scary moments........
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englishal - I've done the mixture-heat check too. Halfway back, engine starts to die 
f**k what have I done? mixture rich again. Instructor sitting there laughing - he had seen what I was about to do and let me do it... :o
f**k what have I done? mixture rich again. Instructor sitting there laughing - he had seen what I was about to do and let me do it... :o
Why do it if it's not fun?
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Two particularly scary moments - I've talked about both of them plenty of times before, but here we go again anyway:
Second scariest moment was in a Pitts S2C, doing a loop. First time in a Pitts, which has far more responsive controls than anything I'd flown before. Pulled to enter the loop, pulled a bit harder than I should have done, and didn't ease off enough at the top of the loop. Aeroplane stalled at the top. I felt a buffet and recognised that I was stalling. Also knew that I was upside-down, so it must be an inverted stall. Recovery from an inverted stall is to pull, so I pulled. Aeroplane stalled even more, I couldn't figure out what was going on. Not knowing what's going on is veryscary - this would definitely count as number one scary moment if it wasn't for the fact that I had an instructor in the front seat who took the controls and pushed until we recovered. It was only afterwards that I realised that, although we were inverted, we were pulling positive Gs. The stall only counts as inverted at negative Gs. It's the wing loading, and not the attitude, that determines stall characteristics (which is just another way of saying that you can stall at any attitude - something your instructor should drill into you during your PPL)
The scariest moment was getting into IMC. Took off early-afternoon with a forecast of 5km vis and improving. I was flying north. Sure enough, the vis was exactly 5km. But, after about 1/2 hour or so it was showing no sign of improving. Eventually, only a few miles from my destination, I came across a band of cloud which was too low to get past. I explored the cloud a bit, trying to find a way round it, but it seemed to go on forever both to the east and the west. Decided there was no way I could make my destination, so I turned round to go home.
I was now headed directly into the sun, and very quickly realised I couldn't see a bl00dy thing. I knew the M1 was around here somewhere, just a couple of miles away, but I couldn't see any major roads at all! I couldn't figure out what the problem was. But I knew that the town which I was on the edge of was Northampton, and the chart showed that if I followed the southern boundary of the town, I'd get to the M1. So that's what I did. About 2 minutes later, I saw the M1, and realised why I couldn't see it earlier. It was only a couple of miles away, but the vis into the sun was even less than that, probably about 1 or 2 kms.
I now had cloud to the north, and the vis to the south was seriously reduced by the sun. I had to land, and south was the only real option. I had two choices - either Turweston or Cranfield. I remembered being taught to follow line-features in reduced visibility, and the M1 took me directly to Cranfield, so that's where I went. I think it was 3 days before the weather improved enough to bring the aeroplane home again.
My bag of experience still looks very empty, but I can't quite see the bottom of it any more!
FFF
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PS - Beets, a pilot flying IFR in VMC must still keep his eyes outside the aeroplane. If you're going to be flying on the instruments in VMC you must take a safety pilot with you, for exactly this reason. You may have been flying at the wrong level, but even if everyone's at the correct level you may still encounter converging traffic from the left or right, not to mention traffic climbing or descending through your level. I think it's far more likely he simply didn't see you. Which is why I usually ignore any rules about who was right of way - if I see traffic and he's not making any obvious moves to avoid me, I assume he hasn't seen me and give way to him.
