407 too,
I have another rule I live by..."The one dissenting vote rule." During my brief to the med crew or fire crew or working passengers such as biologists, etc....I raise the issue of "getting un-comfy with the situation....all it takes is one "No" vote and it is home we go or whatever it takes to get comfy again."
The biggest fright I ever gave myself without a doubt was on a ferry flight from Alaska to Lafayette, Louisana at the end of a summer season in Alaska haulling around cored drills with a Hughes 500D.
Those being the real cowboy days.....I was flying a machine that had a few defects....one of them being the airspeed indicator did not work. Having flown the machine all summer....I had gotten used to the airspeed/power combinations so I wasn't really fussed. (Statute of limitations having run out I can talk now). The machine also had no gyro instruments in it...just a mag compass and a single VHF comm.
It was a very hazy day as I approached the Grand Canyon at warp speed low level in the Go Fast......and vis being really poor....I began to look for the canyon....and look and look and look. Finally, I picked up the map...did the "lets unfold this thing...without flying into the ground routine". Got the map unfolded....refolded....then tried to figure out where I was. Being about brain dead....I was spending way too much time peering at the map....and merely glancing at the outside long enough only to make sure I was staying high enough to clear the sage brush.
About the time I was going to give up on the map....I developed a rather strange feeling...of being in a brown colored ping pong ball....I had flown off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at 130 knots in a helicopter with zero instruments....not even a trim string...with horizontal and vertical vis of about a thousand feet. Might I remind you that at that point.....my vertical vis was about three thousand feet short of enough and the rim of the canyon was very rapidly disappearing behind me and I could only just barely make it out through the dust haze.
By the time I got back to the North Rim....I felt the need to land and walk around a bit.....but could not because I could not get my knees to quit shaking for what seemd like an hour. Except for not having enough fuel to go around the Canyon....I would certainly have done so....but one can fly down the side of the thing...find the bottom...scoot across to the other side and up the South Rim and off you go.
The current concept is "Situational Awareness". I did not have it that day.
Another thought....if the other pilot asks you what you think about the weather....that is a sign he doesn't like it...I always say...looks bad to me....what do you think. If the other guy needs reassurance he just might be seeing something you are not. Refer to the one dissenting vote rule in this situation.
Last edited by SASless; 26th Jan 2005 at 03:51.