Checkrides gone wrong: rope-a-dope

One of Gene’s pet maneuvers was to demonstrate to the student pilot that his senses would lie to him while flying in the clouds on instruments, or at night. The ultimate lesson objective was to trust your flight instruments, and not your senses. He would have the student put the instrument flying hood on, then do a couple of routine flight maneuvers by reference to the flight instruments, then “the show” would begin.

Checking off a bucket list item

Still wearing my flight suit as I walked about, I happened upon a large-scale model of a P-47 set in a WWII diorama.  I instantly recognized it as Francis Stanley ‘Gabby’ Gabreski’s P-47 from when he commanded the 61st Fighter Squadron (the ‘Top Dawgs’).  Gabby was the leading ace in the European Theater during WWII and is credited with destroying 34½ aircraft in aerial combat which made him one of only seven US combat pilots to become an ace in two wars. 

Flying with the Old Breed—Max Karant’s Twin Comanche

Max Karant was a celebrity in general aviation circles. Starting as an editor for Flying magazine in the 1940s, Max went on to become one of the founders of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Early in his career, he had headed the FAA off at the pass when they tried to gobble up airspace and hamstring general aviation. He provided hours of congressional testimony in this effort, and it paid off with the freedoms we enjoy in GA today.
CFI with student

Flying with the Old Breed—Why’d You Do That?

Diane tasked Charlie Stanton, a USMC veteran of WWII,  to instruct me in the craft and discipline of an instrument-rated pilot. Tall, lean, opinionated, and looking perpetually pissed off about something, Charlie was all business.  He didn’t mince his words either, speaking in that clipped, point-blank manner of the military. He could have been a character from a Pat Conroy novel.

Sounds you NEVER want to hear

I declared an emergency with the MacDill tower.  I also cleared the two students to break away and head straight to the base and get on the ground ASAP; I didn’t want to close the runway with them still in the air.  I directed the IP in #3 to ‘chase’ me, which meant he would be alongside to observe that my gear ‘blew down’, to back me up on the checklist, and to make sure I didn’t get ‘behind the aircraft’ as I handled this emergency. 
t-34

Navy primary flight training—the instructor had it coming

He explained roll control by snapping the stick left and right, causing my helmet to nearly strike the canopy. Then, to define pitch control, he sharply shoved the stick forward to about minus 1G, and hauled it back to about plus 2Gs. At about that point, straight ahead, a towering cumulus cell loomed up. We could have banked steeply right or left to avoid it but Morris chose a different path.
wing

The Captain is Lying and We can Prove It

Cruising along peacefully at 28,000 feet, and maybe 200 miles north of Los Angeles, I got a call on the interphone from the purser. She told me that some of the passengers on the right side of the first-class cabin were saying out loud that they thought the right engine was not running.
172rg

Multiple Cessna 172RGs made me a better pilot

I turned toward my side and saw that the the left main was hanging but not locked in the forward position. Uh Oh! I immediate called the Tower and explained my situation and they sent us out over toward Lake Winnebago to manually pump the gear down. A C-172RG gear should pump down and lock in 35 strokes (just like in the movies). About pump 100, I knew this was not going to work. It was a hydraulic system failure.

A Big Surprise from an FAA Inspector

During the ILS approach, the glide slope failed. The DC-10 ahead of us made a missed approach. I advised the first officer to change the decision altitude of 852 feet to the minimum descent altitude of 1,140 feet and that we would continue the approach to localizer approach minimums. I also stated that I started the timer at the outer marker.

Extend downwind for an arriving flight of two

Two F/A-18 Hornets, the Blue Angels, on low approach, sped towards the runway on final.  They made their “carrier break,” circling to land.  We were excited with our vantage point for the early show. A Blue Angel viewed from pattern altitude is not something one sees every day. Allie gave us a “pretty cool, huh” over the intercom. We were all smiles as continued on our extended downwind.
Landing

My mid-flight medical emergency

A personal telephone call from the Captain of a Holland America ship signified the importance of assistance urgently needed. A couple of passengers onboard had received a call that their daughter had been kidnapped back home in the US. They needed to catch a commercial flight from Nassau back home as soon as possible.
united b757

The day I had to make a short field landing in a B757

My plan was to maintain the glide slope until nearing the threshold, Iwould then duck under the glide slope and cross the threshold at about 20 feet above the ground instead of then normal 50 feet resulting in a touchdown prior to the 1,000 foot runway markers. Obeying SOP and staying precisely on the glide slope over the threshold would waste precious stopping distance which could put us into a dangerous situation.
Lancair

Icing, the face of God and illusions

I entered the clouds at about 9,000 feet and immediately ice begin to build up on the wings.  I didn't see the wing ice at first because I was busy looking for ice on the the windscreen. But there was none. Finally when I looked left, then right I saw ice on my wings from wing tip to wing root. Yikes!  All white, the edges, and getting whiter.
beech 18

Fate is STILL the hunter

Climbing through 1,000 feet on my assigned heading, without warning, the airplane pitched over violently into an uncommanded dive. The pitch over was so abrupt that my heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, I pulled back on the control wheel and wrestled the Beech 18 back into straight and level flight. With adrenalin fueling my heartbeat into a flutter, and my jaw agape, I steadied the pitch attitude and regained control.
Piper Warrior

Budget Buys and Early Bye-Bye’s

in this age of information we live in, there’s absolutely NO EXCUSE to ever depart an airport without checking weather including densitity altitude, NOTAM’s, and TFR’s.  It’s your Pilot in Command responsibility under 91.103.  Ask yourself, can I safely land or depart a particular airport given my weight and balance situation?  Can I safely land or depart given the density altitude and runway length?
CIRRUS OVER SOUTH AFRICA

Turbulence and Triumph: Lessons learned about flying (and about life)

Suddenly, the aircraft was jolted by a powerful updraft followed by a downdraft, as I knocked the top of my head on the aircraft and lost some altitude in a matter of seconds. My heart raced, but my training kicked in. I adjusted the throttle and worked to regain control, while staying calm and focused.
pa-32

Who needs pre-buy inspections?

Many findings were serious and could have had tragic consequences. Problems such as pieces of the four-year-old(!) crumbling air filter possibly being sucked into the engine; possible fuel leaks onto a hot engine causing fire; an accidental keyless engine start as a result of an ignored airworthiness directive (AD); an inoperable RadioShack stall horn unsecured and hanging only by wires behind the panel.

Your passengers may not always enjoy flying

Turns out, it wasn't until turning base leg that we hit smoother air. With a 20+ knot headwind straight down the runway, my touchdown was slow and thankfully smooth. Had we made a fuel or bathroom stop, the guys may have ask directions to the nearest Greyhound station.

A Newbie CFI, Disco Fever, and My Inner Voice

I tried to explain that if you corner a car too hard, it may skid.  “Corner” an airplane too hard, it may stall, spin, and crash, in that order.  One day, I had him do a “high speed” (40 knots) practice abort on takeoff, and he stomped on the brakes—but mashed the left one harder than the right. We got pretty darn far left of centerline—I think I could read the words on the vending inside the FBO building—and came to a stop. 
dc 10

Uncle Joe’s Last Flight

We touched down and as we taxied by the two fire trucks, the firemen unleashed an arching cascade from their water cannons. The trade winds feathered the streams of water and the morning sun gifted us with a welcoming rainbow lei. After parking, Joe was lowered into a loving crowd and was, yet again, surrounded by smiles, tears, and song. He left the airport in an ambulance and left us with memories that will be with us always.