Second scariest moment was in a Pitts S2C, doing a loop. First time in a Pitts, which has far more responsive controls than anything I'd flown before. Pulled to enter the loop, pulled a bit harder than I should have done, and didn't ease off enough at the top of the loop. Aeroplane stalled at the top. I felt a buffet and recognised that I was stalling. Also knew that I was upside-down, so it must be an inverted stall. Recovery from an inverted stall is to pull, so I pulled. Aeroplane stalled even more, I couldn't figure out what was going on. Not knowing what's going on is veryscary - this would definitely count as number one scary moment if it wasn't for the fact that I had an instructor in the front seat who took the controls and pushed until we recovered. It was only afterwards that I realised that, although we were inverted, we were pulling positive Gs. The stall only counts as inverted at negative Gs. It's the wing loading, and not the attitude, that determines stall characteristics (which is just another way of saying that you can stall at any attitude - something your instructor should drill into you during your PPL)
The scariest moment was getting into IMC. Took off early-afternoon with a forecast of 5km vis and improving. I was flying north. Sure enough, the vis was exactly 5km. But, after about 1/2 hour or so it was showing no sign of improving. Eventually, only a few miles from my destination, I came across a band of cloud which was too low to get past. I explored the cloud a bit, trying to find a way round it, but it seemed to go on forever both to the east and the west. Decided there was no way I could make my destination, so I turned round to go home.
I was now headed directly into the sun, and very quickly realised I couldn't see a bl00dy thing.
I knew the M1 was around here somewhere, just a couple of miles away, but I couldn't see any major roads at all! I couldn't figure out what the problem was. But I knew that the town which I was on the edge of was Northampton, and the chart showed that if I followed the southern boundary of the town, I'd get to the M1. So that's what I did. About 2 minutes later, I saw the M1, and realised why I couldn't see it earlier. It was only a couple of miles away, but the vis into the sun was even less than that, probably about 1 or 2 kms.I now had cloud to the north, and the vis to the south was seriously reduced by the sun. I had to land, and south was the only real option. I had two choices - either Turweston or Cranfield. I remembered being taught to follow line-features in reduced visibility, and the M1 took me directly to Cranfield, so that's where I went. I think it was 3 days before the weather improved enough to bring the aeroplane home again.
My bag of experience still looks very empty, but I can't quite see the bottom of it any more!
FFF
-------------
PS - Beets, a pilot flying IFR in VMC must still keep his eyes outside the aeroplane. If you're going to be flying on the instruments in VMC you must take a safety pilot with you, for exactly this reason. You may have been flying at the wrong level, but even if everyone's at the correct level you may still encounter converging traffic from the left or right, not to mention traffic climbing or descending through your level. I think it's far more likely he simply didn't see you. Which is why I usually ignore any rules about who was right of way - if I see traffic and he's not making any obvious moves to avoid me, I assume he hasn't seen me and give way to him.
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Hey FFF - most of my scary stories have been in poor vis. also, to the point that, whereas just after getting my licence I was comfortable in these conditions, having had a couple of scares, I am now totally paranoid about vis. probs and have been building up my confidence in these conditions by flying with mates recently (thanks Alex, Adrian!) - and definitely hoping to do IMC in the new year when schedule allows...
I've described these incidents here before, so won't bore everyone again... one was sea fog on Devonshire coast, and the other entailed getting into Cranfield, as you were, in poor vis. due to a line of showers. Unfortunately though I was aproaching from another direction (WCO) so no line feature to follow - so this ended up being first time I had to use VDF in anger...
"QDM QDM QDM" etc... worked a treat! God Bless Cranfield Approach!
I've described these incidents here before, so won't bore everyone again... one was sea fog on Devonshire coast, and the other entailed getting into Cranfield, as you were, in poor vis. due to a line of showers. Unfortunately though I was aproaching from another direction (WCO) so no line feature to follow - so this ended up being first time I had to use VDF in anger...
"QDM QDM QDM" etc... worked a treat! God Bless Cranfield Approach!
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Scary moments ?
Well there's been quite a few but the latest one to take the biscuit happened last week....Still on circuits (I hope to get it right one day, I'm beginning to feel like a hampster on a wheel!). Nice sunny afternoon in Rochester, final approach OK, well bit low really, over numbers, flare BANG! I'd only gone and hit a bird - a magpie - (its a good job I'm not superstitious).
