I learnt from that

[troppo]

New thread in the ongoing learning process that is aviation.
What have you learnt the most from and why? No names but as below examples and where it may have saved your skin.

1).Thorough flight planning in a light
twin to avoid severe icing in NZ. A windshield iced over and hearing ice chunks hitting the tail plane aint all its cracked up to be. Seeing the props on landing was impressive as well.
2). Being hurried into departures by ATC and
taking off on tip tanks
As well as ending up below MSA at night is Russian roulette.
3). At ppl level being on the lee side of the kaikoura ranges during a nor wester hurts your head on the ceiling of a PA28.
4). Radio failure and IMC on a vfr ppl fight
Is a life changing experience that often ends up in the crash comics.
5). How to restart an engine in flight if you run a tank dry is vital knowledge.
6). Checking the pitot tube is for a reason. Taking off from a one way strip in PNG with little or no airspeed reading and flying a
circuit by 'feel and instinct' sorts out the men from the boys. Bugs can make a clay nest over night. The kicker was the boss tried to blow them out a few mins after I tried to scare them out with the pitot heat.
7). Bush flying techniques and survival tips in PNG by the ex Chief Pilot of what was once the world's largest third level airline. You can't buy that experience or knowledge.
8). Closing the throttle on run up checks after a 100 hourly in PNG to ensure that it doesn't go very quiet on finals.
9). (Real) Aircraft operating costs by Torres.
10). New levels of sarcasm from Tinpis.
1 thru 8 all occurred in the first 1000 hours.
What have you learnt?

[KittyKatKaper]

Finally understanding what the 'freezing level' in the forecasts actually means.
then rapidly descending to what little warm air was still above the ground and watching ice come off the prop and hit the windscreen.

Always remembering to apply magnetic variation when flight planning.
otherwise one can fly fat, dumb and happy for 2 hours, 10' off track, before realising that the map reading up till then has been an entertaining work of fiction.

The planned TAS and wind-corrections will never match reality.
therefore ensure that you have more than sufficient fuel to get to somewhere with fuel

[empacher48]

1. Even or though doing a thorough preflight, before getting into the aircraft, have one final walk around to check things like Oil caps, Fuel caps and jackets /clothing left on the tailplane... The fuel cap one bit me when I was very inexperienced, landed after noticing the gauges were a showing less than what I thought should be there. Realised my mistake of leaving a cap off, now a final walk around is an SOP, even if I need a ladder to see the caps on the larger machines.

2. Nothing ever needs to be done in a hurry in an aeroplane. When being taught to shoot accurately I was told "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast", same applies.

3.. I don't know even a thousandth of what I should know, and I am learning everyday. The bag of luck still has some in it (I hope).

[troppo]

To err is human, to forgive is devine. Thou shalt not step out of line. Cheers mods for correcting my indiscretion.

[Tidbinbilla]

Troppo, you started a thread which has the potential to offer a lot to our readers.

Just pointing it in the right direction ;)

[300Series]

A person that i have much respect for and is much wiser than me was doing a line check with me one time at night. Part of our company's after takeoff SOP checks were, Check fuel tank caps for fuel venting, as this was a Bonanza, and Baron with the bladder tanks.
The question was raised, without shining your torch out the window to the caps, what gauge indication will you see if you are in fact venting fuel? Of course i said straight away well your gauge will be decreasing. I was soon told that the gauge would actually show that your fuel quantity is increasing.
I've always remembered that, because one time it did actually happen to me, launched at night and didnt have the fuel caps sitting perfectly level in the recess, and after takeoff checks i came to the fuel vent check and there it was the gauge increasing. I flew a circuit, got out and there was the cap not sitting correctly.

I totally agree with the comment about going slowly because if i had have gone slowly it would not have happend if i did a proper walkaround.

300

[the wizard of auz]

If I have something that is not ops normal with the aircraft, Eg I have some work in progress or have a component missing , I always hang the key in a different place in the aircraft. I used to sit em on the dash, and if it was ops non normal, hang em on the fuel cock. Not such a good idea nowdays with all the security stuff, but it always worked in the days before we locked everything up. I managed to catch myself a few times because of the key.

