deflated flying

[aerofoil1]

Remind me never to book the 1st slot of the morning in winter again!
Ok here's why
I promised to take my 12yr old daughter with me the next time I flew,so as I work in the week and only able to fly at weekends i booked it for 9am yesterday.
Checking the TAF and METAR I thought it probably wouldn't be clear enough but still thought the visibility might improve which it did to a point
so having to wake my daughter up early to go with me we set off to the field I'm about 40 mins away.ultimately I got there to late as the aircraft had been outside all night and was covered in frost great
So i cleared some of it and decided to taxi up to the fuel pumps.
Another pilot wad already clearing the snow and fueling up I actually thought he was the person who worked there but after half an hour realised clearly he wasn't
I spent over 40mins clearing the frost as I didn't want to take any chances
especially as the temp was -3 at 2000ft my aircraft needed fuel and oil so
that was another 15mins finding someone to fuel it (your not allowed to fuel
yourself)

By this time I and my daughter were frozen not helped by the prop wash from the aircraft in front all the excitement was slowly draining from her and I felt like I'd let her down
The reception guy strolled across to inform me I had only 15 mins left and they had another booking
Oh great insult to injury now so we eventually managed a full circuit with a
landing what a waste of time

I can't really blame the airfield as I got there too late so really it was a Case of bad planning pure and simple but I'm so annoyed with myself I'd done all the hard work of de icing the thing only for some one else to jump straight in and
go almost ! Really was a waste of time and money

Lesson learned not to be repeated I can assure you
Has anyone else had a similar experience they would like to share?

[Pilot DAR]

It happens... One of the many sayings in aviation is that it takes 45 hours to learn to fly, and a lifetime to learn when to fly. What you describe is pretty common in Canada. It's all a part of learning patience. Sometimes, when the flying is purely recreational, it just might no be worth the effort.

My plane has been secure in the hanger since I flew a search on December 27th. Right after that a series of snow rain freeze thaw has resulted in a really hard crusty 6 inches of snow on my runway. It's going to take hours to clear, if I want to fly. I can wait. All those magnificent summer and autumn days for flying serve to assure my patience in the not so good flying conditions.

In time, the frustration of a day's unrewarding flying will fade into the collective memory of a great pastime....

[aerofoil1]

I quite agree with you pilot ,passing the ppl is just the start of learning

[Aware]

You will have many experiences like this, Ive been flying on and off for 30 years, PPL, Instructor, Examiner. Flying does not conform to normal rules of anythng else I have been associated with, there is a lot of wasted time and energy in this game. Probably better if you feel the way you do, to get attached to a group rather that a club which has less strict time slots- you could have deiced the plane, had a cup of tea, warmed up then gone flying.

Sounds to me like bad management of the club. Most of the clubs schools Ive worked at required the instructors to have aircraft prepared and ready to go for first slot of the day.

If you want to arrive fly and then go home without any hassle, this game is probably not for you.

I get caught out sometimes usually when people who fly, never refill the aircraft with fuel on landing. This would save loads of time in a school.

I have had days like yours all day from start to finish. I shouldnt worry too much.

If you want 1 hours flying I would set aside 4 hours. Unless you own the aircraft. Even then can be time consuming.

[Cusco]

Shame for your poor daughter (and you)

One of my first thoughts was- Do you have the facilities/wherewithall to join a group by owning a share?

It certainly cuts down the faff factor and with a good internet booking system you can check on slot availability by mobile phone to see if space after you is booked.

Of course initial outlay is high but subsequent rental is much lower /availability is usually excellent even in groups with high membership number. I read somewhere that optimum
group size is 6-8. Non equity groups apparently even better but I have no experience of them.

Today for example I awoke to clear skies and TAFS, looked on internet booking system, - a/c free. booked a/c and I was airborne within the hour (and this includes 25 min drive to strip)

Cusco

[englishal]

Yea, buy your own aeroplane or share, then you remove some of the time pressures. Depending what you want to fly, you can pick up an aeroplane or a share pretty cheaply and don't have to be super wealthy.

2nd piece of advice, book the second slot in the morning ;)

[rmcb]

Perservere , old boy - I have found the most exhilarating, 'glad to be alive' flights are to be found in early winter morning jaunts, when that High pressure is squatting stubbornly overhead.

Get there early next time and maybe 'phone ahead the previous day to check the aircraft will be fueled and they are up to date with plenty de-icer etc. If your chariot hasn't flown for some time, request a battery check.

A warning is necessary here, however - if you do get to do these flights with your daughter, she will want to fly herself. From your wallet. Better to start her on crack cocaine - it will be cheaper in the long run!:}

[aerofoil1]

It does annoy me As the aircraft dont seem to get refueled when there finished with at the end the day plus oil
I would love to buy into group membership if I had the spare cash but ive only just managed to scrape enough cash for the licence!

