Plane went tech at an irritating moment! Have you had it?
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Plane went tech at an irritating moment! Have you had it?
Okay,
so a technical breakdown is never nice!
It´s kind of like having a flat tire on your car……hardly ever does it fill my heart with joy.
However there are bad & worst moments for your flying beast to go tech on you, and no; I´m not talking about "in the air" or anything dangerous like that; flying-wise!
This thread is about frustrating moments where you specifically did NOT want to have a problem……only to find you had one anyway.
I´ll tell you about mine:
This is a (short) video we made a while back……after the very 1st taxi test:
No, maybe not the most exciting video on Youtube but for me it was brilliant to finally be under power……the process of importing and kitting her out had taken a long time due to several (boring) reasons--> but all misery was forgotten by then!
Only a few weeks after the above video was made, the EFIS was installed, as well as the spinner, the name and a few other details…….we were ready for the 1st flight!
There I was, with my camera; the mechanic / test pilot was about to jump in after warming her up etc; I´d join him for a 2nd trip if all turned out to be OK that clear and bright morning…….
Right that moment one of the Rotax CDI`s decided to pack in on us……..we didn´t know it at the time--> we just got very low Revs on 1 of the magnets. The fault finding took a good few hours, and it turned out to be a part which you can´t get locally……….and with me leaving to work for a few months shorty after………well, it screwed up my day--> to put it mildly!
Bummer!
Now we´re getting close to "1st flight" again………..could it be??
Would it be?????
What was your most inconvenient / irritating moment??
###Ultra Long Hauler###
so a technical breakdown is never nice!
It´s kind of like having a flat tire on your car……hardly ever does it fill my heart with joy.
However there are bad & worst moments for your flying beast to go tech on you, and no; I´m not talking about "in the air" or anything dangerous like that; flying-wise!
This thread is about frustrating moments where you specifically did NOT want to have a problem……only to find you had one anyway.
I´ll tell you about mine:
This is a (short) video we made a while back……after the very 1st taxi test:
No, maybe not the most exciting video on Youtube but for me it was brilliant to finally be under power……the process of importing and kitting her out had taken a long time due to several (boring) reasons--> but all misery was forgotten by then!
Only a few weeks after the above video was made, the EFIS was installed, as well as the spinner, the name and a few other details…….we were ready for the 1st flight!
There I was, with my camera; the mechanic / test pilot was about to jump in after warming her up etc; I´d join him for a 2nd trip if all turned out to be OK that clear and bright morning…….
Right that moment one of the Rotax CDI`s decided to pack in on us……..we didn´t know it at the time--> we just got very low Revs on 1 of the magnets. The fault finding took a good few hours, and it turned out to be a part which you can´t get locally……….and with me leaving to work for a few months shorty after………well, it screwed up my day--> to put it mildly!
Bummer!
Now we´re getting close to "1st flight" again………..could it be??
Would it be?????
What was your most inconvenient / irritating moment??
###Ultra Long Hauler###
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Think my worst one was at Booker - Tony Bianchi was to fly the dH Rapide, then two of us were to fly it in turn, right engine started ok, just could not get the left going, that was many years ago, still not flown one.
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All the time. In fact, mine is in the shop again after a rough running mag and for a change of a cylinder. But what gives me some pleasure is hearing from the mechanics that they Corvallises and Cirruses keep breaking down as well even though they're brand new, so it's not just old planes.
Last edited by AdamFrisch; 28th Jan 2012 at 04:46.
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A long time ago when I was around 13 years old:
My father was a Cabin Service Ofiicer on Concorde in it's very early days (late 70s).
Prior to him being on Concorde he was on 747s and occasionally I would go to work with him and we'd spend the weekend in New York.
These trips became a little more difficult when he was on Concorde, obviously, but one day he decided that a good work around was to put me on the 747 flight then take up his position on the Concorde flight. Concorde would depart second but arrive first and so he could meet me at the other end. Simples!
Given the purpose of this thread you can probably guess what happened next.
Yes, the 747 flight went tech and was cancelled (or maybe postponed, I don't remember) and so Dad was in a bit of a fix.
The then chairman of BA, lord King, happened to be on the Concorde flight and happened to ask my dad if everything was OK, to which he replied "No, my son is on the 747 flight which just got canned".
Lord King replies, "Well, put him on the Concorde!"
Now, you can imagine that in 1977 no kid got a free ride on Concorde!
I was excited, the crew were excited, the Captain came and spoke to me and asked if I'd like the jump seat for take-off. there was a tangible buzz that I clearly remember to this day.
And then the Concorde flight went tech too and we went home.
