Distractions? Very distracting.

[Paul Tomblin]

I thought I had no problems with distractions. After all, I'm a highly
trained and experienced pilot. But today I was taking some friends out
flying, and just as we were leaving the class C airspace I noticed a bit
of a strange noise - and I looked over and realized the door wasn't
closed. I slowed the plane to 80 knots and tried to get the passenger to
close the door, but he couldn't do it. Unlike the club's other aircraft,
the Lance doesn't have a strap you can yank on to pull the top of the door
closed.

Now you and I both know there is nothing wrong with having the door open
except for the breeze and noise, and the potential for having your charts
whisked out of your hand at a bad time. But I didn't want to do a two
hour scenic flight with all that noise and wind.

Fortunately, Ledgedale Airpark was about a mile off my right wingtip. So
I told Rochester departure that I'd be making a landing there, and did a
180 degree turn to enter the pattern. But I was having a terrible time in
the pattern. The winds at Ledgedale down low were gusty as hell. But I
can't blame the horrible pattern I flew entirely on the gusts - my speed
control was ridiculous. I heard the stall horn a few times, I got the
"Landing Gear Unsafe" light a few times before I put the gear down. I was
so low on final I had to put in full throttle so I wouldn't touch down a
dozen feet short. And then my landing was, to put not too fine a point on
it, a bit firm. I must have let the door distract me. And that's not
good.

I guess it's time to spend some time with an instructor re-learning how to
deal with distractions.

--
Paul Tomblin > http://blog.xcski.com/
ALL programs are poems, it's just that not all programmers are poets.
-- Jonathan Guthrie in the scary.devil.monastery

[B A R R Y]

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 22:26:25 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote:

>
>I guess it's time to spend some time with an instructor re-learning how to
>deal with distractions.

For me, admitting I need the help is most of the progress, getting the
help is cake. After reading your post, I'm sure you'll be where you
want to be in no time at all!

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

"Paul Tomblin" wrote:

> I guess it's time to spend some time with an instructor re-learning how to
> deal with distractions.

Sounds to me like you already got the lesson.

Good post.

--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

[Larry Dighera]

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 22:26:25 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote in >:

>I looked over and realized the door wasn't
>closed. I slowed the plane to 80 knots and tried to get the passenger to
>close the door, but he couldn't do it.

Some how I departed with the door unlatched not too long ago too. I
was unable to get it latched until I closed all the cabin air vents.
Then it latched easily.

>Now you and I both know there is nothing wrong with having the door open
>except for the breeze and noise, and the potential for having your charts
>whisked out of your hand at a bad time. But I didn't want to do a two
>hour scenic flight with all that noise and wind.

Right. There's no real hazard to flight except possibly the noise
interfering with communications, and the distraction.

>I guess it's time to spend some time with an instructor re-learning how to
>deal with distractions.

What sort of training would that be? You mean something like during
your instrument training when the instructor kept throwing more and
more at you until you finally overloaded?

Perhaps your less than perfect approach was a result of the same thing
(fatigue, self-consciousness, ...) that precipitated your failure to
check the door latched on your pre-takeoff check list.

[Viperdoc[_4_]]

My most embarrassing moment and distraction experience also involved a door.
Throughout all of my multi training, I of course got into the Baron first,
followed by the instructor, who closed and latched the door. This included
the check ride.

When I was signed off, I went for my first ride, and the door popped open on
rotation. All of my charts and other stuff in the front got sucked out, and
the airplane definitely doesn't fly as well with the added turbulence.

I went around and landed without difficulty. However, two more takeoffs
resulted in the same result, with the door popping open on rotation.

Finally, I took it back to the hangar, and realized that I had never closed
the door past the second detent, so it had never latched. In all of the
training hours that I had accumulated, the instructors had always gotten
into the plane last, and I had never closed and latched the door myself!

Anyway, now I close the door myself from the left side, always reaching over
the front seat pax, even if they are an experienced Bonanza/Baron pilot. The
lesson about flying the plane regardless of the distraction is true,
although it definitely flies differently due to the added turbulence and
drag.

My instructor called after the third attempt, and I laughingly told her she
had given me excellent flight instruction, but had never taught me how to
close the door!

[Larry Dighera]

On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 06:32:42 -0500, "Viperdoc"
> wrote in
>:

>now I close the door myself from the left side, always reaching over
>the front seat pax,

"Doors latched" is one of my checklist items. I just push on the
door(s), and if one opens, I latch it.

[Jay Honeck]

> "Doors latched" is one of my checklist items. I just push on the
> door(s), and if one opens, I latch it.

Same here. Although, since we usually have the kids in the back (and
a spouse in the right seat), so the last thing we call out before
advancing the throttle is "Door latched and seat belts on?"