It caught my right wing and then ended up somewhere near the flap. Well, never having a practice emergency for this type of thing I wasn't sure what to do..so I just continued the landing : wasn't half bad considering my heart was in my mouth and I am sooo glad I was, at least, near the ground when it happened.
My instructor then took over - taxied off, checked plane and then we were off back on the wheel again, sorry I mean back into the circuit. Not an experience I'd like to repeat in a hurry and fortunately no damage done (except to the magpie of course!).
Well there's been quite a few but the latest one to take the biscuit happened last week....Still on circuits (I hope to get it right one day, I'm beginning to feel like a hampster on a wheel!). Nice sunny afternoon in Rochester, final approach OK, well bit low really, over numbers, flare BANG!
I'd only gone and hit a bird - a magpie - (its a good job I'm not superstitious).It caught my right wing and then ended up somewhere near the flap. Well, never having a practice emergency for this type of thing I wasn't sure what to do..so I just continued the landing : wasn't half bad considering my heart was in my mouth and I am sooo glad I was, at least, near the ground when it happened.
My instructor then took over - taxied off, checked plane and then we were off back on the wheel again, sorry I mean back into the circuit. Not an experience I'd like to repeat in a hurry and fortunately no damage done (except to the magpie of course!).
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Bird Strikes
I'd be interested to hear more stories of bird strikes... a few times I've passed high-flying birds in the middle of nowhere (e.g. approaching the town of Aylesbury at approx 2,000', something like a Kite maybe?) and wondered what would happen if it had hit me... I presume the bird would come of worse than the Dakota!
And this weekend, I'm planning to fly a Warrior from an airfield where proximity of birds is warned of in the Bottlang VFR plate for the field, so wondering what other experiences people have had like eveepee of birdstrikes on climb-out of approach?
And this weekend, I'm planning to fly a Warrior from an airfield where proximity of birds is warned of in the Bottlang VFR plate for the field, so wondering what other experiences people have had like eveepee of birdstrikes on climb-out of approach?
Grandpa Aerotart
Bird strikes!
4 bird strikes in the same aircraft (Twin Otter) going into the same airstrip, Kikori (Gulf of Papua..sort like the PNG Everglades) on four consequtive trips over about 2 weeks...little sparrow like birds hitting dead center windscreen right in front of my face. It was wet season so I was crawling in at 500'
in very poor vis..after second one I went to our hangar at Moresby and got a thick black indelible marker and started a score board under the LH door window...date, place and a really good cartoon of a little bird...after 4 the aeroplane dissappeared out of the base back to Talair Central at Goroka...AND THE BASTARDS REPAINTED 'MY' DOOR...so I never made 'Ace' in that plane
Taking off from Lae in a Cessna 402a...large Hawk takes off and flys straight through the prop...cut him in half and the aerodrome fellas had to finish him off 'cause he weren't dead!
Flaring to land at Gurney in an F28 when huge flock of little sparrow like birds gets airborne just beside the touchdown zone...and flys straight across our bows...counted 15 red smugges on nose and wing roots.
Near middairs,
Descending into Mount Hagen and cleared by tower for straight in approach (inbound track means the runway is about 11 oclock)...C182 cleared for takeoff "make right turn"...sorta figured he was taking off on the same runway and departing overhead..lean forward and peer out trying to spot him, can't see FA so sit back and as I do my focal length changes and windscreen full of C182...almost wrench control wheel from column turning right and give tower both barrels...including liberal use of the 'F' word....answer?..."Sorry...sorry...sorry" from the fuzzy haired chap in Da Towa!
How am I still alive you ask?
The Spin....from doing dozens of spins in numerous aircraft before so I could sit there and think..and not give up trying stuff!
