Why do you 180?

[BillC85]

Good day,

I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.

Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.

My question is this;

Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
through your head?

Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;

1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
field and causing a big scene.
2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
field.
3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
number 1 above).
4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.

I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things that
went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
switched around a bit.

Thoughts?

BillC

[Bob Gardner]

Faced with a decision, I always ask myself "How would this look at the
inquest?" If I made the wrong decision, and it came out at the inquest that
I had the information I needed to make the right decision and ignored it, my
friends in the aviation community would say "Gee, I thought he was smarter
than that." Don't want that to happen.

I also don't want the newspaper articles to parrot "He was a good pilot"
quotes from friends when it is apparent from the circumstances of my demise
that I was a lousy pilot.

Bob Gardner

"BillC85" > wrote in message
...
> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What
goes
> through your head?
>
> Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
> 1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
> field and causing a big scene.
> 2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
> field.
> 3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
> number 1 above).
> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
> 6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.
>
> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
> to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things
that
> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
> That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If
it
> had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
> switched around a bit.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> BillC
>
>

[C J Campbell]

"BillC85" > wrote in message
...
>
> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
> to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things
that
> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.

For myself, dying comes much lower on the list than that. Not that I want to
die, you understand: I will not have done everything I want to do or have
seen everything I want to see if I live to be a thousand. I am unlikely to
tire of life any time soon. Nevertheless, I am not afraid of very many
things (well, the dark, and heights, maybe). My concerns are more for
passengers, people and property on the ground, and I really hate the idea of
failure -- the idea that I was responsible for the safe conduct of a flight
and that I blew it.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
"BillC85" > wrote:

> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?
>
> Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
> 1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
> field and causing a big scene.
> 2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
> field.
> 3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
> number 1 above).
> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
> 6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.
>
> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
> to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things that
> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
> That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
> had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
> switched around a bit.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> BillC
>
>

You done good! Remember the old adage: "He who insists on flying on a
gloomy, rainy day (night) is often buried on a bright, sunny day."

I have set down several time over my 45 years of VFR flying and do not
regret any of them. Both I and my plane survived to fly another day.
There is NOTHING so pressing as to endanger you or your passengers.

[Maule Driver]

All those things used to play the dominate role in motivating me one way or
the other.

Years of facing 'land outs' while glider racing have made this kind of
decision making all too familiar - e.g. "just one more turn in this dead
thermal then I'll try that that little mound over there - damn, if I land in
this field, I'll be the only pilot not to make it back today" In fact, I
often ended up in a field or the wrong airport. Sometimes I pushed it too
hard and scared the s**t out of myself. Other times I made a sensible
decision and landed in some god forsaken field or some sort. Despite the
fact that up to 50 other competitors would review my 'failures' daily and
even make note of it at breakfast the next morning, I slowly figured out
that there was no difference between pushing it and failing, and being safe
before failing.

The bad part was scaring myself. The even worse part was scaring my
spouse/crew.

So I'd say my motivation now is simply not to scare the bezeesus out of
either myself or my mate.

I did several 180s this past Friday bouncing up against some storms in
Pennsylvania/NY. I had decided before performing the first one that I was
more than willing to land, refuel, and fly 3 hours back home or getting a
room. No problem bouncing up against them, just no penetration. Finally
got thru 30 miles off course. (Damn, I miss CBAV)

About a month ago, We did a precautionary landing at a airport that I knew
was 'dead'. No fuel, no people, no help. I was 30 miles from home, 20
miles from RDU. Was given vectors to RDU 3 or 4 times. Lightening and fast
growing cumulus caused me to reverse direction each time. We had fuel but
since the cells had so little movement and home base was under attack, we
parked it. Found the owner of the airport mowing. He drove us home. Nice
guy!

I know we could have made it into RDU. I know there was a good chance of
scaring the crap out of both of us on the way. No problem with the decision
to avoid all that.

Fear of death works for me. But it's hard keeping the ego at bay.

"BillC85" > wrote in message >
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What
goes
> through your head?
>

[Jim Weir]

"BillC85" >
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:
Yeah. I don't want my "buddies" buying beers for my widow and consoling her in
ways generally unacceptable unto me.

