Taking my wife up for the first time

"Elwood Dowd" wrote in message
...
Right on, Marco, well done. Don't worry, it gets easier. My wife and
son were my first passengers.

They were also the passengers on board when the nosewheel collapsed in
our "new" plane and we slammed nose-first onto the pavement and slid 500
feet to a stop, and one of my first thoughts as we were running into the
field was that they would never go up with me again. It took almost a
year, but they did.

They are still the passengers I take up most often, and definitely the
most enthusiastic. Never underestimate your non-pilot family.


Ouch!

Well I feel the same way. I know that if my engine quits I know enough to
put the plane down (in good weather that is) without killing myself and
possibly (if I have a good field) without hurting the plane (too much).

But an "accident" like that, with my wife on board would probably wake up
the same fearful thought: "Now she won't fly with me anymore".

That's it! You nailed it.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...


Marco Rispoli wrote:

I do a radio check and the lady at the school answers with "I hear you
loud
and clear Marco".

Get used to it. Half the time somebody says "Hello George" when I announce
on
approach, and I haven't been based there for years. Not much danger that
they'll
start calling you "Tennessee", though. :-)

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

Marco "Tennessee" Rispoli. I kinda like the sound of that, though!

hehe ...

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

"gatt" wrote in message
...

One time in college I took a date up over the campus and she promptly
decided she wanted to try flying in a plane topless. Whatdayado?!

That was the harde...excuse me, most difficult...time I've ever had
staying
focused on flying the plane. I can say however with absolute clarity that
there was no other traffic out there between the one o'clock and four
o'clock portion of my scan. I know, 'cause I checked. A lot.

-c



I wonder what the FAR have to say about "topless-flying" ... hehe

:-P

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

"Bob Chilcoat" wrote in message
...
... until I entered the pattern, and then I went
stone silent. She thought that something must be wrong. I wasn't aware
of
it at all, just concentrating on the landing.

I do the same. As soon as I hit the 45 my brain goes in overdrive and
nothing else exists other than the pattern, the radio and the plane.

I knew this was going to happen. So I told her before-hand that in the
pattern I have to pay attention to traffic cause it's a dangerous area.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

In article ,
Marco Rispoli wrote:

I wonder what the FAR have to say about "topless-flying" ... hehe

Not original to me:

http://www.panix.com/~jac/aviation/mhc.html

--jac
--
John Clear - http://www.panix.com/~jac

Marco,

I just took my first passenger up today! I took a friend who is a student
pilot (I'm taking my wife next weekend).
Unfortunately, my first flight wasn't all that smooth.
Actually, the flight was fine, but the plane was a little quirky.
The plane literally came out of annual right before I flew it.
There were lots of little things that weren't quite right, but nothing
serious.
For example, when the mechanic lubed the throttle, he forgot to screw the
throttle-friction cap back on.
It was just hanging on the throttle rod.

Anyway, after a relatively uneventful preflight (little stuff like I said),
we taxied out and did our run up.
Did the run up, then did a clearing turn.
To my surprise, there was a plane on short final...no radio call or
anything!
I began to think maybe the radio wasn't working, and called for a radio
check...no answer
It was 7:00am, so maybe the plane that didn't use the radio was the only one
out there.

I decided to do a quick pattern and check if the radio worked by turning on
the pilot-controlled VASI lights.
Sure enough, the lights came on! It must have been that other plane!

In the mean time, I failed to notice that my friend was digging his nails
into his legs!
We decided to go to another nearby uncontrolled airport to shoot some
patterns.
Again, I saw more traffic, but heard nothing. I finally figured that my
transmitter was working, but receiver wasn't.
We kept an eagle-eye for traffic and announced our position at every turn.

When we got back I told my flight instructor (who I rent the plane from)
about COM1 not working.
He got in another plane and tried to contact me.
Sure enough. I told him I couldn't hear him on COM1, but COM2 was just
fine!

COM2???

