I will Never do that again
 

Ferrying a civilian 500 from a private site in uncontrolled airspace but near to to an Airfield within a CTR a call was required for inbound clearance.
Looking around the panel for the heli's call sign it was not to be seen. 10 miles out at 1000' and books on rear seats what should I do ?
Land and look on outside or proceed with a made up ident and apologise to the controller on landing ? Took second option.
Ex mil and always with an issued personal call sign lead to this error.
What might you be willing to disclose that others might learn from 'that's not in the book' There must be many.

How embarrassing!
How easy do do!

Accidentally took the cat to work. Several hours of sleep later (for the cat, not me) wondered why the runway lights were randomly going on and off. Went in book as "COP" (cat on panel).

Must say I've been in that situation (forgetting the aircraft's callsign and realising there isn't a nameplate in the cockpit) however I had luckily written down the registration on my kneeboard prior to the flight which saved me the embarrassment. Since then I always keep it in the same location on each kneeboard log so I can check the callsign in the same visual area regardless of which type I'm flying.

Been there, done that, when checking out an N reg. Used all the right letters and numbers, but not necessarily in the right order!

But not as embarrassing as an RAF colleague of mine who set off on a helicopter task for the day, only to return ten minutes later and put the aircraft U/S - giving the ground crew an ear wigging about it. He was then offered another helicopter, which he duly signed for and stomped off. He then walked out to the original aircraft, re-loaded all his kit, took off and never noticed! I was sent out with the aircraft he was supposed to be flying and the two F700s (tech logs) to find him and ask which one he actually would like to fly. He didn't believe me until he read the airframe registrations!

For N-registered aircraft Chicken Wings Roost air has the answer:
1 3 Yankee for helicopters
and
3 Bravo Tango for fixed wing
But do expect the follow-up question:
”Is that you Chuck?”

It's not often I can't understand the gist of a post, but in this case..... sorry, not a clue. :confused:

ShyT,

https://www.chickenwingscomics.com


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....17e5513a6.jpeg

Aah, Thanks, SP - got it now!

Senior Pilot,
Thanks I was in the same boat as Shy going Huh

I will Never do that again

Go back to Chicken Wings and spend 30 minutes looking for old cartoons :p


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a63b27f72.jpeg

Apologies,
I thought that Chicken Wings and Roost air would ring a bell with most of you,

This one is one of my favorites:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8af907109.jpeg

I did a similar thing in Abu Dhabi. I had just arrived and my first task was to to carry out an air test in a WS55 Whirlwind. I got airborne and left the zone to do the air test outside controlled airspace. When I was ready to return, I couldn’t remember the aircraft registration (callsign) and there was no placard in the cockpit. I though about the problem for a couple of minutes and decided to make up a false callsign. When asked by ATC, “What happened to VR-XXX”, I said “it went u/s”. No further questions asked. I haven’t a clue who got the landing fee charge.

Conducting a quick check ride with a junior pilot and did some autos with him. They were the first ones I did at 4500 feet above where I usually do them (sea level) and I didn't check the FM beforehand. Made for an interesting time at the bottom.
Someone older than me - a Wagners King Air pilot sitting on the ground waiting at Caloundra airport years ago - once told me - "never take the aircraft anywhere your brain hasn't already been". It's a good one.

Another time I kept referring to myself as a fixed wing aircraft when quizzed by Sydney ATC. I was in a helicopter. It had been a long few months and that was enough encouragement to go and have a day off.

Phew, close call.

People can be cruel with callsigns - there was a chap in the RAF many years ago who had a slight stammer and struggled with words beginning with F - he was given the callsign of 44Foxtrot on the Tac net. FFFFFFFFFF........:)

Thread drift sorry, but we used to amuse ourselves with our storeman from the west-country who had particularly broad accent, 'Th' sounds came out as 'F'. When we had to cost a job he held all of the prices in a paper log.
So we'd pick a list of things with '3's in them and go ask him - "It's Firteen pounds and Firty Free' came the answer. And then 10mins later another engineer would go by with the same list. Ah children can be cruel.

Many years ago, while a wannabe, I learned that when a parked helicopter’s lights start flashing, stand clear as the pilot is about to fire up. Cut to now - solo detail - halfway round the third circuit I realise the strobe and nav lights are OFF. I did that twice before it really sunk in how to use a checklist.

Ah yes, the tac c/s. There are a couple which stick in the mind: "22" (because its a small bore) and "Hansel & Gretel" ( who got lost in the woods)

And in the same vein - Gimlet - a small, boring tool and Thrush (i'll leave you to remember that one:))

Bringing the owner to a hotel inside the London zone, land, disembark and have a pleasant coffee with him in the posh hotel. Jump back in, start up, try to get in contact with atc, I can hear them, but they can only hear me faintly. After much faffing and sweating, a passing helicopter suggests I might have the wrong headset on, and so it was. Thank you, passing helicopter...

Similar, doing a check ride on another pilot after a rotors running crew change - moaning that ATC weren't replying to my calls round the circuit and then discovering my helmet was plugged into the other pilot's mictel lead.......

Stuck transmit switches cause a lot of disruption...and can sometimes cause quite a lot of amusement to others (as long as it's not your own transmit switch, of course).

1966: The Valiant V bombers had just been grounded and scrapped leaving a number of aircrew without a job. Confrontation in Borneo was in full swing so suddenly the RAF had a source of pilots they could send out there. I, in company of several other Valiant co-pilots, were sent to Tern Hill to learn to fly from Zero to 120 knots instead of 120 to Mach 0.9.

Basic flying was done on the Bristol Sycamore. This was an immediate post war helicopter with wooden blades, a nine cylinder radial engine and a control system that defies description. One essential part of it was a tank of water that could be pumped to the end of the tail boom and vise versa to keep the C of G within the capabilities of the cyclic. There was only one collective for both instructor and pupil so during EOLs the supervision could be quite grippy. You had to think a lot to fly it and if you thought about ground resonance it went straight into it.

Night flying. I did my two dual trips one after the other and was then sent off solo. I was now finding it very difficult having trouble making out the local lights and especially the landing Tee. At one stage I was going to fire off the flares, land it in the middle of the airfield and walk away from this helicopter business. I persevered and eventually I had done my three circuits and hover taxied back to dispersal where another trainee was going to take over.

The procedure with the Sycamore was that the RH door would be opened; the incoming pilot would hold the cyclic whilst the outgoing pilot unstrapped, slid over the centre consol into the left hand seat, who would then hold onto the cyclic whilst the incoming strapped himself in.

All done I opened the LH door and stepped outside.
I unbuckled my helmet and rotated it off.
The was a thump on my nose.
It was the visor: A high altitude deep purple visor designed to keep out as much light as possible.

I lifted it up and I could see for ruddy miles!

Island hopping on the West of Scotland after dropping off mates at local golf course. Feeling proud of my organisation in my survival suit, lifejacket etc. Epirb in suit pocket too.
Upon landing at my destination, I shut down released seatbelt and went to exit helicopter only to notice I had inadvertently attached myself to the seatbelt with the lanyard from the epirb.
If I had gone in the water I reckon I would have gone down with it before I untangled myself.
Be careful out there. #
R