[framer]

Whenever there is something that I'll need to remember in a few minutes time, say, 2 -15 mins away, I turn my top screen down so that I can still see it but have to look a bit harder than normal. It is perfectly safe because I can still see it ,but it is annoying as hell and I don't forget to stop the fuel cross-feed or make that radio call etc etc because I can't wait to turn it back up. Before I had screens I used to rest my hand on the glare-shield, it's fairly comfortable but still acted as a reminder to do whatever it was I was trying to remember. Probably not for everyone but works for me:)

[18-Wheeler]

There is no such thing as an aeroplane with too much power.

[GFPT]

I have learn't that an Aircraft is like a Women, It needs respect, attention, and TLC otherwise it will bite you on the backside when you least expect it. :{

And the difference between a women and an Aircraft is, you should tie an aircraft down when you leave it :E, It has stict weight & balance limits, and it never objects to a pre flight inspection ! :eek:

[FourBalls]

( In my best Swiss-French accent )

Do not be in a rush - you kill yourself moit.

[sms777]

Remove wheelchoks before taxiing! :{

[nomorecatering]

Never, never....ever let someone else ruch you so you paint yourelf int a corner.

Typical situation.You finish a days flying and heading towards your car to go home, 5pm at present and last night is 5.45. The boss comes out and says, can you get a plane down to woop woop for maint and it has to be there today. Its a good half hr flight, your not IF or night rated or current or the aircraft isnt.

That gives you 10 mins to plan and get going(plan preflight Wx and notams etc), before you run foul of last light. Then you cant find the MR or keys quickly, then find its only got the min fuel, on top of that you havent flown that type in a while. If you go you will scrape in with nly a handful of mins before the 10 mins before EOD etc IF.....everything goes 100% right.. Perhaps you also havent been to the destination for some time.

You feel the pressure, want to get the job done, the boss is putting the heat on you to get going, perhaps the engineer has rung up 3 times to say where is the bloody aeroplane that you said would be there that morning. Your tired, maybe a bit flustered. Nothing is going right.

Take a step back, a deep breath and just say you cant do it. This has happened a few times to me, and on a few occasions after starting up and getting to the holding point, and cancelled. I just wasnt comfortable, I felt my ducks wern't in a row as they say. Now some would criticise, .....commercial pilots are supposedto be able to get going quickly, but theres a difference between being efficient and being rushed. Dont be affraid to say NO. if you have to, just walk 100m away from the aircraft, its amazing how your perspective on the situation just by putting sme distance between you and the aircraft.

[Grogmonster]

After heavy maintenance ALWAYS take the engineer who signed it out on the test flight. You will be amazed at how helpful he can be during the pre flight.

[Digaf]

After a walk around go and stand away from the a/c at a bit more of a distance, things can look different and is a good way of maybe spotting something that is not so clear close up!!

Aircraft laterally uneven- impending flat tyre or one tyre flatter than the other, fuel imbalance??

Antenna missing??

Bung left in or remove before flight tag??

These may seem like things that are obvious and could be spotted close up, well they can be, but if you look at the bigger picture, then on that 1% chance that any of the above are evident you have made sure of it...and also gives you a good chance of clearing your mind, composing yourself and being ready for the next situation instead of being in a dither

And on the subject of making sure, If you are ever unsure if you have or haven't done something, always double check it..

i.e. Sitting at holding point, unsure whether you put the fuel cap back on...instead of hoping to god you did, taxi back, shut down, get out and check, can be very annoying or embarrasing with pax, better that than having to deal with a serious fuel situatuon after take off...

[panzerd18]

The latest Flight Safety had some good close call stories. :ok:

[mostlytossas]

An oldie but...the 3 most useless things in aviation.
1 The runway behind you.
2 The sky above you
3 The air in your tanks

[ops_guy]

I learnt on my second solo nav at PPL level not to be intimidated by the 'big boys'. When doing my pre-takeoff checks and noticing an A320 taxiing behind me I failed to allign my DG. Luckily soon after I intercepted my outbound track I did a 'sanity check' to make sure I was heading in the right direction. When things were not looking like they were supposed to be below a quick check of the panel revealed my DG to be out by ~30 degrees:eek:

[disturbedone]

If you're going to refuse a flight but still want to keep your job, make sure you have a good reason.

