Big scare story

Dallas wrote:

How about it, what was your scariest moment?

My scariest moment was when one girlfriend decided she sould stay two
hours longer than planned while the other phoned that she would arrive
two hours earlier. But this was long before I was a pilot. Today, being
a glider pilot, I have neither time nor money for girlfriends.

Stefan

How about it, what was your scariest moment?

In ten years, and 1000 hours of flying, my scariest moment was still
probably during the initial climb-out on my solo flight, when I looked over
at the right seat and saw that it was really vacant. That was a real
"moment of truth" experience for me, when I realized that my short-term
survival was completely up to me and my new-found flying skills.

In many ways, I think I grew up in that moment.

Second scariest would have to be last year, flying out of Titusville, FL.
On initial climbout, the engine started shaking like a hound dog, and I
looked down at the engine analyzer to see that my #2 cylinder was completely
off-line. Luckily, I had 5 other good cylinders, and the plane was still
climbing. I was able to come around and land normally, but that was the
longest pattern of my life.

Third scariest was when I looked over Mary's left shoulder, in the pattern,
and saw a beautiful Stinson ready to T-bone us in mid-air. I grabbed the
yoke and broke right and down, and we missed each other by tens of feet.

Really pretty tame stuff, considering. Thankfully, I might add.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Ah, the near mid-air...

One nice VFR day many years ago while flying the afternoon rush-hour traffic
reporting helicopter (Bell 47) for a radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, we
were flying North along IH-55 about 1 mile west of 18R/36L at Memphis
International. I was talking to the tower on the frequency used for
operations on the southern side of the airport. A cabin-class twin being
flown by a single pilot was making left traffic for runway 27 while talking
to a different controller in the same tower cab on another frequency. In
those days it was common for aircraft approaching from the west (when
landing on 27) to overfly the airline terminal building to avoid aircraft
operating to/from the North-South runways. Both the twin and my helicopter
were assigned the same altitude by the two different controllers. While
scanning for traffic, I found myself looking into the cockpit of the twin
from a distance of no more than 30 feet while its pilot was reaching over to
extend something (flaps or gear, I don't know which).

Scare probably isn't the right word but I certainly felt my heart in my
throat. There was no time for me to do anything to avoid a collision, but
not long after that incident the same tower did the same thing to a Falcon
of Flight Safety and a Cessna 150 a bit farther to the west, their luck
wasn't as good as mine ... 5 people died in that collision.

The lesson here is "don't trust the guys in the tower to protect you from
other traffic in the pattern", they are human too.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:LsIef.550205$_o.24538@attbi_s71...
How about it, what was your scariest moment?

In ten years, and 1000 hours of flying, my scariest moment was still
probably during the initial climb-out on my solo flight, when I looked
over at the right seat and saw that it was really vacant. That was a real
"moment of truth" experience for me, when I realized that my short-term
survival was completely up to me and my new-found flying skills.

In many ways, I think I grew up in that moment.

Second scariest would have to be last year, flying out of Titusville, FL.
On initial climbout, the engine started shaking like a hound dog, and I
looked down at the engine analyzer to see that my #2 cylinder was
completely off-line. Luckily, I had 5 other good cylinders, and the plane
was still climbing. I was able to come around and land normally, but that
was the longest pattern of my life.

Third scariest was when I looked over Mary's left shoulder, in the
pattern, and saw a beautiful Stinson ready to T-bone us in mid-air. I
grabbed the yoke and broke right and down, and we missed each other by
tens of feet.

Really pretty tame stuff, considering. Thankfully, I might add.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:LsIef.550205$_o.24538@attbi_s71...
How about it, what was your scariest moment?

In ten years, and 1000 hours of flying, my scariest moment was still
probably during the initial climb-out on my solo flight, when I looked
over at the right seat and saw that it was really vacant. That was a real
"moment of truth" experience for me, when I realized that my short-term
survival was completely up to me and my new-found flying skills.

In many ways, I think I grew up in that moment.

Second scariest would have to be last year, flying out of Titusville, FL.
On initial climbout, the engine started shaking like a hound dog, and I
looked down at the engine analyzer to see that my #2 cylinder was
completely off-line. Luckily, I had 5 other good cylinders, and the plane
was still climbing. I was able to come around and land normally, but that
was the longest pattern of my life.

Third scariest was when I looked over Mary's left shoulder, in the
pattern, and saw a beautiful Stinson ready to T-bone us in mid-air. I
grabbed the yoke and broke right and down, and we missed each other by
tens of feet.