Jim



->Thoughts?
->
->BillC
->

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

[TripFarmer]

I have decided prior to flying what my personal minimums are. I hope I stick
to them and do a 180 anytime I see things are below those minimums.


Trip

In article >, says...
>
>Good day,
>
>I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
>Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
>wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
>the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
>My question is this;
>
>Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
>through your head?
>
>Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
>1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
>field and causing a big scene.
>2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
>field.
>3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
>number 1 above).
>4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
>5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
>6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.
>
>I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
>to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things that
>went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
>That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
>had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
>switched around a bit.
>
>Thoughts?
>
>BillC
>
>

[Maule Driver]

"Jim Weir" > wrote in message
> Yeah. I don't want my "buddies" buying beers for my widow and consoling
her in
> ways generally unacceptable unto me.
>
> Jim

Used to be that the beer swilling geezer around the 'port would have had a
difficult time responding.... but now.... definitely motivating!

:-)

[john smith]

TripFarmer wrote:
> I have decided prior to flying what my personal minimums are. I hope I stick
> to them and do a 180 anytime I see things are below those minimums.

I have two sets of personal minimums.
Those when I fly solo and those when I fly with passengers.
There are also minimums for each aircraft I rent based on size and
speeds of the aircraft and terrain to be overflown.
The minimums when flying the Champ are different than those for the
Turbo Arrow IV based on aircraft performance and equipment.
Instrument Rating training taught me what I do not want to fly in.
Time (flight hours and years of experience) will teach you to read the
weather you see and make a call to FSS and inquire about what exists
along your route so you can make a plan before you encounter weather
that would necessitate the 180.

[CB]

"BillC85" > wrote in message
...
> Good day,
> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.

Interesting sex life - or an unfortunate name for children. Never come
across a pilot who has fathered dogs.

[Gene Seibel]

"BillC85" > wrote in message >...
> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?

Flying is important to me. I want to fly. I don't want to get myself
into a situation where I lose my license when it's preventable. GA has
been good to me and I don't want to give GA a black eye.

I will 180 or land if I believe the chances of surviving the flight
are diminishing, but I think anyone would do that. The problem is
recognizing that situation.

I will 180 or land if I believe continuing may force me to bend the
rules in a manner that might be likely to come to the FAA's attention.
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

[C Kingsbury]

"BillC85" > wrote in message >...

> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having

Obligatory line about old pilots versus bold pilots goes here

> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
> That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
> had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
> switched around a bit.

There was an NTSB transcript I read a year or so ago involving VFR
into IMC and the resultant disorientation, in contact with ATC as it
unfolded. As the plane went into a spiral dive, the pilot said
something like, "Center, we're sorry, we've lost it here."

On the other end of the spectrum, the tapes from the Alaska Air plane
that went down off the Southern California coast some years ago are
also pretty gripping. A failure in elevator had rendered the plane
pretty much unflyable but you could hear the captain talking it
through as they went inverted and fought all the way down right up
until the Pacific filled the windscreen.

It's about knowing that you've seen the elephant and didn't bug out,
even if you only know that for the moment before the lights go out.
Ernest Hemingway defined courage as "grace under pressure." For the
literary take on the theme read his story, "The Short Happy Life of
Francis Maccomber."

Best,
-cwk.

[George]

"BillC85" > wrote in message >...
> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?
>
> Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
> 1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
> field and causing a big scene.
> 2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
> field.
> 3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
> number 1 above).
> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
> 6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.
>
> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
> to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things that
> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
> That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
> had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
> switched around a bit.
>
> Thoughts?

My main parameters for a 180 was a slant range of a mile.
Or with a lowering cloud base with rising ground ahead.
Every time you fly you have to win. Gravity only has to win once

[Rick Durden]

I must be getting old, I wasn't aware that "180" had become a verb.

I will make a 180 (or such other degree of course reversal is called
for under the circumstances) anytime I am not happy with what I see in
front of me. It is never inappropriate and I've found that those who
are critical tend not to have the background to be in a position to
offer an expert opinion on the subject. In other words, generally, a
person who criticizes a pilot for making a 180 and retreating from a
flight is not worth listening to on that particular topic.