Hungover is not a good reason.

[The Green Goblin]

P.P.P.P.P

Don't ever do anything stupid quickly!

Don't even do something that you have not already planned before!

The regs are written in other pilots blood, don't think you are smarter than them!

[RR RB211]

All good stuff above - especially the final walkaround before taxiing (saved taxiing into a freight trolley hidden down by the elevator and taxiing off with an open rear locker in a 210), and this is what I have learnt :

If it flys, floats or faunicates, rent it by the hour,

ATC are there for YOU - so use them when you need to, trying to help them out can sometimes cause you problems.

Scan, Scan, Scan. Trim, Trim, Trim.

[hershey_86]

I learnt (the hard way) ALWAYS read your contract properly and dont work for free. it bites you in the ass!

[sprocket check]

My first solo nav, back in my teens, instructor sends me out, wx is scattered showers with plenty of separation between the clouds, heaps of blue sky, I'm young and keen as mustard. 5 minutes into the flight I find myself in IMC. Learnt to respect Mother Nature that day and learnt the meaning of DO NOT RUSH. Also learnt that proper training as well as remembering words of wisdom is a really good idea. Saved my bacon that day.

[The Green Goblin]

When being checked to line on a PA31 with a toilet, never be fooled into trying to suck or blow on the poopa tube by another Pilot :}

[Johnny_56]

1) Never feel the pressure!
As someone else as said if you're not 100% sure you've secured the fuel cap or dipstick or whatever shut down and check - you may look stupid to all your passengers or students but it's way better than the alternative.

Also never let other aircraft put the pressure on to turn early or make a short field so they can get in a bit quicker. Making a rotten landing in a 207 while trying to drag it over the fence impresses no one, not even your passengers or the boss.

Great thread

Cheers

[QF411]

"I learnt (the hard way) ALWAYS read your contract properly and dont work for free. it bites you in the ass!"

Some excellent advice there. You would not believe the amount of GA operators (high end operators included) who will try and break their end of your contract. Read your contract, know your contract and for God's sake, get a lawyer to go over your contract with you before you sign it!

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Been thinking about this one since the thread first appearred. After 35 years of flying (PPL issued 14/12/73), I just cannot say, "I have learned 1)...., 2)...., 3) .... and 4)...."!

I have indeed been fortunate to fly with some highly experienced and very professional pilots (PPLs, CPLs and ATPLs) and instructors in Oz and uNZed. A few are/were legends in the business but most were just blokes (I have only flown with one chick who was any good!) going about their daily occupation or weekend hobby. Anything I am as a pilot I owe to them and it has kept me safe (and my undies clean!) over many hours and many miles of flying in both countries.

I continue to learn every time I front an IR renewal or fly with someone with a broader or different aviation background from my own.

So, for the words of advice - always be aware, and never stop learning!

Dr :8

[the wizard of auz]

always be aware, and never stop learning!
Hear hear!. one thing I have learned in this game, is that there is always something else to learn. :ok:

[ExSp33db1rd]

If you can't see the pitot tube put the cover where you can see it, or reach it, to confirm it's off !

NEVER go flying when you didn't intend to in the first place ! Sounds daft, but I have a VW engined microlight that is a bastard to start, hadn't flown it for awhile so decided to ground run the engine, eventually got the thing running and it sounded sweet, the wind had dropped, around 30 mins of useful daylight left, so what the Hell, lets do a circuit. Immediately after take-off I was doing 140 knots, Vne is 104, and climb speed normally around 60 kts. Pitot cover still in place ! So...wasn't stalling, so push the nose down a bit to be safe, level off at circuit height, set normal power for cruise and approach, s'easy - but it makes you think, even after 21k + hours aeroplanes will still bite.