Really pretty tame stuff, considering. Thankfully, I might add.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"


I've had a couple near misses, during climbout I looked over my left
shoulder and seen a Skymaster at our altitude overtaking me in a 172 at
about a 45* angle to my wing and maybe 200 feet away, my only response to my
instructor was HOLY ****! I don't think that guy ever seen us and since he
overtook us we never would have seen him.

Another time enroute I looked down for about 3 seconds looked up seen a
flash of green coming straight at me banked hard right and missed a party
balloon at about 3000 ft AGL!

Had an engine run rough for about 3 seconds during a downleg on a cross
country right after take off, probably could have made the runway but still
my heart fell to the bottom of my shoe. Had another 2 second engine
roughness at altitude during a cross country, had an airport pretty much
below us, still not any fun. All this in brand new 172's with fuel
injection!

-----------------------------------
DW

"Dallas" wrote in message
nk.net...
My guess is that all of the high time pilots have at least one "big scare
story" they might share... How about it, what was your scariest moment?

Back during my training solo XC, I crossed over an airport on the way back
towards OKC and called traffic. A helicopter took off from that airport and
made position reports at the same altitude and area where I was. I stayed
straight and level because I wasn't sure if he was above or directly below
me. I kept looking around and as we each made position reports and finally
located each other.

Just after purchasing my plane flying a long cross country from southern
Minnesota on our way to McAllen, Texas. Over southern Texas we were flying
at night at 3,500 and saw a twin come under us by about 500 feet from the
right. Just after the twin passed, the engine started running real rough! I
had enough power to barely hold altitude but wasn't sure of the ground
features below. I looked for an airport beacon and saw one about 10 miles
away and headed towards it. Made the airport fine and found one of the spark
plugs had fallen out and was hanging by the spark plug wire. Put the spark
plug back in and continued flight another 20 miles to our destination for
that night. The annual was done just before that XC and the mechanic didn't
torque down that plug.

-Greg B.

"Seth Masia" wrote in message

Fueling a rented 172 and putting 40 gallons into the two 21-gallon tanks.

LOL! Bonus for being short and to the point!

Mine was shooting an instrument approach at Aurora in Oregon when a Bonanza
decided to take off opposing me immediately after I radioed that I was on a
1-mile final. ... my had malfunctioned, he failed to look ahead before
launching. As the Bonanza and I passed I could see light reflecting off the
pilot's sunglasses.

-c

gatt wrote:
Mine was shooting an instrument approach at Aurora in Oregon when a Bonanza
decided to take off opposing me immediately after I radioed that I was on a
1-mile final. ... my had malfunctioned, he failed to look ahead before
launching. As the Bonanza and I passed I could see light reflecting off the
pilot's sunglasses.



I had a buddy who wanted me to fly a photographer around for some air to air
pictures of his C-421. I was in a C-210 and we flew in loose formation for a
little while, him on my right while I drifted closer and further, higher and
lower to give the photographer several different angles. Finally he radioed to
me to head for the barn. Remember, he was on my right. I started a standard
rate left turn (the photographer was a nervous flyer).

All of the sudden the windshield FILLED with C-421 ! I mean FILLED ! I stood
my aircraft on a wingtp and pulled hard. I don't know which was faster: my
heartbeat or the speed with which my sphincter slammed shut.

I was quite shaken when we got on the ground. I asked my friend why in the hell
did he turn IN FRONT of me? He apparently was so confident in the superior
performance of his twin over my C-210 he was absolutely certain he could
out-accelerate me around the turn.

It almost rained aluminum that day in South Carolina.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"Jay Honeck"
We've got 38 toilets. When one of the third-floor ones erupts, look out
below!

Ha... I've got rental properties - been there, done that.

Actually, one of your posts here (or articles on your website) originally
got me thinking about this. The one about the pilot or student who just
dropped out of flying because of a "big scare"...


D

Near miss in a 182 while practicing commercial maneuvers. Cleared the area,
did a chandelle and just as I rolled out nose high and slow, a 172 zoomed by
my window. I could see the pilot looking straight ahead, he never turned
his head. I don't think he ever saw us.

More scariest... mean old nasty cow knocked a co-worker down and proceeded
to grind his face into the barn floor because she thought he was taking her
calf away. He was unconscious, I jumped in to drag him out. Cow continued
to step on him and roll him around as I dragged him by the arm hoping that
she preferred him to me. After several surgeries he recovered from a broken
arm, shoulder, nose, and cheekbone.

Jim

"Dallas" wrote in message
nk.net...
I was reading some of the older posts of this group and was highly
entertained by NW_Pilot's carburetor icing thread.

My guess is that all of the high time pilots have at least one "big scare
story" they might share... How about it, what was your scariest moment?



Dallas

Mark T. Dame wrote:

That's why planes with toilets require two pilots.

Doesn't that depend upon the location of the toilet?

- Andrew