Old Pilot / Bold Pilot Routine

[Circuit Basher]

Imagine the scene:

On Sunday morning, I unexpectedly had a free day.
Checked the Web bookings for the group a/c and it was free all day.
Checked the Met and it was suitable for a local trip.
Looked out of the window and it looked to be VMC for the foreseeable future.
Mentioned possibility of a little aviating to Mrs CB who resignedly shrugged her shoulders and said 'If you must' (or words to that effect :))

Tempting scenario, right?? ;)

Phoned the airport at Perth (UK!) to ask what conditions were like, as it's 55 miles North of me. Was told that taxiways had compacted snow and runways had underlying black ice if you didn't stick to centreline. Temperature was -4 deg C and was unlikely to rise any further during the day. There had been one aircraft movement at that point (1000Z), but conditions were similar to the previous day, when there had been a lot of activity.

I was in tormented anguish for about 10 mins, wrestling with the old pilot / bold pilot bit, before I grudgingly went for the 'Old Pilot' option.

An hour later, we had a snow shower come though that would have probably taken conditions below VMC, so I feel my decision was vindicated.

Still really wanted to go flying, though!! :D :D

[stiknruda]

Sunday - blus skies

walked out to hangar
checked fuel and oil
inflated tires as they looked a little soft - cold wx
polished canopy bubble
preflighted

opened hangar doors and pushed her out

decided to walk the strip - moleholes, hoof prints, etc

mmmmnn, 10 yards down the strip and my feet were soaking wet and I'd left a trail of muddy footprints!

strip still very waterlogged. Go v NO GO

yes I could have gone but then I'd have left 3 scars on the strip and would have had to wash down the aeroplane afterwards.

maybe not old versus bold but more lazy/thoughtful v rash and impetuous!

opened a red bordeaux, which I quaffed whilst I polished the aeroplane accompanied by Vibe FM - so not that old!

really hoping that this week's cold snap has a beneficial effect as the 2003 aero-comp sequences have been published and I need to practice.


Stik

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

CB

Most unusual! I generally find that if I make a no-go descision - and /or open a bottle / have a pint in the bar, the weather imporoves dramatically. If I decide to go when theres a bit of doubt, by the time I get to the airfield it's in no-go conditions - until I have that pint, whereupon a completely unforecast inmprovemnt in the weather takes place ;~(

I never drink alchohol at the airfield these days just in case the weather improves. Sometimes it does - I have actually enjoyed some cracking flights that took place on days that began less than promisingly. If in doubt, go to the field anyway - you definatly won't fly if you stay at home (except for lucky b*stards like Stik whose home is their airfield). Every once in a while fate will smile on you and you will have a super flight you'd otherwise have missed.

Or you might just stay in the cluhouse drinking tea and talking flying - which if not as good as actually aviating, beats gardening or DIY ;~)

SSD

[Whirlybird]

Sunday...wx lovely. Booked to fly at Welshpool, to get back in practice on these funny things with wings. The C152 is no longer there, the C172 was booked, and I've never flown a C150, and haven't flown f/w for two months. Decide to be old not bold, and say I want to go up with someone first. Fly with another PPL, three circuits, one go-around, a bit of assing around while they change runways as the sun's in everyone's eyes. I feel a bit out of practice and overloaded, but landings all OK, conditions ideal, say OK - even though I've had an odd feeling all morning that something's going to go wrong. Lovely day; I'll go look at my house and maybe Lake Vyrnwy. Wait ages on ground for other traffic, engine starts to sound funny. Carb ice on the ground, when it's this dry? Never happened before. I pull throttle to idle and engine stops dead. I stare at prop, think about lack of practice, funny feelings all morning, new aircraft for me - decide that's it, I'm not flying. Later get told it probably was carb ice; engine configuration of C150 different from 152, and very prone to it; get a lesson on Cessna engines and so on; very useful, and I think under the circumstances I made the right decision.

But it would have been a lovely day to go flying in the Welsh hills. :(