The cloud and tree trick? I was valley flying in low cloud and light rain(normal in PNG) when the wet bulb/dry bulb relationship went screwwy causing the light rain to instantly turn to cloud (man ya gotta see that to believe it)..as I was approaching a gap at about 2500 amsl and 100 agl..within seconds IMC at 100 agl with hills above all around...except south above 4000'...lucky I'm in an empty Twin Otter.... the throttles went to the end of their travel...also I was on a descending flight path hence reasonably quick...dragged the aircraft into a steep climbing zoom, nose WAY up and just sat there saying "FK,FK,FK,FK"...trees visible really close out the side window in my peripheral vision..figured I'd stall in and maybe survive when the cloud thinned somewhat and the top of the hill I was flying up came into view near the top of my windscreen (think about that!!!) I had just enough energy to make it to the top and pitch over at less than 1g into the next valley and found myself in clear air...did 5 more sectors sifting coffee and stuff before heading home and calling it a day....two hours after getting home my wife asks me why I haven't put down our 10 month old daughter since I walked in the door...I guess we all react differently...I got away with it because I didn't give up.
The rock in the windsock?
You also need to picture the strip..elevated threshold approaching across a gorge maybe 2000' deep, strip elevation 6500' amsl, ISA+20, 400m long, 17% slope and a 20 degree heading change after touch down, 19m wide with deep 4 ft trenches each side (and a little bridge into the parking bay[150m in from the cliff] just wide enough for a twin otter's wheels..I was in a C185). Committed to land or crash handy to strip from 2 nm final In case you're all going this is not uncommon in PNG, I have personally flown into 100s that fit the above discription many thousands of times...after a while it doesn't raise the pulse at all.
Now if you were a villager and you saw aeroplanes fly high overhead and then leave when the windsock was dancing around a 20kt tailwind (adiabatic?) wouldn't you figure that a rock in the windsock was the answer?
Suffice to say the gentle 'kick in the bum' I was expecting as I crossed from 1000 agl to 10 in a few seconds was not so gentle...I passed the parking bay at 50' in a 40 flap full crossed controls side slip..touched down around the corner(dunno how) and stopped without a scratch on aeroplane or me
My legs were shaking on the rudder pedals so bad I couldn't taxi over the little bridge...I think I may have made some vaguely rascist comments about their heritage and refused to pick them or any of their stuff up and flew home!!!
All the rest and a bunch more were more the same than different...like the dude standing, facing uphill, mowing the grass at a 350mx19mX13% bush strip...where final was a commitment from about 3 nm out..somehow I landed beside him without clobbering him with the RH prop of the Twotter (he didn't see or hear me until I was touching down beside him in reverse from 2 feet agl) ...I slide to a halt way off runway heading but still in the flight strip and parked....looked down the strip to see him lying face down covering his head...and his mower had rolled off the bottom of the strip falling 80' down into a rocky creek
That's bush flying...I loved it and wouldn't swap that 7000 hours for ANYTHING.
But when ****s are trumps you fight the aeroplane to a standstill...then you have a chance...otherwise...
Chuck.
PS a week later I was landing on a huge old WW2 airstrip on the coast...a fella was mowing on a tractor and despite seeing me on final just wheeled through 180 degrees and kept on going...well there was room to land behind him so I did...then I chased him with the aeroplane until he lost control and rolled it into a shallow rain barrett...as I taxied back to the aprking bay I saw the expat who owned said tractor...in uncontrollable hysterical laughter
4 bird strikes in the same aircraft (Twin Otter) going into the same airstrip, Kikori (Gulf of Papua..sort like the PNG Everglades) on four consequtive trips over about 2 weeks...little sparrow like birds hitting dead center windscreen right in front of my face. It was wet season so I was crawling in at 500'
in very poor vis..after second one I went to our hangar at Moresby and got a thick black indelible marker and started a score board under the LH door window...date, place and a really good cartoon of a little bird...after 4 the aeroplane dissappeared out of the base back to Talair Central at Goroka...AND THE BASTARDS REPAINTED 'MY' DOOR...so I never made 'Ace' in that planeTaking off from Lae in a Cessna 402a...large Hawk takes off and flys straight through the prop...cut him in half and the aerodrome fellas had to finish him off 'cause he weren't dead!
