x-country solo

Thanks for the interesting perspective, Michael. Permission to stop the
self flagellation?

Yeah - I think they're C-130's. Once in the pattern one took off as we were
on downwind. It was quite a site. I am completely convinced that it took
off in less distance than I did in a Tampico, and at a speed that could
have been walking...


"Joe Johnson" wrote in news:Op_Bb.5138$iF1.2189
@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com:

Roger.

First time I was at SWF, I was impressed by those big transport planes (?
C-130).

"Judah" wrote in message
...
snip
Anyway, the point was that student pilots aren't the only ones that make
those kinds of mistakes...

"John Galban" wrote in message
om...

I wouldn't do that right away. Back in the pre-GPS days, learning
how to pick your destination airport out of the clutter was a
necessary part of training. Like general pilotage, it's a skill you
have to develop and practice. I had a few mix-ups like the OP, but
consider them valuable learning experiences. They helped me to develop
my cross checking skills so that I could verify my position more
positively.

Hell, airline pilots have landed at the wrong airport next door.

However, I also fly with TWO GPS's (both with battery back-ups), TWO VORs,
TWO Com radios, and a VOR/DME. I believe in the "belt and suspenders"
school of flying...


not much more than that and you'll be a passenger, not a pilot!

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

I wouldn't do that right away. Back in the pre-GPS days, learning
how to pick your destination airport out of the clutter was a
necessary part of training.

And it still is. He won't be permitted to USE the GPS on his cross country
flights -- but just knowing that it's in the bag as a back-up, in case he
gets lost again, will make a HUGE difference in his self-confidence.

I'm betting he never needs it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
"John Galban" wrote in message
om...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:8YMBb.502876$Fm2.482609@attbi_s04...
snip
If I were you, my very next action would be to get on Ebay, and buy
yourself
a nice, used GPS. They can be had quite cheaply, and it'll allow you to
relax a bit (I *know* you're going to be up-tight about this experience
for
a while!) and concentrate on flying the plane.

Like general pilotage, it's a skill you
have to develop and practice. I had a few mix-ups like the OP, but
consider them valuable learning experiences. They helped me to develop
my cross checking skills so that I could verify my position more
positively.

I find that it's a skill that still comes in handy when flying to
airports that are not in the GPS database (I'm too lazy to enter them
manually).

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:zE9Cb.504865$HS4.3915024@attbi_s01...
I wouldn't do that right away. Back in the pre-GPS days, learning
how to pick your destination airport out of the clutter was a
necessary part of training.

And it still is. He won't be permitted to USE the GPS on his cross country
flights -- but just knowing that it's in the bag as a back-up, in case he
gets lost again, will make a HUGE difference in his self-confidence.

I'm betting he never needs it.

Or just find a navaid near the airport and read the radial and distance. If
one can't translate/find it from there, they should maybe not be up there!?!

However, I also fly with TWO GPS's (both with battery back-ups), TWO VORs,
TWO Com radios, and a VOR/DME. I believe in the "belt and suspenders"
school of flying...


not much more than that and you'll be a passenger, not a pilot!

Oh, did I tell you that my autopilot is slaved to the heading bug on my DG?
I check my course occasionally while I'm reading the sports page... ;-)

(Heck, for some people I know, even THAT is a "hardship" -- cuz it won't fly
the approach for me!)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 00:40:00 GMT, "Joe Johnson"
wrote:

Scenario: student pilot on x-country solo. About 50hrs.

On my CHECKRIDE, no less, I was taking off from Lebanon (NH) and heard
an ongoing conversation with an approaching Cirrus who claimed to be
in the pattern for Lebanon. He wasn't in sight though and the tower
kept saying that he probably was attempting to land at Claremont,
which is south of Lebanon by about 15/20 miles or so, rather than
Lebanon. HUGE difference between the two. Claremont has one of it's
runway's X'd off and the other one is narrow and short, compared to
Lebanon. This person probably was in the area for the first time, but
a 3,000 feet long 50 feet wide runway sure doesn't look like 5,500
feet 100 feet wide runway. The tower explained several times that he
wasn't in sight and likely was approaching Claremont as his radio
signal was pretty weak, to no avail.

The guy apparently made the approach right to the threshold, possibly
even touched down, before taking off again after realizing he really
wasn't at Lebanon.

We were in-flight heading towards Claremont when the tower asked the
guy where he was now and did he still want to land at Lebanon. A very
very sheepish Cirrus pilot replied that he was at 3,500 and that he
did still want to land at Lebanon. The tower then asked us if we were
on frequency and had heard the exchanges as he knew the examiner and I
were in that vicinity of the sky. I replied that we had been
monitoring and that we were under his altitude and did not have him in
sight. Never did see him, neither did the examiner.

Poor guy, all that glass cockpit and still couldn't find his
destination the first time. Maybe he didn't have the GPS initialized.

Corky Scott

"Corky Scott" wrote in
message

Poor guy, all that glass cockpit and still couldn't find his
destination the first time. Maybe he didn't have the GPS initialized.

The glass doesn't always help. I was flying safety pilot for a flying buddy
who was practicing an approach using a C172 with a moving map GPS with
multi-function display (I think it was about a 4-inch screen) that showed
the sectional graphic in addition to airspace and all the usual GPS
paraphernalia. I don't know how it could possibly do more to improve
situational awareness without physically moving your finger across the map.

The approach we were on called for us to intercept the localizer outbound
(in an easterly direction) from the north for a procedure turn (on the north
side of the course). He passed through the localizer and paralleled it
outbound (putting us south of the course). Then he started a turn to the
right (putting us farther south of where he wanted to be). I clarified his
intentions and he realized that he had lost situational awareness.

My point is that it *will* happen to all of us sooner or later and no amount
of technology will prevent it. If it can happen to this CFII friend of mine
using a large screen moving map with sectional imagery, it can certainly
happen to my own 300-hour self.

Granted, we didn't actually enter the pattern at the wrong airport. He did
at least have the correct localizer...

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
__________

Hey! I resemble that!

"John T" wrote in message
ws.com...

Granted, we didn't actually enter the pattern at the wrong airport.