[Maoraigh1]

As a group member, or owner the DISADVANTAGE is that you have to prepare your aircraft.
If renting from a commercial organisation you'd expect to get what you booked, unless something less predictable than winter weather in January ocurred. I'm assuming it was a commercial operation, and not an all-volunteers club.

[Contacttower]

I spent over 40mins clearing the frost as I didn't want to take any chances

Where they not able to provide some de-icing fluid? 40 mins sounds like quite a long time to clear frost...

If it makes you feel any better I have a similar cold weather frustration to share; yesterday morning I decide at quite short notice to fly to Inverness, stay the night at a nice hotel etc with my girlfriend and come back in the next day. Things were going too well when we arrived back at the aircraft this morning...I was looking forward to making a really quick getaway!

Unfortunately it was not to be. First off the aircraft was covered in frost, it had been about -10 degrees during the night. Borrowed a step ladder so I could get to the top surface of the wings and clear it all off...this took about 20 mins. Then when I went to start the thing it just didn't want to, the cold had drained the battery (at first I thought the starter might be frozen which thankfully turned out not to be the case). Thankfully some really helpful guys from Highland Aviation were around. We dragged the aircraft round to their hanger, then it turned out they didn't have a 24 volt charger, eventually borrowed one from Dalcross Handling after HA kindly phoned around the airport to find one for us, charged it up and finally were on our way about four hours later than I had originally intended!

If Neil from Highland Aviation is reading this...thanks again for your help...:ok:

I sometimes find light aircraft intensely frustrating, things seem to take for ever, snowball into each other, seemingly routine issues become problems...ice, fuel, tech issues, security, this, that and something else...one just has to try and not let things wind one up.

It does sound though like presenting you with an aircraft that needed 40 mins of frost clearing and then telling you that you only had 15 mins left before someone else needed the plane is very unprofessional.

[RTN11]

Perhaps look for a more friendly school or club to operate from? Alternatively, attend any social functions at the club and become more familiar to them as a member. That way, when time is pushed people will be more inclined to help you get things going. I would never hesitate to help a hirer de-ice and fuel an aircraft, it's just common courtesy.

You could also ask for a double slot, stating that you will need the first slot to de-ice the aircraft if first thing in the morning. You are the customer here, if they want your business they should give you what you want.

If you can afford a share, it really is the cheapest way to fly. Especially if you get hold of a Permit to Fly aircraft, or soon to be Annex II, makes the maintenance a lot less hassle.

[BackPacker]

When I expect that the plane is going to need more than just an A-check for the preflight, I tend to make sure I arrive at the club half an hour to an hour before my passengers arrive. And when that's impossible, for instance because they're driving there with me, I either let them help me, or leave them indoors, whatever is appropriate to their expectations, expertise and ability.

Despite that, after a freezing night it's never a good idea to be the first to fly an aircraft that's spent the night outside. Always book an aircraft that's been hangared overnight, or make sure you're second.:ok:

[Fuji Abound]

I was going to post some clever comment about the school needs to do better or you need to plan further ahead but it is much simpler - its the joys of flying - you learn quick enough that some schools are run like members clubs, you the member does, and some like businesses, you learn winter mornings bring frost and frost can take ten minutes or 40 to remove (if possible get the aircraft facing into sun, it makes a world of difference, just a little warmth breaks the bond between wing and ice), in short you learn what to expect and just like flying lessons once learnt probably no need to repeat. ;)

In short find me a pilot that wasnt once just where you were. I was - in fact worryingly more than once, me just not a quick learner it would seem. All i can add is when it comes to the actual flying try a learn the lesson first time, mistakes are less easily forgiven.

[piperarcher]

aerofoil1, I have been in many situations like that. It happens at all airfields. On top of that you can find the plane you booked weeks ago was out of service and they havent found you an alternative. It's worse still when you have taken family and friends with you.

It's one of the reasons I bought into a share. Obviously the financial implications of that can be high, but there gets a point where flexibility, availibility and the chance to share some flying with other pilots wil open up your boundaries considerably and you might feel less deflated. I am in an equity share, but maybe you could look at a non-equity share ?

I would echo what some of the others have said. Get there at least an hour early; avoid the 0900 slot; book 3 hours instead of 2 so you have some leeway to deal with any other issues or fly a bit longer if you want to; see if you can get the previous pilot to leave it on the pumps or fill it up and not abandon it with little fuel or oil; and ask the previous pilot about any known defects that might not be in the book.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I agree with everything PiperArcher said.

