Senior Moments
Originally Posted by Will Hung
Took off from a relatively short runway on a hot day with carb heat on once.
A more recent senior moment, while getting beat up during instrument training. After doing a missed approach at one airport, I forgot to put the gear back up. Back home I went to drop the gear when I intercepted the glideslope, and it was already down. That was embarassing. However I'm not sure if that counts as senior or just workload induced. That is part of what the training is for, to get you overloaded and screwing up when it doesn't really count yet.
What a great thread this is.
-- IFMU
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(not so) senior moment while training - checking full and free movement - rudder pedals a bit stiff (actually VERY stiff) - instructor jumps out to take a look - rudder lock firmly in place 
Lesson? - never trust anyone who says she's all checked out and ready to go!
- even if he is an instructor!
Lesson? - never trust anyone who says she's all checked out and ready to go!
- even if he is an instructor!
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My 'senior' moment was probably more due to ignorance and stupidity. For some inexplicable reason I ignored a magneto drop during my pre-take off check before a solo flight, while still a student. After getting airborne I was horrified to see that the engine was not producing anything near full power. Not being able to land ahead , I flew a low [ +- 200ft] slow [ just above stall speed] and very short circuit. I had to be particularly careful in each turn not to hasten the stall and consequently used hardly any bank angle. Somehow, I managed to get back onto the runway in one piece, but with shattered nerves.
I learnt a great deal from this humbling experience.
Fly safely.
I learnt a great deal from this humbling experience.
Fly safely.
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forgetting to pay for my fuel
Eventually he escaped with only a fine...
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Can I have a junior moment?
Solo circuit consolidation during my basic PPL training, fully established runway 31 at Blackpool. Three hundred feet to go, ATC demand "Go Around".
Ooooh! Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. OK, no response to tower yet, but is it full power OR reduce the drag to make the flying easier?
Left the trickle of power, dropped flap lever (PA28) from full 40° to zero in one swift move.
I don't do that anymore.
Solo circuit consolidation during my basic PPL training, fully established runway 31 at Blackpool. Three hundred feet to go, ATC demand "Go Around".
Ooooh! Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. OK, no response to tower yet, but is it full power OR reduce the drag to make the flying easier?
Left the trickle of power, dropped flap lever (PA28) from full 40° to zero in one swift move.
I don't do that anymore.
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More Senior but no moments
Thanks for all the info. on things to avoid. I will surely have moments in the future but just now I am very conscious of recent training. Aged over 70 I started flight training mid september this year and completed PPL late November after only 32 days flying. The worst part of the episode was getting a Class 2 medical as I travel a bit, Gatwick for 1st Medical -supplementary medical in France then further supplementary medical in Spain. One might have thought I was on my last legs - far from it as I ski 5 months in the winter. It may have been something to do with my age or perhaps they thought I was mad!
I had scheduled going to Anglo American Aviation in the States but at the eleventh hour they had their training licence revoked by the US Authorities and I was left in limbo. I quickly arranged to go to Sandtoft Flying School near Doncaster, a very good last minute choice, friendly efficient place at a small airfield with little traffic. Late in the year weather was not the best - hence the extra time taken. Now waiting for the New Year to continue flying, but in France with new planes and possible language problems to face. Who said life should be easy?
I had scheduled going to Anglo American Aviation in the States but at the eleventh hour they had their training licence revoked by the US Authorities and I was left in limbo. I quickly arranged to go to Sandtoft Flying School near Doncaster, a very good last minute choice, friendly efficient place at a small airfield with little traffic. Late in the year weather was not the best - hence the extra time taken. Now waiting for the New Year to continue flying, but in France with new planes and possible language problems to face. Who said life should be easy?
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By far the worst mistake I've made is to take off with the primer unlocked. I was flying the Alarus which can be out-climbed by canal barges in locks at the best of times and this day it was close to +30C. Just out of the ground effect the climb was about 100fpm, but I managed a low level circuit to land on a crossing runway. I don't recommend it.