Flaring to land at Gurney in an F28 when huge flock of little sparrow like birds gets airborne just beside the touchdown zone...and flys straight across our bows...counted 15 red smugges on nose and wing roots.
Near middairs,
Descending into Mount Hagen and cleared by tower for straight in approach (inbound track means the runway is about 11 oclock)...C182 cleared for takeoff "make right turn"...sorta figured he was taking off on the same runway and departing overhead..lean forward and peer out trying to spot him, can't see FA so sit back and as I do my focal length changes and windscreen full of C182...almost wrench control wheel from column turning right and give tower both barrels...including liberal use of the 'F' word....answer?..."Sorry...sorry...sorry" from the fuzzy haired chap in Da Towa!
How am I still alive you ask?
The Spin....from doing dozens of spins in numerous aircraft before so I could sit there and think..and not give up trying stuff!
The cloud and tree trick? I was valley flying in low cloud and light rain(normal in PNG) when the wet bulb/dry bulb relationship went screwwy causing the light rain to instantly turn to cloud (man ya gotta see that to believe it)..as I was approaching a gap at about 2500 amsl and 100 agl..within seconds IMC at 100 agl with hills above all around...except south above 4000'...lucky I'm in an empty Twin Otter.... the throttles went to the end of their travel...also I was on a descending flight path hence reasonably quick...dragged the aircraft into a steep climbing zoom, nose WAY up and just sat there saying "FK,FK,FK,FK"...trees visible really close out the side window in my peripheral vision..figured I'd stall in and maybe survive when the cloud thinned somewhat and the top of the hill I was flying up came into view near the top of my windscreen (think about that!!!) I had just enough energy to make it to the top and pitch over at less than 1g into the next valley and found myself in clear air...did 5 more sectors sifting coffee and stuff before heading home and calling it a day....two hours after getting home my wife asks me why I haven't put down our 10 month old daughter since I walked in the door...I guess we all react differently...I got away with it because I didn't give up.
The rock in the windsock?
You also need to picture the strip..elevated threshold approaching across a gorge maybe 2000' deep, strip elevation 6500' amsl, ISA+20, 400m long, 17% slope and a 20 degree heading change after touch down, 19m wide with deep 4 ft trenches each side (and a little bridge into the parking bay[150m in from the cliff] just wide enough for a twin otter's wheels..I was in a C185). Committed to land or crash handy to strip from 2 nm final
In case you're all going this is not uncommon in PNG, I have personally flown into 100s that fit the above discription many thousands of times...after a while it doesn't raise the pulse at all.Now if you were a villager and you saw aeroplanes fly high overhead and then leave when the windsock was dancing around a 20kt tailwind (adiabatic?) wouldn't you figure that a rock in the windsock was the answer?
Suffice to say the gentle 'kick in the bum' I was expecting as I crossed from 1000 agl to 10 in a few seconds was not so gentle...I passed the parking bay at 50' in a 40 flap full crossed controls side slip..touched down around the corner(dunno how) and stopped without a scratch on aeroplane or me
My legs were shaking on the rudder pedals so bad I couldn't taxi over the little bridge...I think I may have made some vaguely rascist comments about their heritage and refused to pick them or any of their stuff up and flew home!!!
All the rest and a bunch more were more the same than different...like the dude standing, facing uphill, mowing the grass at a 350mx19mX13% bush strip...where final was a commitment from about 3 nm out..somehow I landed beside him without clobbering him with the RH prop of the Twotter (he didn't see or hear me until I was touching down beside him in reverse from 2 feet agl) ...I slide to a halt way off runway heading but still in the flight strip and parked....looked down the strip to see him lying face down covering his head...and his mower had rolled off the bottom of the strip falling 80' down into a rocky creek
That's bush flying...I loved it and wouldn't swap that 7000 hours for ANYTHING.