Some years later when I was an ignorant teenager and had lots of opportunity to fly on Concorde using staff travel concessions, I declined to take the opportunity until it was too late, so I never did get to go on her.
Epilogue:
In 2003 I landed back at Denham after my first X country solo, just a few months after Dad had passed away, and Concorde, on her last journey up to Scotland I believe, flew directly overhead as if to taunt me further!
My father was a Cabin Service Ofiicer on Concorde in it's very early days (late 70s).
Prior to him being on Concorde he was on 747s and occasionally I would go to work with him and we'd spend the weekend in New York.
These trips became a little more difficult when he was on Concorde, obviously, but one day he decided that a good work around was to put me on the 747 flight then take up his position on the Concorde flight. Concorde would depart second but arrive first and so he could meet me at the other end. Simples!
Given the purpose of this thread you can probably guess what happened next.
Yes, the 747 flight went tech and was cancelled (or maybe postponed, I don't remember) and so Dad was in a bit of a fix.
The then chairman of BA, lord King, happened to be on the Concorde flight and happened to ask my dad if everything was OK, to which he replied "No, my son is on the 747 flight which just got canned".
Lord King replies, "Well, put him on the Concorde!"
Now, you can imagine that in 1977 no kid got a free ride on Concorde!
I was excited, the crew were excited, the Captain came and spoke to me and asked if I'd like the jump seat for take-off. there was a tangible buzz that I clearly remember to this day.
And then the Concorde flight went tech too and we went home.
Some years later when I was an ignorant teenager and had lots of opportunity to fly on Concorde using staff travel concessions, I declined to take the opportunity until it was too late, so I never did get to go on her.
Epilogue:
In 2003 I landed back at Denham after my first X country solo, just a few months after Dad had passed away, and Concorde, on her last journey up to Scotland I believe, flew directly overhead as if to taunt me further!
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I flew on Concorde in 1988, it was quite an experience, still have the little goody pack that they gave you. The sound barrier thing was a non event, as is Mach2.0 at 50 odd thousand feet (which as it was a passenger jet is as it should have been) but you can definitly see the curvature of the earth, and the thrust reversers on landing leave you in no doubt that they are reversing the thrust.........
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I know a guy who did......
One day I get a phone call from OC the club to ask if I will go and collect our rusty steed from a 50 hour service at another airfield. Transport will be by another of our club pilots in a scabby rented PA38 we had the use of.
I am really tickled at being asked to do this, not only as a still fresh licence holder, but the prospect of free flying was too good to miss. The other, more experienced pilot is of course going to get two trips free of charge.
So there we strapped in and ready to go, video camera mounted in the back captures the moment when, after three turns of the prop, the starter motor burns out.
Experienced pilot takes me for our aircraft in his car, I get to fly back.
He was really gutted.
I am really tickled at being asked to do this, not only as a still fresh licence holder, but the prospect of free flying was too good to miss. The other, more experienced pilot is of course going to get two trips free of charge.
So there we strapped in and ready to go, video camera mounted in the back captures the moment when, after three turns of the prop, the starter motor burns out.
Experienced pilot takes me for our aircraft in his car, I get to fly back.
He was really gutted.
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A few years ago, in winter time, after months of non flyable weather, I finally got myself out to the local club. About an hours drive, getting in to the club house, checking notams, weather, the aircraft logbook - all looks fine.
Getting in to hangar, just to notice that something rather important is missing from the aircraft - WINGS were gone!
Not a notice anywhere! Nothing on the club web page, nothing in the logbook, no indication anywhere that something was going on with the aircraft.
Anyway, a month or so later, I had received positive feedback that the wings were now in place after some maintenance. Once again getting out to the field, this time pretty certain that I will have a nice flight. About the same preflight procedures, walking out to the hangar; Yep, wings are in place, but hey wait... This time there's no ENGINE!
At least this time someone had put a big note on the the instrument panel: "Do Not Fly".
That's when I decided to get my own aircraft as soon as I could afford one. Today I have, and have never had any unexpected tech problems.
Getting in to hangar, just to notice that something rather important is missing from the aircraft - WINGS were gone!
Not a notice anywhere! Nothing on the club web page, nothing in the logbook, no indication anywhere that something was going on with the aircraft.
Anyway, a month or so later, I had received positive feedback that the wings were now in place after some maintenance. Once again getting out to the field, this time pretty certain that I will have a nice flight. About the same preflight procedures, walking out to the hangar; Yep, wings are in place, but hey wait... This time there's no ENGINE!
At least this time someone had put a big note on the the instrument panel: "Do Not Fly".