I do remember pushing it in before start, but I must have not rotated it properly (or rotated it exactly 180/360 degrees). It was a bit easy to pull out on this particular aircraft, so I guess it worked its way out before departure. Remember, primer in AND locked!
Gareth.
I do remember pushing it in before start, but I must have not rotated it properly (or rotated it exactly 180/360 degrees). It was a bit easy to pull out on this particular aircraft, so I guess it worked its way out before departure. Remember, primer in AND locked!
Gareth.
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Ones very experienced friends of mine have admitted to:
Starting a tailwheel aircraft with the throttle wide open. Fast reactions required to prevent the aircraft tipping over.
Starting an aircraft with the bubble canopy unlatched (and shortly after wide open) Jolly lucky it wasn't damaged.
Taxiing with the concrete tie down still attached. I've heard of people who've managed to take off with the tie down attached. Makes you realise what little use the tie downs are.
Taxiing tailwheel aircraft into other ac, ground vehicles, fuel bowsers.
On final approach on a test with the undercarriage warning horn blaring and managing to ignore it until the reds blues greens check- that made the examiner raise an eyebrow.
On the forgetting to strap in one, I flew with a copilot for 3 hours who strapped in but did not realise the straps were not attached to the airframe.
Reaching down to put the ejector seat pins in after a flight only to realise that were never out.
Turning the fuel off in flight and wondering why the engine stopped.
Refuelling and forgetting to put the caps back on. Its amazing how fast the fuel gets sucked out of the tanks once you take off.
All of these happened to very experienced pilots. No number of hours makes you immune - and even a monkey can fall from a tree.
Starting a tailwheel aircraft with the throttle wide open. Fast reactions required to prevent the aircraft tipping over.
Starting an aircraft with the bubble canopy unlatched (and shortly after wide open) Jolly lucky it wasn't damaged.
Taxiing with the concrete tie down still attached. I've heard of people who've managed to take off with the tie down attached. Makes you realise what little use the tie downs are.
Taxiing tailwheel aircraft into other ac, ground vehicles, fuel bowsers.
On final approach on a test with the undercarriage warning horn blaring and managing to ignore it until the reds blues greens check- that made the examiner raise an eyebrow.
On the forgetting to strap in one, I flew with a copilot for 3 hours who strapped in but did not realise the straps were not attached to the airframe.
Reaching down to put the ejector seat pins in after a flight only to realise that were never out.
Turning the fuel off in flight and wondering why the engine stopped.
Refuelling and forgetting to put the caps back on. Its amazing how fast the fuel gets sucked out of the tanks once you take off.
All of these happened to very experienced pilots. No number of hours makes you immune - and even a monkey can fall from a tree.
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Solo circuit consolidation during my basic PPL training, fully established runway 31 at Blackpool. Three hundred feet to go, ATC demand "Go Around".
Ooooh! Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. OK, no response to tower yet, but is it full power OR reduce the drag to make the flying easier?
Left the trickle of power, dropped flap lever (PA28) from full 40° to zero in one swift move.
I don't do that anymore.
Ooooh! Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. OK, no response to tower yet, but is it full power OR reduce the drag to make the flying easier?
Left the trickle of power, dropped flap lever (PA28) from full 40° to zero in one swift move.
I don't do that anymore.
http://tinyurl.com/7yfq5a
Me: told to go around, hmmm...power on or drag off first....drag, me thinks...right, flaps to UP position
Her: sensing all lift disappear..."****!!!"...grabs controls....lots of hands flurrying about
Me: whatthehell'sgoingonwhatdidIjustdo?
Her: 15 minutes of high-powered shouting about imminent death, don't want to die, don't you ever, what were you thinking...that sort of thing.
Left such an impression that to this day I relive that scene every time I go around (quite a lot in the Pitts!).
Last edited by Pitts2112; 31st Dec 2008 at 16:43.
Nobody has mentioned the nose wheel chock, yet
Forgetting to pay for the fuel resulted in a bill by post, and an embarrassed re-visit to our neighbouring airfield.
all good fun!
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OK, a few more that have come back to my failing (becoming senior)memory:
Taxiing a 172 after having flown a 152. Pushed the brake pedals to release the parking brake and then taxied to the hold wondering why the hell it was taking 2000 rpm to taxi.