But when ****s are trumps you fight the aeroplane to a standstill...then you have a chance...otherwise...
Chuck.
PS a week later I was landing on a huge old WW2 airstrip on the coast...a fella was mowing on a tractor and despite seeing me on final just wheeled through 180 degrees and kept on going...well there was room to land behind him so I did...then I chased him with the aeroplane until he lost control and rolled it into a shallow rain barrett...as I taxied back to the aprking bay I saw the expat who owned said tractor...in uncontrollable hysterical laughter
chuckles...
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I think we`ve all had our "moment" when it comes to flying - for me it was returning to my home airfield a mere wreck after the QXC flight ....... I closed the throttle a little too fast during the flare and my delightful PA 28 dropped out of the sky like a preverbial brick - I believe the expression is "an arrival".
PS - The more you practice, the luckier you get.
PPS - The only time you have too much fuel, is when you`re on fire.
PS - The more you practice, the luckier you get.
PPS - The only time you have too much fuel, is when you`re on fire.
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Landed at nearby local airfield, and landed on a patch of grass (R22) as advised by the A/G bloke. I was just starting to shut down when A/G bloke asked me to hover 20 yards to my left so they could mow the grass that I had plonked the heli on (small cosy, friendly airfield where A/G bloke mows the grass in between a/c on finals). "Yep no probs" into the hover I go, S%^t, B$^%^d, Boll*&ks, I've left the cyclic fricton on, it's like stirring treacle. Cold sweat, put aircraft down rather quickly and clean undies (there was a fair size crowd outside the club house on that love ly summers day and they don't usually see helicopters there). Friction off, move heli, swear I will never do that again as long as I live.
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Many years ago me and another group member flew from our Barton base to the PFA Cranfield rally on a Friday in our Chippy - he flew there, my flight back. We got there OK, and as we toured the stands we noticed the cloud lowering - and soon it started to rain. The guys in the Met caravan said 'no VFR 'till tomorrow', so we booked ourselves into the accomodation for the night and retired to the beer tent.
Next morning it was still persisting down, but Met promised a clearance by mid morning. It stopped raining and lightened up a bit, so we fired up and headed north. All was well until about Northampton, when the cloud was forcing us lower and lower. By now I was reduced to following the main West Coast railway line, and it was raining again. By the time we got to Shugborough we were pretty low. Pete in the back seat later reckoned we were hopping over the overhead wire masts on the railway, but that was a slight exadderation. But I do remember a scout camp flashing under our wing with many upturned faces as we whizzed over. Then out over Stafford, with its rooftops shiney in the rain, and low over the M6 motorway, with the cars driving in spray with headlights on.
By now I was getting pretty worried and pretty tensed up. Pete hadn't said anything for a while. This was getting dangerous; we were being succered into something nasty, and I was beginning to imagine what the AAIB report would say. And up ahead the slight rise in the ground near Newcastle was enough to put it in cloud. Maybe I should go back to Colwich, and follow the other railway line to find Hixon airfield?
Then I saw it, off to the left, shining wet - a runway. It was Seighford, a strip I knew well but under the pressure had completely forgotten about. So I went straight there and landed.
As we taxied to a halt I switched off and reached up to slide the canopy open. Cool drizzly air wafted in, and we sat there in silence, just the tinking and clinking of cooling metal, the whine of the gyros running down, and the sound of a tractor working in the fields nearby. We didn't speak. A car drove past on the lane that bisects the end of the runway. Still we sat there, each with our own thoughts, just thankfull to be out of the air. After a while, Pete climbed stiffly out, and went for a wee by the fence.
An hour later we felt a bit more relaxed - and the weather was improving. Shortly after that, we took off again. This was better!Over Cheshire, the sky was blue, with scattered cu, and all was right with the world - and we were still with it.
But I don't think either of us will forget that flight, ever.
