Dumbest thing you've done in an airplane...

twinpratts · Post by **twinpratts** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:00 pm

The proper response (if in interview mode)
-I've never done anything stupid in an airplane

.

oldtimer · Post by **oldtimer** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 9:46 pm

twinnpratts - can you in all honesty say that with a straight face?

oldtimer · Post by **oldtimer** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 9:48 pm

twinpratts - to be believed, it must be said with a straight face.

Pajock · Post by **Pajock** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:41 am

I'm sure anyone who's flown a Navajo has done this. Forgot to switch from the outboard tanks to the inboards, and got some unexpected yaw!! The stupid part was I did it 3 times in one day in the winter, same airplane, same engine. I came to work the next day and maintenance were swearing pilots up and down as they replaced jugs on the Ho!

Wadd · Post by **Wadd** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:48 am

Found out pretty quickly that controllers don't like it when you mistakenly change your transponder code to the last alt setting they gave you.

2992 seemed a good transponder code to me!

oldtimer · Post by **oldtimer** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:33 am

I was working for an operator in Flin Flon flying a Norseman. The operator had brothers who operated a similar service in Kenora. I was sent to Kenora to help out during their busy moose hunting season. I arrived in Kenora at noon Sunday. The boss's wife, in her finest church going clothes was there to catch me at the dock. Approached the dock with too much speed so I swung wide for another try at it but wifey caught the wing strut. Wifey was carried off the dock and into the drink. A great way to make a first impression. That's as dumb as it gets.

snaproll20 · Post by **snaproll20** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:46 pm

Is there a prize????

Single pilot, Twin Otter. Tundra tires. Arctic summer, offstrip.
Enroute, friction lock fails on power lever. Arm gets tired holding it forward.
Finds nylon string in flight bag. Ties power lever to dash.
Tip-toes up a shoreline inlet, between hills, ceiling and visibility going down.
Winds up maybe 200 feet above camp, low visibility, keeping in tight, trying to orient the "airstrip" between tents and parked single otter.
Flies tight circles at low speed, props up, full flap, turn final, reduce power.........er...checklist does not include string!!!!!
"Fly the plane first" most urgent, so can't look for knife. Continue flying steep turns until knot untied. Damn grannie!!!!

cloudrunner · Post by **cloudrunner** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:59 pm

I puckered my seat just reading that Snaproll.... you get my vote.

TI-ANB · Post by **TI-ANB** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:18 am

During my PPL training, instructor simulated an engine failure emergency... I pulled the mixture instead of the carb heat....

Expat · Post by **Expat** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 5:40 am

Done most of the above, and took a C-150 off the canadian registry. I actually have one more take-off than landing in my logbook.

dolly_dice · Post by **dolly_dice** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:34 pm

Out one day building time for my CPL in a 172 with my aviation enthusiast friend along for the ride. Giving him the old rollercoaster ride for that split second of partial weightlessness (reviewing lessons of course) when I had a first hand encounter with the laws of gravity. Poked 'er down a wee bit too long one time only to be reminded that without gravity, a carburetor loses full pressure, and whithout fuel, an engine...well you know the rest of the story. Didn't quit altogether but close enough only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and lawndarts.

Inverted2 · Post by **Inverted2** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 6:42 pm

Flying a C172 into Chapleau VFR and then landing and having the weather lady say "howd you get here? I just released a baloon and it disappeared at 300'!"

$1.85 driver · Post by **$1.85 driver** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 6:55 pm

Up north, October (brrr...), big load of fish boxes in a cessna...

So I'm coming up to the HUGEST dock I've ever seen in northern flying, gotta be 60 feet long. For some reason I plan to dock at the far end, the I guess cause it was driest part of the almost-submerged dock. I climb out early (seat won't go back, too many fish boxes) and stand on the float, ready to hop off and tie up.

Bad docking, I'm a little wide....think fast...jump? or climb in and start 'er up and try again, looking like an amateur?

SO I jump.

Onto the algae-covered mess, wipe out on my face and drop the rope to the plane, do a HUGE belly-lunge to try and retrieve it, almost slide into lake river otter-style, but catch myself. Plane peacefully floating away, me, stunned, covered in green slime.

Luckily, close friend in plane (not usual) who I can scream at to "grab the paddle...in the back" at the top of my lungs.

I'm sure the indians are still telling that one around the campfire.

peeelot · Post by **peeelot** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 7:10 am

Took a friend flying knowing he had just eaten cinnamon rolls.