It seems to me that too many of those who have hesitated to make a 180
for fear of the opinions of others did not survive that particular
flight.

All the best,
Rick

"BillC85" > wrote in message >...
> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?
>
> Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
> 1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
> field and causing a big scene.
> 2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
> field.
> 3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
> number 1 above).
> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
> 6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.
>
> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
> to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things that
> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
> That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
> had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
> switched around a bit.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> BillC

[David Herman]

As much as I do love flying, it's certainly not worth getting killed or
maimed for (nor wrecking anyone else's life).

I take a picture of my wife along with me when I go flying. It helps remind
me that I have some good reasons to get my ass back home in one piece.

And since I promised her that I would not get myself killed with all this
crazy airplane stuff, it also reminds me that I better not crash, or else
I'll be in REAL trouble with her when I get back (alive or otherwise)!

YMMV.

David Herman
N6170T 1965 Cessna 150E
Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle, WA
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Visit the Pacific Northwest Flying Forum:
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying

"BillC85" > wrote in message
...
> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What
goes
> through your head?

[Peter Clark]

On 25 Aug 2004 14:06:53 -0700, (Rick Durden)
wrote:

>I must be getting old, I wasn't aware that "180" had become a verb.
>
>I will make a 180 (or such other degree of course reversal is called
>for under the circumstances) anytime I am not happy with what I see in
>front of me.

Same here. Just did one this morning. Was trying BED->GON, forecast
and briefing was for clear/unrestricted... Some sort of temporary
layer moved in, so I couldn't get over 2000->2500 without being in (or
looking like I'd be within 500 of) the clouds. Wasn't sure if it
would be better further in, but didn't like the picture where I was
and no better was in sight, so back to where I came from. Course, it
all burned off about an hour after I got home, but that's always the
way isn't it?

[G.R. Patterson III]

BillC85 wrote:
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?

Because I don't want a bunch of postings on this newsgroup saying variations of "I
knew that stupid ******* would ball it up some day."

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

[Stalwart]

I reckon this must be the reason I want a high altitude plane so I'm
not necessarily dancing thru the weather!

[Blanche]

> "BillC85" > wrote:
>
>> Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>>
>> 1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
>> field and causing a big scene.
>> 2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
>> field.
>> 3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
>> number 1 above).
>> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
>> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
>> 6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.

I have NO problems about landing on a road or field. I cannot be
embarassed about something like this.

I got hit by an incredibly fast-moving fog bank that came out
of nowhere a few months ago. My first reaction was to check the
lights on the field (I had just taken off and knew there wasn't
enough real-estate to land on the runway). No lights working
(it was daytime). I figured if I could see the lights, the visibility
was good enough to turn around and land. Fine.

I know the area well-enough that I can
put the airplane down anywhere (empty fields everywhere except
for a few telephone poles and one building behind me, KDEN ahead
of me) and the insurance company will take possession of the
junk.

I don't scare easily, but I was definitely scared.

And then I remembered ..."look at the instruments, stupid!"

Headed south (which was my destination anyway) and in less
than 30 seconds, clear, beautiful weather. It was only over the
airport, about 1 mile diameter, and only between 200 & 600 AGL.

Really strange.

[Wizard of Draws]

On 8/25/04 10:50 AM, in article ,
"BillC85" > wrote:
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?
>

I only fly for fun, not for business, yet. Why put a perfectly good airplane
at increased risk, for pride's sake?

There is no compelling reason to put myself in a situation where I am forced
to use my widely acknowledged superior flying skills. I don't have to land
at my intended destination, just in one piece.

I plan on living at least 100 years. To fall short of that goal due to my
own stupidity would be mortifying beyond comprehension.
--
Jeff 'The Wizard of Draws' Bucchino
Cartoons with a Touch of Magic�
www.wizardofdraws.com
www.cartoonclipart.com

[Brian Burger]

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004, G.R. Patterson III wrote:

>
>
> BillC85 wrote:
> >
> > Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> > through your head?
>
> Because I don't want a bunch of postings on this newsgroup saying variations of "I
> knew that stupid ******* would ball it up some day."