SSD
Next morning it was still persisting down, but Met promised a clearance by mid morning. It stopped raining and lightened up a bit, so we fired up and headed north. All was well until about Northampton, when the cloud was forcing us lower and lower. By now I was reduced to following the main West Coast railway line, and it was raining again. By the time we got to Shugborough we were pretty low. Pete in the back seat later reckoned we were hopping over the overhead wire masts on the railway, but that was a slight exadderation. But I do remember a scout camp flashing under our wing with many upturned faces as we whizzed over. Then out over Stafford, with its rooftops shiney in the rain, and low over the M6 motorway, with the cars driving in spray with headlights on.
By now I was getting pretty worried and pretty tensed up. Pete hadn't said anything for a while. This was getting dangerous; we were being succered into something nasty, and I was beginning to imagine what the AAIB report would say. And up ahead the slight rise in the ground near Newcastle was enough to put it in cloud. Maybe I should go back to Colwich, and follow the other railway line to find Hixon airfield?
Then I saw it, off to the left, shining wet - a runway. It was Seighford, a strip I knew well but under the pressure had completely forgotten about. So I went straight there and landed.
As we taxied to a halt I switched off and reached up to slide the canopy open. Cool drizzly air wafted in, and we sat there in silence, just the tinking and clinking of cooling metal, the whine of the gyros running down, and the sound of a tractor working in the fields nearby. We didn't speak. A car drove past on the lane that bisects the end of the runway. Still we sat there, each with our own thoughts, just thankfull to be out of the air. After a while, Pete climbed stiffly out, and went for a wee by the fence.
An hour later we felt a bit more relaxed - and the weather was improving. Shortly after that, we took off again. This was better!Over Cheshire, the sky was blue, with scattered cu, and all was right with the world - and we were still with it.
But I don't think either of us will forget that flight, ever.
SSD
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Only one occasion has really caused me brown-trouser-syndrome. Coming home from work (Sometimes use an R44 for the hour-long trip - nearly 3 hours by car!). In the dark.
I have a helipad I can light from the R44. Has ground-floodlighting and also red marker lights for the approach and perspective.
Problem was, having agreed to sell the house, I'd taken off the marker lights about 2 weeks before & was only left with the floodlighting. (Well, they're fifty quid each, you know!!) So get overhead, activate the lights & swing round to approach from the East. OK, so where's my approach lights. S**t! No height/track guidance to get me past the trees I KNOW are there in the dark somewhere.
OK, so I'll take it a bit slower than usual. Neighbours won't mind. I've done the approach *loads* of times in the dark, but boy, is it different without those little red lights!
Slow, steady. Getting closer...
Slower...
slower... (I know those trees are there somewhere...)
Emergency night-lights are on. Still can't see them. Hmmm... don't seem to be getting much closer.
In my reticence, I'd subconsciously been easing the cyclic further and further back. A quick glance at the ASI showed... Zero!
Another sweaty, rapid glance out of the side window at some lights a way off shows me I'm still at a good height but.... I'm going backwards!
...time for a go-round. Second approach has an adequate split of attention between where I'm going AND the ASI this time.
Phew. Get that kettle on. Better still, where's the Brandy!
Holly_Copter
I have a helipad I can light from the R44. Has ground-floodlighting and also red marker lights for the approach and perspective.
Problem was, having agreed to sell the house, I'd taken off the marker lights about 2 weeks before & was only left with the floodlighting. (Well, they're fifty quid each, you know!!) So get overhead, activate the lights & swing round to approach from the East. OK, so where's my approach lights. S**t! No height/track guidance to get me past the trees I KNOW are there in the dark somewhere.
OK, so I'll take it a bit slower than usual. Neighbours won't mind. I've done the approach *loads* of times in the dark, but boy, is it different without those little red lights!
Slow, steady. Getting closer...
Slower...
slower... (I know those trees are there somewhere...)
