PPL test failed - human factors kick in
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Mk. 1 desk at present...
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Resurrecting a slightly elderly thread I came across, with an interesting and instructive anecdote.
A… pilot of my acquaintance (no names, no pack drill) was approx. 75% of the way through his PPL Skills Test when the examiner tossed his cookies fairly spectacularly. The poor chap said he thought he was ok but still looked pretty greyish.
PICUS pondered the situation briefly, then said the following: "I'm terminating this test and returning to base immediately. I've never been airsick in my life, but there's always a first time, and the smell, or you doing it again, might set me off. I'd sooner be down there booking a new test, than up here with BOTH of us tossing our cookies".
On the basis of this exemplary decision-making, he was awarded an immediate pass!
A… pilot of my acquaintance (no names, no pack drill) was approx. 75% of the way through his PPL Skills Test when the examiner tossed his cookies fairly spectacularly. The poor chap said he thought he was ok but still looked pretty greyish.
PICUS pondered the situation briefly, then said the following: "I'm terminating this test and returning to base immediately. I've never been airsick in my life, but there's always a first time, and the smell, or you doing it again, might set me off. I'd sooner be down there booking a new test, than up here with BOTH of us tossing our cookies".
On the basis of this exemplary decision-making, he was awarded an immediate pass!
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: London, UK
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I can empathise with those who blow the occasional chunk. I've suffered from airsickness for years, and on one memorable occasion (third solo, circuits) famously thought I could hold on for one more circuit before realising to my horror, after the touch and go, that no, I really couldn't.
Blisteringly hot day, lots of thermals, I'd been bouncing around quite unpleasantly. 800ft out of 22L at Stapleford, about to turn left, out it came, and all I managed to achieve by clasping my right hand in front of my mouth was an even spread of foul extrusion all over the instruments, the windshield, and me.
Immediately afterwards, of course, I felt much better and proceeded happily around the rest of the circuit to land. My instructor was less happy. Handing me a bucket and a cloth he simply said 'I'm not cleaning that.'
I don't suffer anywhere near as badly anymore, and as storkeye said I make sure I eat before each flight, but every now and again - hot days, steep turns, whatever - there's the odd twinge. Don't think it ever really goes away.
Blisteringly hot day, lots of thermals, I'd been bouncing around quite unpleasantly. 800ft out of 22L at Stapleford, about to turn left, out it came, and all I managed to achieve by clasping my right hand in front of my mouth was an even spread of foul extrusion all over the instruments, the windshield, and me.
Immediately afterwards, of course, I felt much better and proceeded happily around the rest of the circuit to land. My instructor was less happy. Handing me a bucket and a cloth he simply said 'I'm not cleaning that.'
I don't suffer anywhere near as badly anymore, and as storkeye said I make sure I eat before each flight, but every now and again - hot days, steep turns, whatever - there's the odd twinge. Don't think it ever really goes away.
Join Date: Jan 2009
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I used to get seasick after an hour of slatting about in nil wind...in a sailboat.
On my first flight in a glider, didn't go off colour until an hour after the flight....so after that took quells before flying for my next ten flights...
once I was doing all the handling and decision making, no more problems neither immediate or delayed...until I was invited to fly a competition task in the back seat of a Marianne with a well known world champion....
and didn't have quells on hand. After more than an hour, over Bicester, chucked my cookies neatly into a BA barf bag (note the quality of the container!) Brian enquired, having noticed that I was unnaturally quiet, if I was feeling alright. I am now, I replied. What should I do with the bag?
O, said Brian, just drop it out the DV panel...so I did.
As we climbed tightly I began once again to take an interest in the surroundings, and commented to Brian that we were sharing the thermal with a big white bird. Bird hell, said Brian, that's your sick bag!
It had been in collision with the leading edge of the wing, unloading the contents, and so was able to climb even better than the glider...
Of course I got to wash the Marianne at the end of the day; barf, bugs, soot from stubble fires, flakes of ash from the Didcot power station chimney, etc etc. Those were the days....
On my first flight in a glider, didn't go off colour until an hour after the flight....so after that took quells before flying for my next ten flights...
once I was doing all the handling and decision making, no more problems neither immediate or delayed...until I was invited to fly a competition task in the back seat of a Marianne with a well known world champion....
and didn't have quells on hand. After more than an hour, over Bicester, chucked my cookies neatly into a BA barf bag (note the quality of the container!) Brian enquired, having noticed that I was unnaturally quiet, if I was feeling alright. I am now, I replied. What should I do with the bag?
O, said Brian, just drop it out the DV panel...so I did.
As we climbed tightly I began once again to take an interest in the surroundings, and commented to Brian that we were sharing the thermal with a big white bird. Bird hell, said Brian, that's your sick bag!
It had been in collision with the leading edge of the wing, unloading the contents, and so was able to climb even better than the glider...
Of course I got to wash the Marianne at the end of the day; barf, bugs, soot from stubble fires, flakes of ash from the Didcot power station chimney, etc etc. Those were the days....