Took my sister flying knowing she may get sick

I was in a hold learning my IFR and when I was turning inbound I kept going around to my outbound heading again I couldn't figure out why my timer was at 3 min and I haden't passed the VOR. First and last time i will do that.

Agreed to Fly up to Stanhope on my second solo x-country. You have to know the airport to see what a mistake that was.

Notta Simfalt · Post by **Notta Simfalt** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 6:40 pm

Taking off at Norway House in a 180 on floats. I wasn't quite on the step, when the front seat mounts let go. There I was in the back, on my back, going across the bay,full bore. That's how I learned to KEEP YOUR HAND ON THE THROTTLE ON TAKEOFF!

sprucemonkey · Post by **sprucemonkey** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 12:29 am

Took off from the apron in a BN2 into a 40kt wind. Thought that was cool until someone reported me. Landed at night on an off-strip, unloaded pax, took off, flew 6 miles and did it again into another off-strip. Took me 4 passes to get down. Crazy!

Jet Dog · Post by **Jet Dog** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:04 am

Stupidest thing I've done in an a/c would be back to when I was doing my CPL, I was going into a (2000') grass strip, decided to do a touch & go, did it before somehow

, landed a wee bit long, but knew I could still do it. Upon rotation I happened to notice the windsock, the wind swung around and was now at my tail (10kts or so??) So now with less than 1000' rwy and 20' airbourne, I was looking at some tall tall trees at the end of the rwy, which were now getting taller and taller

So right away I cut pwr, nose 'er down land and stop with 50ft to the tress

As it was the hardest landing I've done I wanted to do a walk around, check things over. Upon looking at the prop... some grass stains at the tips (no damage), hmm, musta been from the taller grass to the side, yeah, gotta be it, thats my story.

Brew · Post by **Brew** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:26 am

TG · Post by TG » Sat Feb 05, 2005 4:17 pm

No name here but those who know him will recognize this funny and freaking stupid story

On his way to "spray" a field with his AG plane.......look at the map.....drop the map on the floor....bend down to catch the map...helmet got stuck under the dash....long enough sweet position to miss couple of heathbeat...

All this way below 1000' of course.

Cool Rythms! · Post by **Cool Rythms!** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:56 pm

When I was a student pilot on my third or fourth solo, I made a full stop landing and immediately brought the Piper 140 to a stop, so I could make a 180 and get off at the taxiway I had just missed by about 50 feet or so. As I turned around, I saw a 172 pulling up and going around. Needless to say, man did I ever get a good yelling at from the tower like you've never heard before (and also from my instructor!). That was certainly a lesson learned and never forgotten. That chain of events could have turned out worse, but thank God, it didn't. Nothing makes my heart pound as much as that did. This was almost 17 years ago, but I still remember it every now and then.

Hun IN the SUN · Post by **Hun IN the SUN** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 12:57 am

Asking for Vectors on a 4-2 mile final into FXE

Blue Side Down · Post by **Blue Side Down** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 7:23 pm

Well I suppose I'll have at it now: I have a few... mind you I haven't been in the game for fairly long, but I'm learning fast the knack of staying alive. These stories may show that I'm not the swiftest kid on the block all too often, but I'm trying...

1. Checkout flight, going through the run up on a Citab- mixture check time, so I lean it out and wait for the exaust temp gauge to move- it should move any second now- the check pilot is becoming antsy- maybe I should explain to him what I'm waiting for... ...oh, so the gauge does say "cylinder head temp", oopsies.

2. Landed on a grass strip that had about 3 inched of fresh powder snow on it... a 206 had just gone in and made it just fine (I was in a 152), so I gave it a shot... soft field worked just fine, but I know that I may have just been incredibly lucky to have not completed a very low altitude bunt... (a 'pushover' to inverted from upright -aerobatic) The date of occurance of this event was well before the next one listed...

This next one modified my outlook on flying and attitude in the cockpit completely... after this occured, I became an 'old' pilot, after surviving the 'bold' phase...

3. Sorry to disappoint, but I will not go into detail much about it; but to all you other young pups out there (and maybe some of the older ones, too): taxiing... is the easiest part of flying- no ground to fly into, no other aircraft to dodge for the most part, no one to talk to if you don't want to, no heavy navigation needed. Be cautious of one thing, though... obstacles... those wings are five feet longer than you thought they were, and can surprize the living crap out of you if you take your mind off of them for one second. And if you really have to hit something someday... do it SLOWLY!

(Lucky stupid mistakes don't end careers, but they can ding the pocketbook and the ego learns very^very well that it has no place in an aircraft.)

Blue Skies Everybody

Dumbest thing you've done in an airplane...

dumbest thing