That's when I decided to get my own aircraft as soon as I could afford one. Today I have, and have never had any unexpected tech problems.
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My aircraft in for annual, so out to club on Thursday, booked a check out on a 172, with instructor.
Out we went, loosened the concrete block tie downs, three of them , been windy up here recently, full walk round check out, this particular plane just in from annual, second flight actually, got in, master on, start - eh no.........battery flat. Sat there in disbelief.
Tried again, battery getting worse. Thats that then!!!!!
Tied it all up again, back to club house for a cup of tea, and back to office.
Another 2 hours of life wasted again
Out we went, loosened the concrete block tie downs, three of them , been windy up here recently, full walk round check out, this particular plane just in from annual, second flight actually, got in, master on, start - eh no.........battery flat. Sat there in disbelief.
Tried again, battery getting worse. Thats that then!!!!!
Tied it all up again, back to club house for a cup of tea, and back to office.
Another 2 hours of life wasted again
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I flew on Concorde in 1988, it was quite an experience, still have the little goody pack that they gave you. The sound barrier thing was a non event, as is Mach2.0 at 50 odd thousand feet (which as it was a passenger jet is as it should have been) but you can definitly see the curvature of the earth, and the thrust reversers on landing leave you in no doubt that they are reversing the thrust.........
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Yes I was greatly struck by what an amazing piece of engineering it was for it's time, there was absolutely no impression that you were on anything other than a bog standard kite, other than the tucker and pop were high quality. Equivalent military jets of the time would be struggling to fly at that height and speed and the crew would have been trussed up in pressure jerkins and goon suits possibly breathing forced oxygen while you sat in a comfy chair tucking into your canapes, drinking Krug and having urbane conversation with your neighbour. It certainly held to the old maxim that if it looks good then it flies good, it looked like it was doing Mach 2.0 sat on the ground.
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Sitting in the middle of an International airport, so jump starting a bit embarressing. Secondly could not get a car to it.
We discussed a hand swing, but thought, given just out of maintenance, might be something else. As it transpired, it was a flat batt, after someone had played about with the comms and avionics, whilst sitting on ground.
The joys of club aeroplanes again.
We discussed a hand swing, but thought, given just out of maintenance, might be something else. As it transpired, it was a flat batt, after someone had played about with the comms and avionics, whilst sitting on ground.
The joys of club aeroplanes again.
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Far too many times.
One memorable one was the first time I loaded my employer's brand new helicopter up to max. all up weight, filling all the seats with normally non-flying workers who had been awarded a "jolly" to London (for them, not me).
An engine chip warning occurred in transit, so I had to shut down that engine and divert to an international aiport. We landed on the runway with three fire engines following us. I spoke to our maintenance authority, got the engine checked out and finally got on our way again. Same chip light came on again as we coincidentally flew over the airfield where the maintenance organisation was based. I shut the faulty engine down again and diverted to a running landing for the second time in two hours. They checked everything out and signed the aircraft serviceable one more time. The damned chip light came on a third time as I was on short finals to London Heliport. I landed on, shut down, apologised and seven very unimpressed pax went on their merry way, most of them vowing never to fly on that ****in' 'elicopter ever again.
One memorable one was the first time I loaded my employer's brand new helicopter up to max. all up weight, filling all the seats with normally non-flying workers who had been awarded a "jolly" to London (for them, not me).
An engine chip warning occurred in transit, so I had to shut down that engine and divert to an international aiport. We landed on the runway with three fire engines following us. I spoke to our maintenance authority, got the engine checked out and finally got on our way again. Same chip light came on again as we coincidentally flew over the airfield where the maintenance organisation was based. I shut the faulty engine down again and diverted to a running landing for the second time in two hours. They checked everything out and signed the aircraft serviceable one more time. The damned chip light came on a third time as I was on short finals to London Heliport. I landed on, shut down, apologised and seven very unimpressed pax went on their merry way, most of them vowing never to fly on that ****in' 'elicopter ever again.
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A few years ago ...... battery broke = 60 mins paddling to get to the shore .......
Oh, how they laughed in that passing PA28 ... and then flew on to eat my share of food at the Strathallan BBQ we were supposed to be visiting !!
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I met a very lovely lady pilot with an interest in aeros. She accepted an invitation for a flight in the Bulldog I use. She traveled the best part of an hour to get to the airfield where the aircraft is based. Just before she arrived, the instructor who had just used it for a trial flight, grounded it as one of the brakes had failed. 
The lovely lady pilot was gracious, but I have not seen her since.
The lovely lady pilot was gracious, but I have not seen her since.