"How do I keep my name out of the headlines?" :>

Or, for the religious among us, "Please God, help me keep my name out of
the headlines. Amen."

I did my first real-life 180 on the way from Victoria to Seattle/Boeing
Fld about six weeks ago; I knew the clouds where low & solid but thought I
could get under them OK, but I got about half an hour out of Victoria,
over Whidbey Island, and saw that the whole mass was WAY lower than
reported before takeoff, and seemed to be lowering as I got further south.
It had started raining, too.

So, did a 180, went back to Victoria. Only trouble was calling US
Customs/Homeland Insecurity/whatever after landing - they wanted me to
call another number to cancel my arrival, despite having arranged
everything before with the same number I was calling...

Then I drove my pax to the ferry, and they spent the next 12hrs getting to
Seattle by ferry & train from Vancouver...

Brian.

[Roger Halstead]

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 09:50:10 -0500, "BillC85" >
wrote:

>Good day,
>
>I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
>Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
>wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
>the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
>My question is this;
>
>Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
>through your head?

There are several ways of looking at this:

>
>Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
>1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
>field and causing a big scene.

Some people like attention and sooner or later every one embarrass
them selves any way so you might as well get it over and done.

>2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
>field.

You need a road or field to do that?

>3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
>number 1 above).

You'd rather it was uncontrolled?

>4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.

Not to worry. Your friends will try to make sure she is comforted till
she finds a new one.

>5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.

Dogs often learn to accept new masters, unless the new master isn't
accepted as the alpha male, then it's a ... well... never mind.

>6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.

And you still made her drive for three hours to pick you up. I'll
bet you're even going to have her drive you back to get the plane too.

>
>I know there are steely eyed pilots

You mean we have pilots flying with cataracts?

>out there who will flame me for having
>to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things that

There is really only one. It makes good sense.

>went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
>That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If it
>had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
>switched around a bit.

Rarely do you have time to devote to such trivial matters when the
pucker factor goes up. Those who do are the ones who panic and turn
it into a self fulfilling prophecy.

>
>Thoughts?

You done good.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
>BillC
>

[Jay Masino]

CB > wrote:
> "BillC85" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Good day,
>> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
>> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
> Interesting sex life - or an unfortunate name for children. Never come
> across a pilot who has fathered dogs.

I don't think that's an unusual attitude. I consider myself the "dad" to
my dog and both of my cats.

--- Jay



--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

[BllFs6]

>I don't think that's an unusual attitude. I consider myself the "dad" to
>my dog and both of my cats.
>
>--- Jay

Gee...

I wanna know where you guys get pets that let the HUMAN be the boss?

As far as I can tell, I'm the peon in the house and the dogs and cats are
running the show :)

But I still love my little four legged masters...

take care

Blll

[Jay Masino]

BllFs6 > wrote:
>>I don't think that's an unusual attitude. I consider myself the "dad" to
>>my dog and both of my cats.

> Gee...
> I wanna know where you guys get pets that let the HUMAN be the boss?
> As far as I can tell, I'm the peon in the house and the dogs and cats are
> running the show :)

Well... I said I was their dad, not their boss! :)



--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

[Gene Seibel]

(Rick Durden) wrote in message >...
> I must be getting old, I wasn't aware that "180" had become a verb.

Me too, but it makes a good verb. ;)
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Wizard of Draws wrote:
>
> I plan on living at least 100 years. To fall short of that goal due to my
> own stupidity would be mortifying beyond comprehension.

Great pun!

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

[Javier Henderson]

(Gene Seibel) writes:

> (Rick Durden) wrote in message >...
> > I must be getting old, I wasn't aware that "180" had become a verb.
>
> Me too, but it makes a good verb. ;)

This is one of the best features of the English language, you can
verbatize anything.

"I'll UPS this package to you"

"I'll fax this letter to you"

"Crimony, is that a thunderstorm over yonder? Well, I'll be. I think
I shall 180 out of here!"

-jav

[BillC85]

To All,

A friend flew me over to pick up the previously abandoned 150 this
afternoon. It was blue skies and a twenty five mph tailwind on the way
home. The Love Boat is back in her hangar and all is well with the world
again.