A basic and happy fact of owning a share, is that if you've booked it, and what you want to do with that slot is take a deck chair out into the airfield, and sit and admire it for the morning, that is entirely legitimate. Very rarely are syndicate aeroplanes so heavily booked that you ever find yourself constrained into 2 hours slots, inability to night stop, and so-on. You also all know each other, so if things are running into another booking, it's usually possible to phone their mobile, apologise, and sort it out.

The other option, if renting, is just always book the slightly more expensive aeroplane in the club - and odds are there is nobody waiting for it after you. Many clubs you'll find the C152s used constantly, the C172 or Warrior fairly regularly, and for another £10/hr, something like a 182 or Arrow that often doesn't fly one day to the next.

G

[Dan Dare]

Genghis you are so wrong with the information about the more expensive types on the fleet - if you tell everyone they will all know and I won't have a 182 available to me at short notice (even on sunny weekends) any time I want:=

[madlandrover]

Good advice from GtE - and I think I know the OP's fleet. The PA28s do get pretty busy at weekends, the PA24 doesn't and is an awesome aircraft, as long as it's flown right. Just watch the battery when doing preflight checks though :E

[cct]

I wish the difference was as little. At my club a C150 works out at £105, the C172 at £148 per hour.

[Pilot DAR]

I just spent 4 hours plowing hard, crusty snow from my runway, and as the plane has been plugged in and will now be warm, it's time to fly. It's a nice day, so the 4 hours on the two tractors will have been worth it,it's the first time I've had the runway clear in 3 weeks...

[BackPacker]

Pilot DAR, enjoy your day. You earned a few hours of flying just for the heck of it.

It's been windy and raining here all day. And the only snow I've seen so far this year was in the pictures from last year.

[Pilot DAR]

It was a great winter day!

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo252/PilotDAR/Aircraft/IMG_3826.jpg

The lake, with all the ice fishermen out to their huts...

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo252/PilotDAR/Aircraft/IMG_3832.jpg

A bit of low flying....

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo252/PilotDAR/Aircraft/IMG_3828.jpg

A bit of fun, sliding around on the ice...

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo252/PilotDAR/Aircraft/IMG_3834.jpg

A stop offshore, by a pile up of ice...

I think I'll go again tomorrow, and enjoy more of winter's charms...... Hang in there aerofoil1, the charms of winter flying will show themselves to you too!

[172_driver]

He he… original story sounds so familiar to me I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Feel sorry your daughter didn't get what she expected but I am sure there will be more times. Pre-flight planning under time pressure can be uncomfortable at best, dangerous at worst.

When I was newly qualified, keen to fly for free and get some extra hours, I was asked by some friends to fly them up for a skiing holiday. Started early with my planning, weather was looking good, and thought everything was working out pretty good until some 15 min before go time… shoot, forgot to put the engine heater on the plane. Even though plane was in the hangar it was some -15 deg. C outside. Cutting corners I plugged it in, warmed it for some 15 min (…by far too short) and of course the engine wouldn't start. Anxious if I primed too much or too little, battery starting to feel weak, not wanting to ruin this trip for my friends, decided to pull aircraft into hangar again to heat it properly. Now next problem… destination airport closing at midnight and this was eating on my time reserve. 45 min later, pulled aircraft out again and IT STARTED…pewhh! Taxiing over to fuel station, the damn pump had frozen over! I am sweating at this point, despite the temperature. Running up to club house, find number to the club manager, ask him for advice… finally getting it to work! Off we go with full tanks, trusting my best friend the GNS430, we seem to make it with a few minutes margin before closure time. At arrival everything is sorted, fuel truck is standing by, taxi is arranged for my friends and tower happily work 15 min overtime to send me off safely on my return trip.

Relieved that everything worked out I felt the flight home over a dark, quiet, northern Scandi country could be quite enjoyable. The pressure was off and … AHHH, there I AM, on-top, in the middle of the night and not instrument rated. :eek: :eek:
The weather was not looking better down south either, although it wasn't terrible with OVC020 but good vis underneath. Time to strangle that weather forecaster :{ Should I turn back? Good weather but the airport wasn't opening until 8 in the morning and it was - 20 deg. C outside. Should I continue? Carry on through the clouds and show up at work tomorrow with the aircraft back in its hangar. I choose the second option… Imagine the sigh of relief when I parked the aircraft on familiar ground, around 3 o'clock in the morning, scrambled all my belongings and thought… OH BOY, that was an adventure!! Realizing good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgement.

[aerofoil1]

Thank you all for sharing your advice and experiences have taken it all inboard lesson learned from now on I won't be booking the 1St slot and will make sure it's at least a 2hour slot with plenty of time for planning!