Emergency night-lights are on. Still can't see them. Hmmm... don't seem to be getting much closer.
In my reticence, I'd subconsciously been easing the cyclic further and further back. A quick glance at the ASI showed... Zero!
Another sweaty, rapid glance out of the side window at some lights a way off shows me I'm still at a good height but.... I'm going backwards!
...time for a go-round. Second approach has an adequate split of attention between where I'm going AND the ASI this time.
Phew. Get that kettle on. Better still, where's the Brandy!
Holly_Copter
Grandpa Aerotart
Here are the URLs to the threads that lead up to the current one that steamchicken has posted. It's been an ongoing and entertaining series of threads on D+G...lots of funny/scary stories, a little bit of stiring and rankle but all up I think you'd be hard pressed to find a 'thread' that's gone on as long on Pprune that is dedicated to fun flying!
Starting at the first one that set the whole thing rolling.
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=50096
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=51824
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=53191
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=54837
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=56990
Enjoy!
Chuck.
PS the URL to my piccies is on page 3 of the thread steamchicken posted...most of my PNG bushflying piccies were destroyed in Rabaul in 1994 but I've been in and out of 98% of the strips in the various threads. In fact looking at the Kanobea skyline piccy in one of he albums you can see the mountain I was flying up in IMC
Starting at the first one that set the whole thing rolling.
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=50096
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=51824
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=53191
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=54837
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...threadid=56990
Enjoy!
Chuck.
PS the URL to my piccies is on page 3 of the thread steamchicken posted...most of my PNG bushflying piccies were destroyed in Rabaul in 1994 but I've been in and out of 98% of the strips in the various threads. In fact looking at the Kanobea skyline piccy in one of he albums you can see the mountain I was flying up in IMC
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Oh yeah, so nice to see that others get it wrong too! I am sure we all deep down have a degree of sympathy when we are at the holding point / apron and see someone screw it up a bit - oh the shame!
My most sweat making moment was stuffing a Warrior into Elstree - something to do with being new on type and freaking out at the amount I was floating on a 656metre runway (seemed like I was going to overshoot. Lets just say that Space Hoppers bounce about as much, and when I vacated there weren't no anti-perspirant that could've done the job!
Recently landed on a 650m mountain bush strip (with slope gradient) in middle of forest on a mountain side in Canada - that was pretty hairy - no tarmac or even grass, just gravel - flaps 40 , 60 knots and kiss the trees on the way in - yikes!
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Stall stick
Interesting thread. Just to point out, in response to the seat sliding back in flight situation, that there is no need to push the yoke / stick forward - power on or off, regardless of attitude, the aircraft cannot stall if you have let go of the controls.
It is impossible to stall unless the stick is pulled or pushed to the stall. Just relax and concentrate on sliding the seat back to a more useful position!
It is impossible to stall unless the stick is pulled or pushed to the stall. Just relax and concentrate on sliding the seat back to a more useful position!
Join Date: Mar 2002
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In an R22 practicing some solo circuits, I was taking off for a fourth circuit. As I hit 40 knots and started to climb away, I get this almighty vibration in the stick (yes, more than usual 
). Thinking the rotors are about to part company with the mast I did a run on landing and shut down....
When I got out, I found a Quavers crisp packet folded around the leading edge of one of the main rotor blades...
It transpires that one of the Tinker Folk (who had set up camp next to the airfield) had thrown their rubbish over the fence and some of the lighter stuff had been blown across the landing area....
[edited to change the reference to 'bloody gypos' to a more politically correct term]
). Thinking the rotors are about to part company with the mast I did a run on landing and shut down....When I got out, I found a Quavers crisp packet folded around the leading edge of one of the main rotor blades...
It transpires that one of the Tinker Folk (who had set up camp next to the airfield) had thrown their rubbish over the fence and some of the lighter stuff had been blown across the landing area....
[edited to change the reference to 'bloody gypos' to a more politically correct term]