Re. being ambidextrous.
Earlier this year, I flew to Las Vegas, and parked at North Las Vegas airport. Departed North Las Vegas the following morning, switched to Las Vegas Approach asap to request a published VFR Class B transition.
"Las Vegas Approach, N49F, 1 mile south of North Las Vegas, request Showboat Departure"
"N49F, Approach, Showboat Departure unavailbe - are you familiar with McCarren Departure"
I didn't recall a departure with this name, and a quick check of my chart and my notes revealed nothing. (A subsequent, longer check also revealed nothing - I assume it's a commonly used procedure which the locals know but isn't published anywhere.)
"Negative, 49F"
"49F, do you have McCarren International Airport in sight"
"Affirm, 49F"
"49F, climb 4500', fly heading AAA until passing 3000', then direct McCarren, not below 3000'. Head direct for the numbers of runway XX, then turn and head direct for the numbers of runway YY. After crossing the threshold of runway YY, turn heading BBB and report some other airport in sight." (I'm sure there were more instructions in there, too, which I don't remember now.)
Sh!t - that's not quite what I was expecting! Fumble to get pen out of its holder on my kneeboard, fly the plane, and listen to the instructions all at the same time.
Eventually ended up with pen in right hand, yoke in left hand - not good since I'm a left-hander, but it already been several seconds since Approach finished giving me the instructions, so I didn't want to delay any further. Scribbled the instructions down with my right hand, then read them back, and - more through luck than judgement - got the readback correct!
I wish I'd kept my flight log from that flight, because it made amusing viewing - the scribbles were more like something you'd see from a 5-year-old just learning to write than from a 20-something pilot! Scrawled right the way across the top of all my other notes. I can't write in small letters with my right hand, so they were absolutely huge, dominating the whole of the page. Somehow - again, more by luck than judgement - managed not to obscure my planned headings/altitudes for the flight back, but didn't leave me much room to make any more notes along the route! But it all worked out ok in the end...
FFF
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