Know thy enemy - Tractor Drivers
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Know thy enemy - Tractor Drivers
Thought this might be useful info. Second dual lesson with student on Cessna 150. Engine start normal except that he had throttle slightly too far open and RPM hovering around 1300. I Suggested that he reduce power to 1000 RPM. Without warning he shoved the throttle wide open to full power before I could blink an eye. Seneca parked 14 metres ahead. Instructor (self) managed to apply hard brakes and got hand over his fist and got throttle back asap.
Aircraft had leapt forward three feet before I stopped it. Student had applied park brake prior start, but as you know there is no definate method of knowing in the C150 if the park brake is set or not, as knob is always flush with panel. In this case park brake had not been set properly.
Student, who is a farmer type, went white and apologized with sickly smile. He explained that he was used to driving tractors where to reduce power you PUSH THE THROTTLE FORWARD! Later we were cleared for immediate take off and this time whacked the throttle back to idle (which he thought was full power)instead of pushing it forward.
Moral of this story. Good idea to quiz student on his occupation before teaching him to fly. If tractor driver, treat him with extreme caution when taxying.
Aircraft had leapt forward three feet before I stopped it. Student had applied park brake prior start, but as you know there is no definate method of knowing in the C150 if the park brake is set or not, as knob is always flush with panel. In this case park brake had not been set properly.
Student, who is a farmer type, went white and apologized with sickly smile. He explained that he was used to driving tractors where to reduce power you PUSH THE THROTTLE FORWARD! Later we were cleared for immediate take off and this time whacked the throttle back to idle (which he thought was full power)instead of pushing it forward.
Moral of this story. Good idea to quiz student on his occupation before teaching him to fly. If tractor driver, treat him with extreme caution when taxying.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 38
From: Australia
Seems a bit odd, I used to drive tractors for years before I learned to fly, and one of the first things you learned to use is the big red "PULL TO STOP" button, rather like the mixture "idle cut-off". Designed this way, as in aeroplanes, because of the human tendency to pull due to muscles contracting due adrenalin when in an emergency situation, such as about to bale the boss's prize sheepdog, or turn the boss's missus into silage additive. It's been a while, but I seem to recall the hand throttle is "pull to stop" also. Maybe Aussie tractors are different. At least your student will have plenty of experience in turning tight corners when taxiing using differential brake!
Be nice to tractor drivers, the only time they are the enemy is when you are running late and get stuck behind one on the road (rare in Aus but you English folks will know what I mean!) One of my most ignominious moments as a tractor driver in England was being cursed by the driver of a hearse for holding up his funeral procession! :o
[ 14 December 2001: Message edited by: Charlie Foxtrot India ]
Be nice to tractor drivers, the only time they are the enemy is when you are running late and get stuck behind one on the road (rare in Aus but you English folks will know what I mean!) One of my most ignominious moments as a tractor driver in England was being cursed by the driver of a hearse for holding up his funeral procession! :o
[ 14 December 2001: Message edited by: Charlie Foxtrot India ]
Thats why flying is so much fun.
Joined: Dec 1998
Posts: 4,282
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From: Escapee from Ultima Thule
When I'm teaching instructor trainees & learning theory, the problem of 'overlearning' interfering with the acquisition of new skills is one of the topics I cover.
The typical example I use is tractor drivers ie their habitual use of a throttle that is in the reversed sense of operation when compared to that in an aircraft.
[ 23 December 2001: Message edited by: Tinstaafl ]</p>
The typical example I use is tractor drivers ie their habitual use of a throttle that is in the reversed sense of operation when compared to that in an aircraft.
[ 23 December 2001: Message edited by: Tinstaafl ]</p>
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 306
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From: UK Work: London. Home: East Anglia
Didn't French aeroplanes, pre-war, mostly use throttles in the "wrong" sense? Naval test pilot Eric Brown mentions it in a couple of his books - when the Fleet Air Arm received their first Grumman Martlet / Wildcat types, they included aircraft diverted from a French navy order (France having fallen in the interim). Those had "pull for loud, push for quiet" throttles. Bad enough if you're operating on land but for carrier ops presumably even more disconcerting...
Joined: Jan 1999
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From: Retirement home..
Here is another example of "overlearning" or perhaps cognitive failure.
The helicopter was in a hover. The student, who had been hover-taxying handed back control to QHI while he re-folded a map for his navex.
The QHI in the left seat, amazed the the student (perhaps he was an ex-digger driver) had managed to operate the collective with almost full friction applied, swapped hands on the controls to unscrew the friction barrel situated on the right hand collective. He was now hovering with his left hand on the left-hand cyclic and his right hand on the right hand collective.
Having unscrewed the friction, the aircraft descended slightly in minor turbulence.
QHI's left hand (normally on the left hand collective) instinctively pulled back / up. Unfortunately, because this hand was actually controlling the cyclic, he caused the aircraft to move backwards as well as downwards. QHI's right hand, normally on cyclic, tried to stop backwards movement by moving the cyclic forward. Unfortunately, this hand was now on the collective so it lowered it instead and the aircraft descended even more quickly.
Whereupon the QHI's left hand, normally on collective but now on cyclic, tried to arrest the increased descent again by pulling up and back on collective, but unfortunately it was the cyclic so the aircraft went backwards even quicker, whereupon the right hand tried to push forward on cyclic but as it was still on collective, lowered it even more and the aircraft went down quicker.....
Can anyone guess what happened next? <img src="eek.gif" border="0">
The helicopter was in a hover. The student, who had been hover-taxying handed back control to QHI while he re-folded a map for his navex.
The QHI in the left seat, amazed the the student (perhaps he was an ex-digger driver) had managed to operate the collective with almost full friction applied, swapped hands on the controls to unscrew the friction barrel situated on the right hand collective. He was now hovering with his left hand on the left-hand cyclic and his right hand on the right hand collective.
Having unscrewed the friction, the aircraft descended slightly in minor turbulence.
QHI's left hand (normally on the left hand collective) instinctively pulled back / up. Unfortunately, because this hand was actually controlling the cyclic, he caused the aircraft to move backwards as well as downwards. QHI's right hand, normally on cyclic, tried to stop backwards movement by moving the cyclic forward. Unfortunately, this hand was now on the collective so it lowered it instead and the aircraft descended even more quickly.
Whereupon the QHI's left hand, normally on collective but now on cyclic, tried to arrest the increased descent again by pulling up and back on collective, but unfortunately it was the cyclic so the aircraft went backwards even quicker, whereupon the right hand tried to push forward on cyclic but as it was still on collective, lowered it even more and the aircraft went down quicker.....
Can anyone guess what happened next? <img src="eek.gif" border="0">
