Check ride complete ... I was great fun. Except the part when I was strapped in snug in the back seat while another pilot got his ride and I smacked the top of my head on the roof so hard that it still smarts here five hours later. I am medicating with a rather stiff very dirty martini. It was a bumpy ride ... I don't like sitting in back.
Crazy hot pink slippers up rocks though.
5 comments:
...I don't like sitting in back.
While I don't mind sitting in back in an airplane, since I lack a pilot's skills, I pretty much refuse to sit in the back of a car. I'll drive, thank you very much.
Like you, I don't mind in some situations ... in an airplane I sure do like to feel that the flight is very likely to be "successful"! Yesterday was with a brand new private pilot, low hours and he'd flown very little with in the past several months. That's the recipe for high confidence/low competence in flying as in many other things I think. Super sharp kid, but still just a kid. Fortunately, right seat was a very high hour instructor pilot who was a pleasure to watch. Several times he asked me if I had spilt my coffee or anything thing else ... lol, I wasn't drinking coffee or anything else! It was an extremely blustery day. Overall, I'd say sitting in the observer's seat was good for my soul (I still don't like it though! lol).
Hey DeAnn, I like the post on your flight...Many times I sat in the "left seat" of a helicopter or the "Right seat" an airplane on test flights as pilots of different experience levels took me and my latest project up in the air to put them through there paces. I've spent many many many hours "riding" as the "pilot" had my life in his/her hands and let me tell you there were many times I could not wait to get back on the ground. I love flying in all it's beauty but in the hands of an incompetent pilot it is down right scary. I've experienced compressor stalls and engine shut downs, flight control misrigging(someone else did that) The list continues...but I agree I prefer being the one in control. I had one guy on a check flight of a Bell 212 that we just refurbed(tore down to bare metal, all components removed and reinstalled) He just got checked out the day before. When he picked it up in a hover I knew we were in for a wild ride. Now we have to do autoraotations and engine shut downs and check the edges of the envelope on these flights and they sent me a new guy. When he took his hand off the collective I told him to put it back I would manage the radios and anything that would require him to take his hands off the controls. That was the only time I wasn't sure I would make it home that night. Obviously I made it! Ha! But I need to write all my experiences down like you have... I think that's cool! I enjoy reading about flying stuff regardless of it's nature...
Roger that Dean... lol. I've never been in the air in a helicopter ... sure would jump at the chance if I judged it safe though. Those tour at the beach look kinda scary! In a few days Im going to post a pic or two of one that landed over here the other day ... Sheriff's Dept., he was proud to give the the ground tour of his baby. I don't mind the newbies when I can reach the controls in an airplane ... never coulda gotten on board with your rotor pilot! (sounds pretty funny from here safe and sound on the ground tho-)
The funny part was he was an older gentleman and at first glance I thought we had gotten an old salt with thousands of hours of experience but like I said as soon as he pulled pitch it got my attention. It was a nice day too. The very next week I got another pilot, he was young and I thought awesome he we go again but as he was running throught the checklist I knew he was up to speed. As we started our checks he told me he in fact did have almost ten thousand hours in everything from black hawks to King Airs. He was actually one of our training pilots. Sadly though the very next year he died in a helicopter crash in Grand Junction Co. Apperently he let the rotor RPM get too low during a routine autorotation and the blades came off. So which guy do you want to fly with? I like the controls in my hand! At least I have some sense of control! Ha!
Hovering has to be the coolest thing on earth! Well, in the air!
Post a Comment