On aeroplanes with check lists, if interrupted ALWAYS start again at the top, maybe not necessary to re-do everything, but at least read it in sequence, otherwise Mr. Murphy will quietly ensure that you re-start at least one item below where you stopped. :ok:

[PyroTek]

And the difference between a woman and an Aircraft is, you should tie an aircraft down when you leave it Wrong, you do the same for both.

A few things I have learned, though only an SPL so far:
1) 2 Walkarounds is a great idea.. had a run in with a pitot cover once before. (brings me to the point, mention "airspeed active (and in the right kind of place)" during takeoff roll)

--edit --
The GPS thing was a joke, I haven't and wont touch a GPS for a while.. until I've done my PPL etc. at LEAST.

[kingRB]

Always be thinking ahead, and having a contingency plan, or a way out. No matter how rudimentary the flight, or how many times you've flown the route before.

For example - i'm flying on a perfectly clear summers day - late in the afternoon, CAVOK - as good as flying weather gets. Last leg back home, sitting nicely in the cruise at 8,500 feet.

As I proceed along the planned route, "cloud" appears on the horizon. Topping out somewhere either at my level or above it - and going all the way to the ground. A wall of cloud....How could this be I thought ? on such a perfect summers day?

After further investigation, and getting closer to it, I see it is in fact smoke, from a huge bushfire up north.

Winds aloft are sending the wall of smoke South for well over 200nm. Its at least 70nm or more North to get around where the fire has started. Realisation sets in, as do the questions...do I have enough fuel to go around it? Can I go over it? I cant go through it..... Will I have enough fuel to divert somewhere else? Will I have enough daylight?

In this particular instance, it did not end up an emergency, but it was going to be a pain in the ass diverting elsewhere when you need to get back somewhere - or going elsewhere to get more fuel so you can make it around the smoke.

I was so convinced before that leg that in perfectly clear CAVOK weather and not in an area or season known for bushfire, that something like that could ever happen.

A fairly tame issue really, but it did happen to me, and was an excellent wake up call for when you inevetiably end up in your "comfort zone" after flying for many hours with everything running smoothly.

In different circumstances, and with less fuel on board, it could have gotten alot more serious, real quick.

It acted as a stern reminder to me that no matter how good the conditions on the forecast, or outside the window look, there is more to flight & fuel planning than simply assuming the only fuel you need in good weather is from A to B.

[waren9]

Excellent thread.

Braking action on wet grass after a heavy dew is poor. Very poor.

Especially when using a minimum length strip and coming over the fence high because you are trailing a tow rope.

I learnt from that.:ok:

[The Green Goblin]

Kingrb,

Smoke in the Northern parts of Australian dry season are part of life. Sometimes the scenics in the kimberley are operating well below VMC at some stages during the flight, but such is life when the whole country is ablaze all the damn dry and the inversion causes the smoke remnants to stick around. Sometimes over Bathurst Island i am highly surprised there has not been a midair considering the traffic in and out of there and the smoke that covers the island all too often.

Pyrotek,

If you are already relying on GPS on an SPL there is not much hope for you i am afraid. Battery's do run dry and cigar lighters in 30 year old aeroplanes are not the most reliable source of 12v on the planet. Do yourself a favour and learn correct VFR nav procedure, if the instructor insists on GPS use, block the pilot side from view so you can apply correct VFR nav techniques without getting your instructor lost :}

A lot of respect goes from me to the guys who did it before GPS, i'll take a bow and considering some of the weather i have flown in, i truly tip my hat to the guys that did it before GPS!

[Sunfish]

Don't ever practice short field landings involving a touch and go on a short gravel strip!!!!

Always do a full stop, back track, do your checks and do a short field takeoff.

That almost killed me when the Cessna Flap Switch decided it was not going to raise flaps during the touch and go. The mighty C150 does not climb out of ground effect with Forty degrees of flap, probably doesn't with Thirty either.

Needless to say, the problem could not be duplicated on the ground.

