60 years experience in cities, all over Europe, Australia and NZ who knows that his eyesight, reflexes and reactions are not what they used to be.
But it is indeed a risky environment. I am reminded of: "I want to die in my sleep, like my Grandpa, not screaming with terror like his passengers!"
Keep the moments coming please!
Thread Starter
Langley makes a good point, I always feel a lot safer in the jet that flies me to the UK than the rental car I climb into on arrival.
I always send my family one last message of love before climbing into any helicopter however.....sorry helopilots, you have my undying admiration for climbing into those contraptions.
What on earth is a "fuzz burner" by the way ??
I always send my family one last message of love before climbing into any helicopter however.....sorry helopilots, you have my undying admiration for climbing into those contraptions.
What on earth is a "fuzz burner" by the way ??
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langleybaston ... With similar attitudes to driving, I have done, on numerous occasions, picking up a strange rental car at Washington/Dulles and found myself on the Washington Beltway ... with up to 12 lanes of 2-way traffic and being 'forced' to do 75 in a 55 limit to keep safe. My wife just closes her eyes and prays. It's not fun after a trans-Atlantic flight, and the usual US Immigration nausea, but I've got used to it over the year.
Anson gently trundleing from Finningley to Mildenhall at 3500 ft in and out of cloud
when a JP, in descent, flashes across the nose at about 50ft, close enough to see the
colour of the pilots bone domes.
Canberra on an army co-operatation exercise in Borneo when the FAC's Corporal decides to fire a smoke mortar to assist us. It passes close enough to the nose to see
the mortar round before a split second later we flew throught the smoke trail.
Victor Tanker with a Bear D to the west of Ireland when my captain, unwisely, decides to fly in the refuelling position close line astern of the Bear. Bear duely drops
a sonobouy. We can read the lettering on it and it probably passed between the fuselage and the tailplane.
VC10 refuelling Leuchars F4s on an exercise when one decides to show off on
departing the tanker by leaving in full burner across the nose of the tanker. About 100 ft in front of the tanker which has another chick plugged in!!
when a JP, in descent, flashes across the nose at about 50ft, close enough to see the
colour of the pilots bone domes.
Canberra on an army co-operatation exercise in Borneo when the FAC's Corporal decides to fire a smoke mortar to assist us. It passes close enough to the nose to see
the mortar round before a split second later we flew throught the smoke trail.
Victor Tanker with a Bear D to the west of Ireland when my captain, unwisely, decides to fly in the refuelling position close line astern of the Bear. Bear duely drops
a sonobouy. We can read the lettering on it and it probably passed between the fuselage and the tailplane.
VC10 refuelling Leuchars F4s on an exercise when one decides to show off on
departing the tanker by leaving in full burner across the nose of the tanker. About 100 ft in front of the tanker which has another chick plugged in!!
Avoid imitations
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It's one name for a system basically consisting of a condenser which can supply a burst of very high voltage, designed to burn off a thin sliver of metal "fuzz" which might be bridging the contacts of the chip detector plug, causing the warning light to come on. The usual advice is that flight may be continued if the warning light goes out.
Systems vary, but some allow a couple of attempts to burn off the chip. If it doesn't work, the chip might be something big enough to have a part number on it! If the light stays on, it's worrying at the best of times, even in VMC; the normal course of action would be to look for an emergency landing area.
Systems vary, but some allow a couple of attempts to burn off the chip. If it doesn't work, the chip might be something big enough to have a part number on it! If the light stays on, it's worrying at the best of times, even in VMC; the normal course of action would be to look for an emergency landing area.
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Meandering through the glens of Northern Scotland in a F4 (so a while ago). In the weeds doing about 450 knots or there-abouts, I roll on just over 90 degrees starboard and pull probably 4 gs or so to navigate around the side of a hill. A fly suddenly appears in my view, which very, very quickly becomes a bird, and then a Harrier!!. He is heading the other way round the hill in a hard port turn. We pass I suspect within 20 feet. I comment to my backseater, "Did you see that?" "See what he says." "Nevermind" I say.
Still cannot get it out of my mind!! So, say after me.. fly....bird....Harrier. And again but REALLY fast. Get it!!!!
Still cannot get it out of my mind!! So, say after me.. fly....bird....Harrier. And again but REALLY fast. Get it!!!!
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Another one!
Same F4 type and have visited an airfield in the Lincolnshire area from the base at Leuchars.
On the way home as the weather is perfect, I decide to pop down into the Vale of York, just to show the backseater where I, along with hundred other students in training used to get airborne on a day like this for our solo exercise in JPs out of Leeming, Linton-on Ouse, Topcliffe etc. AND this day, there were lots of JPs being thrown around the sky, all within a very small area, and I realised that if they were like me and my fellow students in those days, we very rarely saw another aircraft when airborne doing our thing. And so, having avoided about 3 of them who I am sure didn't even see me, I decided to go vertical and depart, before I was a witness to a collision between a couple of makey-learners and/or myself and had to fill out some paperwork. Frightening to realise some 8 years previous how little we had appreciated what was happening around us.
Same F4 type and have visited an airfield in the Lincolnshire area from the base at Leuchars.
On the way home as the weather is perfect, I decide to pop down into the Vale of York, just to show the backseater where I, along with hundred other students in training used to get airborne on a day like this for our solo exercise in JPs out of Leeming, Linton-on Ouse, Topcliffe etc. AND this day, there were lots of JPs being thrown around the sky, all within a very small area, and I realised that if they were like me and my fellow students in those days, we very rarely saw another aircraft when airborne doing our thing. And so, having avoided about 3 of them who I am sure didn't even see me, I decided to go vertical and depart, before I was a witness to a collision between a couple of makey-learners and/or myself and had to fill out some paperwork. Frightening to realise some 8 years previous how little we had appreciated what was happening around us.
I managed to give myself several "Moments" over the Years.
A few stick out from the rest.
In a Land Far Away during Interesting Times....had the Ears laid back on a Chinook with her Rotor Blades perpendicular to the dirt road....rounding a curve....Clouds right down on top of the Rubber Trees and me doing my thing in the 200 Meter wide swath of cleared ground with the track in the middle.
As I rounded the curve going Westerly....around the curve going Easterly was my Room Mate in his Chinook going as fast as I was.
He pulled...I pushed...and we passed one another with not a lot of clearance...both of us still laid over on our sides.
I keyed the Mike and said...."Crapsakes John....the least you could do is wave as you went by!".
His reply was short and blunt....something about me doing a solo sex act.
Doing the Army IMC Let Down Procedure over a Special Forces Camp with a nice PSP Runway and C-130 Turn Around Pad.....which means we were VFR on Top and had found a hole that had Green at the bottom of it.
Just as I got slowed down and began to roll into a very slow steep spiraling descent inside the Well like shaft of clear air.....not a hundred feet below me slices the left wing, outboard engine, and tip of an external fuel tank of a C-130 through the part of the hole I was about to fall into.
Last one....IMC from the Shetlands headed to the Ninian.
Just happened to look out the windscreen in time to see a British Airways S-61 pass by at the same height going the opposite way. One of the Pilots had on his BA issued Wool Jumper and Necktie....the other guy had on a Mustang Floater Jacket with white shirt and no Necktie.
Neither them or my Co-Pilot were any the wiser!
People wonder why I drink!
A few stick out from the rest.
In a Land Far Away during Interesting Times....had the Ears laid back on a Chinook with her Rotor Blades perpendicular to the dirt road....rounding a curve....Clouds right down on top of the Rubber Trees and me doing my thing in the 200 Meter wide swath of cleared ground with the track in the middle.
As I rounded the curve going Westerly....around the curve going Easterly was my Room Mate in his Chinook going as fast as I was.
He pulled...I pushed...and we passed one another with not a lot of clearance...both of us still laid over on our sides.
I keyed the Mike and said...."Crapsakes John....the least you could do is wave as you went by!".
His reply was short and blunt....something about me doing a solo sex act.
Doing the Army IMC Let Down Procedure over a Special Forces Camp with a nice PSP Runway and C-130 Turn Around Pad.....which means we were VFR on Top and had found a hole that had Green at the bottom of it.
Just as I got slowed down and began to roll into a very slow steep spiraling descent inside the Well like shaft of clear air.....not a hundred feet below me slices the left wing, outboard engine, and tip of an external fuel tank of a C-130 through the part of the hole I was about to fall into.
Last one....IMC from the Shetlands headed to the Ninian.
Just happened to look out the windscreen in time to see a British Airways S-61 pass by at the same height going the opposite way. One of the Pilots had on his BA issued Wool Jumper and Necktie....the other guy had on a Mustang Floater Jacket with white shirt and no Necktie.
Neither them or my Co-Pilot were any the wiser!
People wonder why I drink!
Had 11 rather uneventful (compared to some here) years as a servant of HM flying types previously mentioned, I attempted at various stages at a certain OCU to break myself and the aeroplane but through a combination of exceptionally good luck and ignorance I triumphantly managed to avoid both outcomes with little more than a sheepish grin and a sweaty forehead.....no PTSD for me, no thank you...or so I thought!
Fast forward another few years, civvy street flying now, first command B757 on our way to BGR mid pond (about 30W), just beginning to imagine that first tasty Canadian beer.
A slight whiff of burning plastic that rapidly turns into an over-powering eye watering fume filled coughing fit....mask midway to my face when suddenly blackness and a gritty feeling in my eyes....oh s**t.
15 seconds later....it's as if nothing happened, apart from a fine charcoal like layer in parts..and yours truly and his FO looking like we've just done an hour in a Sopwith Camel given our goggle marks.
A recirc fan bearing had let go at umpteen thousands of RPM...showering us with 10 years worth of detritus and plastic......good thing the seat cover was brown is all I'm gonna say.
Fast forward another few years, civvy street flying now, first command B757 on our way to BGR mid pond (about 30W), just beginning to imagine that first tasty Canadian beer.
A slight whiff of burning plastic that rapidly turns into an over-powering eye watering fume filled coughing fit....mask midway to my face when suddenly blackness and a gritty feeling in my eyes....oh s**t.
15 seconds later....it's as if nothing happened, apart from a fine charcoal like layer in parts..and yours truly and his FO looking like we've just done an hour in a Sopwith Camel given our goggle marks.
A recirc fan bearing had let go at umpteen thousands of RPM...showering us with 10 years worth of detritus and plastic......good thing the seat cover was brown is all I'm gonna say.
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During a field deployment exercise during the Cold War, I returned to our flight's refuelling point in a German farmer's field for a rotors running refuel. I'd already refuelled there before that morning. As we approached the bowser in the hover and at an altitude of about ten feet, it all got very exciting. The driver had "cammed up" his vehicle by laying a large sheet of black hessian (probably 10 by 8 feet) across the windscreen and trapping it in the cab doors. Unfortunately, rather than fool the Warsaw Pact army, he had done it so he could sit inside the cab and sleep. He woke up with a start and threw open the driver's door, whereupon the hessian flew free and got sucked straight into the middle of our main rotors, where it hung up on a blade. The rotors immediately went out of balance in a massive way and the aircraft out of control (the cyclic stick was stirring me around the cockpit, rather than the other way round) and Sod's law said that the aircraft moved closer to the bowser so that the main rotors were now right above it. The next few seconds were very exciting indeed but thankfully the hessian worked its way to the end of the blade, where it flew up again then recirculated back into the disc a second time but this time near the tips, where it was shredded into small pieces. I did manage to regain control and move clear and immediately landed and shut down. The leading edge strips of the main rotor blades were imprinted with a back hessian pattern, the dye had been forced out from the impact.
Thankfully the aircraft was undamaged and after an extra strong mug of NAAFI tea and a sincere apology from the bowser driver we were sent on our way to carry on with the task.
Thankfully the aircraft was undamaged and after an extra strong mug of NAAFI tea and a sincere apology from the bowser driver we were sent on our way to carry on with the task.
Northbound from Sao Paolo to Gatwick and in Sal (Cape Verde) area. Cleared to climb to FL350 and contact Canaries on HF. All done OK.
Southbound VARIG 767 same track reported to Canaries on VHF at northern
point of Canaries airspace a few minutes before. The Canaries controller did not pick up the fact we were both on reciprocal tracks at the same level. I was in the left seat, the other co-pilot was in the toilet and the skipper was fast asleep. Massive bang as we passed each other but in reality I could not tell you what sort of aeroplane it was as it passed so close.. When I got home I couldn't really communicate with anyone for a couple of days. My wife described me as very grey. The other co-pilot spoke fluent Spanish and managed to get as many names and compounding various tapes.
BA Fight Safety sat on the reports for some unknown reason and I saw the Fleet Captain (Smith) to ask why nothing was ever published. His reply was Varig had published a report and that was enough. The Freemason set up in BA management has some strange ways about it.
Southbound VARIG 767 same track reported to Canaries on VHF at northern
point of Canaries airspace a few minutes before. The Canaries controller did not pick up the fact we were both on reciprocal tracks at the same level. I was in the left seat, the other co-pilot was in the toilet and the skipper was fast asleep. Massive bang as we passed each other but in reality I could not tell you what sort of aeroplane it was as it passed so close.. When I got home I couldn't really communicate with anyone for a couple of days. My wife described me as very grey. The other co-pilot spoke fluent Spanish and managed to get as many names and compounding various tapes.
BA Fight Safety sat on the reports for some unknown reason and I saw the Fleet Captain (Smith) to ask why nothing was ever published. His reply was Varig had published a report and that was enough. The Freemason set up in BA management has some strange ways about it.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
One of my jobs was to help identify or eliminate one of our aircraft as the other aircraft in a near miss. What amazed me was that every potential crew could give me their precise position for the incident time even days later.
One such incident was an airmiss at night during a major air defence exercise when a window of a light twin was sucked out as it flew at lower levels on the Blue way. One of our F3 was in the frame. They were able to day that it was their target that had the airmiss. It was certainly a sheer terror moment for the civvy, I don't think the other knew.
One such incident was an airmiss at night during a major air defence exercise when a window of a light twin was sucked out as it flew at lower levels on the Blue way. One of our F3 was in the frame. They were able to day that it was their target that had the airmiss. It was certainly a sheer terror moment for the civvy, I don't think the other knew.