You'd be surprised how many times it's not latched, or one of us
doesn't have a seat belt/shoulder harness buckled.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> I thought I had no problems with distractions. After all, I'm a highly
> trained and experienced pilot. But today I was taking some friends out
> flying, and just as we were leaving the class C airspace I noticed a bit
> of a strange noise - and I looked over and realized the door wasn't
> closed.

Same thing happened to me with one of the first rides I gave as a PP
-- with my MOM! Her hair was being sucked out the top of the door,
but she handled everything with perfect aplomb, and I simply went
back, landed, re-latched the door (after the shop adjusted it -- I
*had* latched it) and we departed.

Her calmness in the face of what must have been fairly frightening has
always impressed me.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Viperdoc[_4_]]

In the Baron, the door can appear locked when it is unlatched. Pushing on it
does not move the door- my first indication was at rotation, when the door
light flickered just before it popped. Had to by a whole set of new charts,
and almost lost a flight jacket out the door.

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, Jay Honeck > said:
>> "Doors latched" is one of my checklist items. I just push on the
>> door(s), and if one opens, I latch it.
>
>Same here. Although, since we usually have the kids in the back (and
>a spouse in the right seat), so the last thing we call out before
>advancing the throttle is "Door latched and seat belts on?"

I *looked* at the door and it appeared latched. From now on, I'm going to
shove on it instead of just looking.


--
Paul Tomblin > http://blog.xcski.com/
"Why are we hiding from the police, mommy?"
"Because we use vi, dear, and they use emacs."

[Andrew Gideon]

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 11:54:52 +0000, Larry Dighera wrote:

> "Doors latched" is one of my checklist items. I just push on the door(s),
> and if one opens, I latch it.

Ugh! This is on my checklist too. I check the lever, I check the look of
the seal in back. But I never thought to simply push on the door.

Thanks.

- Andrew

[Larry Dighera]

On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 07:24:42 -0500, "Viperdoc"
> wrote in
>:

>In the Baron, the door can appear locked when it is unlatched. Pushing on it
>does not move the door-

So it takes a large pressure differential to unlatch it?

>my first indication was at rotation, when the door
>light flickered just before it popped.

It sounds like the door switch could use adjustment, so that indicates
properly when the door is not completely latched.

[Viperdoc[_3_]]

The only switch is the one that turns on the door light when it's fully
open. I pulled the fuse for this circuit, since I generally leave the door
open in the hangar. It seems the pressure differential increased with
airspeed- while flying the door trailed open with around a two inch gap, no
more, no less. Couldn't open it more against the airstream, and of course
couldn't close it as well.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
Richard Riley > wrote:

> On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 22:26:25 +0000 (UTC),
> (Paul Tomblin) wrote:
>
> >
> >I guess it's time to spend some time with an instructor re-learning how to
> >deal with distractions.
>
> Years ago, when I had about 100 hours, I got "checked out" by a CFI to
> fly 177 with the A&E Flying Club in Hawthorn, CA. The entire flight
> he acted like an ass, swearing at me, grabbing the yolk and rolling us
> off in an entirely different direction, directing me to do stuff that
> I hadn't planned on doing. I was about ready to announce an emergency
> just to get on the ground before he killed us.
>
> He signed me off. I never flew with that club again and dropped my
> membership a couple of months later. I figured if they had jerks like
> that as CFI, their maintenence would be just as bad.
>
> Recently I was talking with a member of the club which is, amazing to
> me, still around. He said "Oh, that's just his way of seeing if you
> can deal with distractions."
>
> I still wouldn't fly with them.

I flew with A&E Flying Club back in 1963-64! They had the best airplanes
at the cheapest rates.

Would you believe:

Meyers 200A $12/hr
B-35 Bonanza $9/hr
F-35 Bonanza $11/hr
C-172 $7/hr
C-140 $6/hr


All wet, tach time-- no damned Hobbs!

I flew all of them-- the Meyers was my favorite. The main point of the
club was that all members were assigned to maintenance crews and put in
for scheduled (supervised) work details to do routine maintenance. I
would venture that the planes were as well, or better, maintained than
the FBO planes.

[Roy Smith]

In article >,
Richard Riley > wrote:

> But after that flight, I didn't fly again for close to 2 years. Today
> if a CFI did to me what he did, I'd probably smash him across the face
> with a Maglite. He had me doing a departure stall at 3000 AGL, then
> grabbed the yolk and rolled it hard over.

Boy, he must have had egg on his face!

[Blueskies]

"Richard Riley" > wrote in message ...
> On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 19:44:07 -0400, Roy Smith > wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Richard Riley > wrote:
>>
>>> But after that flight, I didn't fly again for close to 2 years. Today
>>> if a CFI did to me what he did, I'd probably smash him across the face
>>> with a Maglite. He had me doing a departure stall at 3000 AGL, then
>>> grabbed the yolk and rolled it hard over.
>>
>>Boy, he must have had egg on his face!
>
> That'll teach me to trust the spellcheker.

Yup, it was probably over easy...