[aileron_69]

-If the baggage door on a 177RG pops open (as it frequently did to when I used to fly them) it can be closed in flight by putting down full flap when the resulting downward airflow pushes down on the top of it

-Some pilots doing ICUS with you like to touch the controls in the aircraft, such as retracting 40degrees of flap in the 206 just before the flare or even the throttle just after takeoff. Both can result in a rather solid landing. If they do this, dont stand for it.

[Atlas Shrugged]

1. There is NOTHING that ever needs to be done in, around or with an aircraft in a hurry

2. If you do something and something goes wrong, undo the last thing you did

3. Don't ever let the aircraft take you anywhere that your brain didn't take you 5 minutes beforehand

4. There is no such thing as being lost. It's ENTIRELY in your head - if you knew where you were 5 minutes ago, how can you possibly be lost?

5. Trim is your friend

6. Beware of the sucker-hole

And something I learned totally unrelated to aviation: Never operate a chainsaw after taking a cold pill :E

[framer]

1) 2 Walkarounds is a great idea.. had a run in with a pitot cover once before. (brings me to the point, mention "airspeed active (and in the right kind of place)" during takeoff roll)
2) You can never have too many GPS's (Thanks Doc!)http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

Pyro, when I was learning I had an instructor who covered up my asi and got me to do circuits just using attitude and power settings. It is easy and gives you confidence. Then circuits with no instruments at all, just looking out the window, it makes you realise that all the info you need in a light a/c is out the window and in your ears. Also, shortly after that on first parachuting job bugs got into the pitot tube, airspeed check on the roll (good idea) was normal but once airborne the asi slowly crept back to zero, was no problem though even on a short strip.
As for the GPS, put it in the top draw for six months, forget about it until you can navigate properly. If you rely on it heavily it will lead you astray one day. I've twice picked up faulty tracking on GPS with normal navigation methods and once was at night in an EFIS a/c with very expensive GPS units. If you follow them blindly they can kill you.
Framer

[300Series]

1) If tracking overwater outside gliding distance in a single it is prudent to plan a different track to keep you inside gliding distance from land.

I have had a partial engine failure in a single overwater outside gliding distance. Luckily i was the only one onboard at the time. Direct tracking may be quicker but it is not necessarily the most safest/smartest thing to do. If the boss arcs up about the extra few miles that you have added to the trip, stand your ground, one day it will save you a ditching. Moral of the story is plan to keep yourself within gliding distance of land.

2) When loading a flight plan into the GPS ALWAYS cross check whats loaded with the flight plan you printed out. That way you will know if you have entered an incorrect waypoint. Best way is to check total distance on GPS with total distance on Flight plan and when you cross a waypoint check the track/distance to the next one with the flight plan.

300

[flywatcher]

Always have a last long look underneath the aircraft before putting your fragile self inside it. If a fluid of any sort is escaping, that is where it will be found.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Yes, forget GPS. Navigation is just plain old commonsense. Think, don't try to do a maths exam in a rattling steel cabinet. Once had a co-pilot insist that I fly a heading of 310 departing Singapore for Australia. He had cocked up the INS ( pre GPS gadget ) data entry, but was prepared to follow the winking lights, regardless. Think.

Had an old Nav. instructor suggest that I mentally climb outside the aircraft, pretend it was a model aeroplane that I was pushing over a map - which way you gonna turn, lad

Having said forget GPS - I recently needed another 'distance from' whilst flying a microlight ( LSA actually ) towards controlled airspace, couldn't be bothered re-programming the panel mounted one, so took a handheld one out of my pocket. Had to smile, I used to navigate 707's with a sextant, and here I was using 2 GPS's - in a microlight !! How the World has changed. :ok:

[omnidirectional wind]

Always check fuel tank selector valve positions with a torch at night.

Never let the presence of equipment you don't know how to use change your decision making - especially Wx Radar - assume its not there.

If you are flying with a trainee who is under stress toward the end of a flight, have a quiet word during approach about how slamming full brakes on touchdown is not required.

Don't fly in IMC/night unless you yourself have calculated/extracted from chart the LSALTs.

:ok: