Who Wouldn't You Fly With?

Actually, if John Travolta asked you to fly with him, I think you'd have to
sit left seat. I'm pretty sure that, at present, he's only qualified to be
SIC in the 707.

Martha

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
After one spooky experience several years ago, I am very discriminating
about who I'll fly with.

First, I have to know a pilot well enough to form an opinion about his/her
abilities as a pilot and about the owner's mechanical aptitude and
ability/will to properly maintain the aircraft.

Second, I won't fly with someone if I have a prejudice against the
aircraft
they fly. Homebuilt helicopters come to mind.

Third, regardless of the other two checks and balances, the airplane must
appear to be in good condition and have enough recent usage to give some
indication that it is safe for flight.

If I'm not sure about any of the issues, I'll either try to "qualify"
someone or politely decline the offer of a ride. For instance, if someone
I
know offers a ride in his beautiful new Stearman restoration, my question
will be... "So how many hours does it have since the ground up
restoration?"
Under 25 hours and I'll politely take a rain check.

If John Travolta pulls up in his 707 and asks me to sit right seat.
Thanks,
but no. I'd love to go, but don't know enough about him or his airplane
to
be comfortable.

What are your criteria and what, if any, flights have you bypassed?

KB

"Russ and/or Martha Oppenheim" wrote in message
...
Actually, if John Travolta asked you to fly with him, I think you'd have to
sit left seat. I'm pretty sure that, at present, he's only qualified to be
SIC in the 707.

Correct, plus the fact that the 707 is a two "qualified" pilot plane.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans writes:

Correct, plus the fact that the 707 is a two "qualified" pilot plane.

The flight engineer is not necessary?

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Morgans writes:

Correct, plus the fact that the 707 is a two "qualified" pilot plane.

The flight engineer is not necessary?

The flight engineer isn't a pilot, fjukktard


Just like you, except they generally know what they're talking about.


Bertie

I had an experience earlier this year right after passing my checkride
that gave me pause...

After ferrying my bird over to a local field for Mx, The shop offered
to fly me back to my home field.

The kid who came in to take me was this young Vietnamese kid who does
odd-jobs for the shop... We walk out and jump right in to a waiting
aircraft on the ramp... not even an oil or gas check (I started taking
off the caps myself, but he told me no, he was in a hurry, and the
plane was pre-flighted earlier that morning...)

We get in to this earlier warrior and... Uggh, that's all I can say.
The plane has 12 grand worth of avionics (All Garmin, GNS430/MX20,
SL20 and New Xponder), but _everything_ else in the cockpit creaked
(and all the old radios were still in the plane, evidently inop). The
primer sounded like it was driving sand into the cylinders, The six-
pack instruments barely worked. The electrical switches flipped and
flopped any which way, long ago having lost any friction... Nothing in
that plane looked right, nothing in it sounded right...

Then we started up and went to Taxi out... The kid took several
minutes to request a basic VFR departure to the neighboring airport...
Then, when he did get it, he started taxing to the wrong runway.

Run up was equally scary... that poor engine had seen or heard better
days, one of the mags clearly had a dead plug.

At this point, I realized I should have declined the ride... but the
'too late' trap set in.

Three attempts at take-off clearance later (and after througoughly
confusing the controller asking for "VFR Class-C Transition TO
Oakland" and for clarification on "Hold short of Runway"), we were
rolling down the runway... and the door latch fails. "Don Worry bout"
he said.

At this point we had to juggle a few airspaces in quick succession to
make it back to my home field, so I told him I would take the radios
(I was kind of rude about this, but judging what I had just seen, I
figured it was a matter of safety). We arrive into OAK's pattern, and
the kid doesn't understand what "Overhead entry to right downwind for
27R means", proceeding to turn up-wind after crossing over the
field... At that point I just took the yoke and put that bucket-of-
bolts back on the ground.

After we shut-down, he asked me if I was taking Instrument Students...
When I told him my ppl was only a few weeks old, he seemed
astounded... "You so confident, I feel safe with you".

Never... Again...

Those little nagging voices are there to keep us pilots alive... I
should learn to listen to them more

"EridanMan" wrote in message
oups.com...
I had an experience earlier this year right after passing my checkride
that gave me pause...

[snip]
After we shut-down, he asked me if I was taking Instrument Students...
When I told him my ppl was only a few weeks old, he seemed
astounded... "You so confident, I feel safe with you".

Never... Again...

Those little nagging voices are there to keep us pilots alive... I
should learn to listen to them more

I shudder to think about how many "pilots" operate at his level of ability
on a regular basis. I recall another guy (also of Asian persuasion but
that's not a knock on Asian pilots) who could barely understand english that
created havoc in the local [Class D] airport's pattern. There were at least
eight planes in the pattern with a few opting to leave instead of dealing
with the danger this guy created by literally not knowing which way was
North.

Marco

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:21:18 -0400, Marco Leon wrote:

I shudder to think about how many "pilots" operate at his level of ability
on a regular basis.

I just completed a flight review this week. The CFI made comments that
are still bugging me.

I consider myself a mediocre pilot. I'm decent, but I've not enough
experience to be really good or great.

Yet the CFI seemed to consider it praiseworthy because (for example) I
could slip (which I used during a simulated engine failure). Apparently,
a lot of people with whom he flies cannot. It's still on the PPL PTS,
isn't it?

Maybe he was just trying to make me feel comfortable or something (I hate
tests {8^), but...

- Andrew

"EridanMan" wrote ...
After ferrying my bird over to a local field for Mx, The shop
offered to fly me back to my home field.

We get in to this earlier warrior and... Uggh, that's all I can say...
... Nothing in that plane looked right, nothing in it sounded right...

Run up was equally scary... that poor engine had seen or heard
better days, one of the mags clearly had a dead plug.

OK,... so how much do you know about this shop ?!?
I hope their "beater" doesn't reflect the quality of their work.

On Jul 10, 8:28 pm, "Kyle Boatright" wrote:
After one spooky experience several years ago, I am very discriminating
about who I'll fly with.

First, I have to know a pilot well enough to form an opinion about his/her
abilities as a pilot and about the owner's mechanical aptitude and
ability/will to properly maintain the aircraft.

Second, I won't fly with someone if I have a prejudice against the aircraft
they fly. Homebuilt helicopters come to mind.

Third, regardless of the other two checks and balances, the airplane must
appear to be in good condition and have enough recent usage to give some
indication that it is safe for flight.

If I'm not sure about any of the issues, I'll either try to "qualify"
someone or politely decline the offer of a ride. For instance, if someone I
know offers a ride in his beautiful new Stearman restoration, my question
will be... "So how many hours does it have since the ground up restoration?"
Under 25 hours and I'll politely take a rain check.

If John Travolta pulls up in his 707 and asks me to sit right seat. Thanks,
but no. I'd love to go, but don't know enough about him or his airplane to
be comfortable.

What are your criteria and what, if any, flights have you bypassed?

KB

With the criteria you listed, you would never get on a commercial
flight. g

Mxmanic