1. During my student days, on one of my solo x-countrys I lifted off in the R22 with the POH sitting on top of the main fuel tank having left it with the pre-flight checklist page open while pre-flighting the main rotor. When I got back that night it was lying close to the pickup spot and was missing a few pages due to the rotor downwash ripping them out(who'd have thought the R22 downwash was strong enough to rip paper!!). Now I do one last walk around the aircraft before each flight, checking that cowl doors and fuel caps are secure and that there are no manuals where they shouldn't be.
2. 1.5 hour flight from Sacramento back to Fresno departing a half hour before sunset. It was the darkest night I have ever seen. That was until I was descending past the Fresno tower turning final for my spot I realized I still had my sunglasses on!!!
It was actually quite a nice night.