Yes, done the chock thing, except that it was on the left main of a 172, I could SEE it, indeed had to step over it to get in.
Few weeks ago got box 1 and 2 mixed up because we needed to wait for an additional delayed clearnace on box 3 (737). Turned down the ATIS on box 2 when the clearance came on box 3 - read back the clearance transmitting on box 2 ATIS. (should I really have admitted this?)
Sent the wrong student solo, (probably shouldn't be admitting that one either). 2 students with the same name and at roughly the same stage in their training. Checked the training record of the wrong student in error and then sent him solo after a good checkflight. Probably wouldn't have done it had I looked at the training record! (again, really shouldn't have admitted this)
Really great thread!
RIX
Taxiing a 172 after having flown a 152. Pushed the brake pedals to release the parking brake and then taxied to the hold wondering why the hell it was taking 2000 rpm to taxi.
Yes, done the chock thing, except that it was on the left main of a 172, I could SEE it, indeed had to step over it to get in.
Few weeks ago got box 1 and 2 mixed up because we needed to wait for an additional delayed clearnace on box 3 (737). Turned down the ATIS on box 2 when the clearance came on box 3 - read back the clearance transmitting on box 2 ATIS. (should I really have admitted this?)
Sent the wrong student solo, (probably shouldn't be admitting that one either). 2 students with the same name and at roughly the same stage in their training. Checked the training record of the wrong student in error and then sent him solo after a good checkflight. Probably wouldn't have done it had I looked at the training record! (again, really shouldn't have admitted this)
Really great thread!
RIX
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Not my moment.....
I heard a C172 start on a cold Wisconsin day at the FBO and I looked out the window, then lunged for the door. The student was throwing switches and the CFI was picking his nails. I banged on the wingtip, then shook it, but it took literally five minutes for them to understand that they needed to SHUT DOWN NOW!!!!!
I was too fed up to talk to them so I walked up to the nose, pulled up the preheat blanket to where they could see it, dropped it, and walked away.
What do you think a heavy blanket spooled up in a prop would do to a C172? Students need to understand that the signal to shut down NOW means NOW! And that CFI needed to be way more observant.
Our school is long-gone, another 9/11 victim. It was a nice place to work.
I was too fed up to talk to them so I walked up to the nose, pulled up the preheat blanket to where they could see it, dropped it, and walked away.
What do you think a heavy blanket spooled up in a prop would do to a C172? Students need to understand that the signal to shut down NOW means NOW! And that CFI needed to be way more observant.
Our school is long-gone, another 9/11 victim. It was a nice place to work.
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I will admit to having failed to put the mags off more than once. Our aircraft has twin toggle switches rather than a key, and the engine is first stopped by lean cut-off, then mags to "off".
What makes it worse is that i pulled it around by the live prop to get it back in it's farmstrip hangar.
The second time I made this mistake, as I leveled the wooden prop to avoid moisture balance issues.......the twin impulse mags clicked, the motor fired and ran in the hangar for 10-15s
Funnily enough I have remembered every time since. That sort of thing makes an impression, even on slow learners like me.
And look - I've still got all my fingers.
Fly safe !
HnH
What makes it worse is that i pulled it around by the live prop to get it back in it's farmstrip hangar.
The second time I made this mistake, as I leveled the wooden prop to avoid moisture balance issues.......the twin impulse mags clicked, the motor fired and ran in the hangar for 10-15s
Funnily enough I have remembered every time since. That sort of thing makes an impression, even on slow learners like me.
And look - I've still got all my fingers.
Fly safe !
HnH
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After adjusting the seat I gave the obligatory wiggle to check it. Seemed to be ok.
Only to slide to the back of the rails when going to full power
Luckily I had my instructor with me... "You have control!"
Only to slide to the back of the rails when going to full power
Luckily I had my instructor with me... "You have control!"
Pan American had Stratocruisers, all white, with "PAWA" ( Pan American World Airways - before the change to PanAm - between two blue lines on the tail. BOAC also had Stratocruisers all white with BOAC between two blue lines on the tail.