Blue Skies
BillC



"BillC85" > wrote in message
...
> Good day,
>
> I got caught in some weather the other day and had to 180 outa there.
>
> Punched up goto nearest on the Lowrance, put the Love Boat down, called
> wifey for a ride home (three hours by car), and the airplane still sits at
> the unscheduled stop waiting to finish the flight, probably tomorrow.
>
> My question is this;
>
> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What
goes
> through your head?
>
> Here are mine for this particular event in order of priority more or less;
>
> 1. I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to put down on a road or
> field and causing a big scene.
> 2. I didn't want to bend the airplane by having to put down on a road or
> field.
> 3. I didn't want to die in a CFIT (closely related to the first part of
> number 1 above).
> 4. I didn't want my wife to be without a husband.
> 5. I didn't want my dogs to be without a Dad.
> 6. I didn't want to inconvenience my wife.
>
> I know there are steely eyed pilots out there who will flame me for having
> to come up with so many arguments for the 180 but these are the things
that
> went through my head. You'll notice dying was actually number three.
> That's kind of interesting in that it reveals something about my ego. If
it
> had come right down to the moment however, things probably would have
> switched around a bit.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> BillC
>
>

[Wizard of Draws]

On 8/26/04 11:53 AM, in article , "G.R.
Patterson III" > wrote:

>
>
> Wizard of Draws wrote:
>>
>> I plan on living at least 100 years. To fall short of that goal due to my
>> own stupidity would be mortifying beyond comprehension.
>
> Great pun!
>
> George Patterson
> If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
> he gives it to.

Not too subtle? <g>
--
Jeff 'The Wizard of Draws' Bucchino
Cartoons with a Touch of Magic�
www.wizardofdraws.com
www.cartoonclipart.com

[Bob Fry]

"BillC85" > writes:

> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
> through your head?

I'll answer a different question:

What preparation can I do to make the "180" decision easier?

I think it starts days or weeks ahead of a long trip (into different
weather systems than what you launched with). It starts by allowing
for extra time to get home, so you're not under time pressure to
get-back-home because otherwise I'll miss something important at work
or whatever. You allow extra money to stay at a motel and rent a car
if needed. You allow for yet more time and money to go home without
the plane and retrieve it later.

That doesn't mean that for every overnight trip you take 3 weeks
vacation. It does mean your family and boss and coworker understand
they may get a call saying you're going to be X days late getting
back.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Wizard of Draws wrote:
>
> Not too subtle? <g>

Actually, I thought it was just the right touch.

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

[Jim Weir]

It does not start days or weeks ahead of a long trip...

It starts with day one of your pilot training...

"The wind today is about 10° off the runway heading with a slight quartering
(explain) headwind (explain) and that is well within the limits of the aircraft.
The ceiling is 3500 and has been that way for all day long, and that is well
within our limits. Let's go flying."

"The wind today is about 45° crosswind to the runway and 40 knots, so let's go
sit down and see what that means with respect to 'maximum crosswind component'".

"The ceiling today is a raggedy 1500' and the visbility is stinko. Let's talk
about it."

You have limits at 40 hours.

You have different limits at 400 hours.

You have different limits at 4000 hours.

That's why most accidents happen at 30 hours, 300 hours, and 3000 hours.


Jim



Bob Fry >
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

->"BillC85" > writes:
->
->> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
->> through your head?
->
->I'll answer a different question:
->
->What preparation can I do to make the "180" decision easier?
->
->I think it starts days or weeks ahead of a long trip

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

[Roger Halstead]

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 22:35:30 GMT, "G.R. Patterson III"
> wrote:

>
>
>BillC85 wrote:
>>
>> Why do you 180 instead of pressing on? What are your motivations? What goes
>> through your head?
>
>Because I don't want a bunch of postings on this newsgroup saying variations of "I
>knew that stupid ******* would ball it up some day."

I think that just about says it all<:-)) ... and many, if not most of
us would agree.

The mark of a good instructor. Short, accurate, and to the point.
>

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
>George Patterson
> If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
> he gives it to.