Idlewild Airport, New York ( Now Kennedy ) Night departure. BOAC Flight Engineer ( not me ! ) completed pre-flight external check, climbed up to the flight deck, sat at the F/E's station and started filling in the aircraft log-book. Gee, thanks buddy, said the PanAm engineer, coming out to start his checks, you've done my walk-around !!
Self - recently. Druine Turbulent, VW engine, not started for awhile, decided to pull it out and run the engine. VW difficult to start, and that's being polite, but on this occasion went first swing ! Well, running nicely, beautiful calm evening, let's do a circuit. On becoming airborne ASI read 140 kts. Vne is 104 kts. Pitot cover still in place ! Oh well, not stalling, so lower nose a little, just in case, level off at circuit height and set cruise power, set descent power and normal looking glideslope - no problem.
Self - not so recently. Tecnam GOLF aircraft, student rang to say couldn't get radio check, and big mag. drop. Gone home. Went to aero club, suspected radio problem 'cos too close to hangar, so pulled well into field and radio OK as suspected. Wonder why mag. drop, not usual, let's have a look. Didn't use check list which starts with pitot cover and tow bar removed, cos not going flying. Started engine. Tow bar still in place, now have shorter prop ! Knew that turning prop by hand cleared the tow bar, but under power bar is sucked up into the prop. Actually, I wouldn't have tried it, but had totally forgotten the bar was still attached, hadn't taken it off because I hadn't intended to start the engine, like I hadn't intended to fly the Turb.
Always - start at the begining, never take a short cut - or assume that all is well. Check. If the checklist is interrupted always start again at the beginning, or Mr. Murphy will ensure that you start one item below where you stopped - which might be you miss the fuel selector !
Idlewild Airport, New York ( Now Kennedy ) Night departure. BOAC Flight Engineer ( not me ! ) completed pre-flight external check, climbed up to the flight deck, sat at the F/E's station and started filling in the aircraft log-book. Gee, thanks buddy, said the PanAm engineer, coming out to start his checks, you've done my walk-around !!
Self - recently. Druine Turbulent, VW engine, not started for awhile, decided to pull it out and run the engine. VW difficult to start, and that's being polite, but on this occasion went first swing ! Well, running nicely, beautiful calm evening, let's do a circuit. On becoming airborne ASI read 140 kts. Vne is 104 kts. Pitot cover still in place ! Oh well, not stalling, so lower nose a little, just in case, level off at circuit height and set cruise power, set descent power and normal looking glideslope - no problem.
Self - not so recently. Tecnam GOLF aircraft, student rang to say couldn't get radio check, and big mag. drop. Gone home. Went to aero club, suspected radio problem 'cos too close to hangar, so pulled well into field and radio OK as suspected. Wonder why mag. drop, not usual, let's have a look. Didn't use check list which starts with pitot cover and tow bar removed, cos not going flying. Started engine. Tow bar still in place, now have shorter prop ! Knew that turning prop by hand cleared the tow bar, but under power bar is sucked up into the prop. Actually, I wouldn't have tried it, but had totally forgotten the bar was still attached, hadn't taken it off because I hadn't intended to start the engine, like I hadn't intended to fly the Turb.
Always - start at the begining, never take a short cut - or assume that all is well. Check. If the checklist is interrupted always start again at the beginning, or Mr. Murphy will ensure that you start one item below where you stopped - which might be you miss the fuel selector !
Mr. Murphy will ensure that you start one item below where you stopped
Still a student, but sometimes I find it frustrating when the instructor interrupts my checklist, and that's when I skip things - so I've taken to restarting the checklist a few items above where I think I got to, or even right at the start.
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you learn every day . . . . . . !
Aren't there some wonderful stories emerging here ? ! !
And it's educational, too . . . . . . .
until reading this, I don't think I'd have realised that would happen !
Thanks !
And it's educational, too . . . . . . .
Knew that turning prop by hand cleared the tow bar, but under power bar is sucked up into the prop
Thanks !