Why didn't I think of that in the air?
Chalk it up to experience.

Even more embarassing, I got a call a few hours later saying that they found
the problem with COM1.
They turned the volume up.

Even more lessons learned.

In 50 hours of flying that plane, I never once had to touch the volume on
the radio.
I didn't even think of it.

Moral(s) of the story:
1. Make sure someone else flies the plane for an hour after its next annual
before me.
2. Check the volume.
3. Use COM2
4. If I had it to do over again, I would have fixed the problem on the
ground before taking it in the air.

I REALLY hope I never am that stupid again. Especially because next week I
am taking my wife up for the first time.
We're not just going around the patch, either.

Adam

P.S. Please don't chastise me. I realize how stupid I was!

"Marco Rispoli" wrote

As soon as I hit the 45 my brain goes in overdrive and
nothing else exists other than the pattern, the radio and the plane.

I knew this was going to happen. So I told her before-hand that in the
pattern I have to pay attention to traffic cause it's a dangerous area.

--
Marco Rispoli

Most would say that it is a good thing to not use words like "dangerous"
while in the plane, until there is a ongoing, real time situation. Other
things can be said to get the point across, without fear. Like, "There is a
lot going on in the pattern, so I will be at my peak concentration, and not
interacting with you very much." Much more confidence inspiring. :-) Use
the positive, and not the negative.
--
Jim in NC


---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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Even more embarassing, I got a call a few hours later saying that they
found
the problem with COM1.
They turned the volume up.

Ha! It's not every day someone makes coffee come out my nose... Great way
to start the day...

Thanks for sharing that. We've all done equally stupid things, and this is
a good place to share those experiences.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"The Weiss Family" wrote in message
...
Marco,



Moral(s) of the story:
1. Make sure someone else flies the plane for an hour after its next
annual
before me.
2. Check the volume.
3. Use COM2
4. If I had it to do over again, I would have fixed the problem on the
ground before taking it in the air.

I REALLY hope I never am that stupid again. Especially because next week
I
am taking my wife up for the first time.
We're not just going around the patch, either.

Adam

P.S. Please don't chastise me. I realize how stupid I was!


Please don't feel bad!

Your problem is not stupidity: your problem is that you never had to deal
with a "prankster" instructor:

you have no idea how often I had to put up with my instructor turning things
off on me while I wasn't looking.

More than once he would ask me to close my eyes for "supposedly" unusual
attitude recovery.

He would twist and turn the plane while I wasn't looking and then make me
recover it.

Little did i know that he would turn the volume of the radio down to
nothing.

Or that time that I was so engrossed in the runup and he turned off the
radios. He didn't let me take off.
He asked me "Why didn't you do a radio check?"
"Oh" goes I "Sure! Linden unicom radio check please"
Nothing.
"Linden unicom radio check please"
Silence.
"ahhh ... Linden unicom, radio check please?"
Nada.
"Maybe they are in the bathroom?"
Blank stare from my instructor (god I don't wanna play poker with him).

My instructor was in "asshole" mode that day, since I was about to get ready
for my X-country checkride.

"I don't know. You are PIC. What do YOU think?" he asks. And from the tone
of his voice I can tell his feet are on the brakes and the plane is NOT
moving.

He looks at a plane turning from base to final. Nothing is coming out of the
radio. My newbie brain finally reaches a new level of conciousness and
awarenees washes over my neurons as I finally realize that maybe just MAYBE
I should be chacking the dang radios instead of just pouding on the mike
button in the yoke.

A quick search ... lets me discover that the frequency is not on 123.00 but
on the practice area frequency ... he was sneaky enough NOT to turn off the
radios (I would have noticed the silence with the engine at low RPMS on the
ground) and he set it to the practice area frequency so that I could still
hear the static.

Yes my instructor was a prank-star. I am still burning for that one ...

Trust me ... I triple check the radios every single time now.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:5anrc.4039$JC5.386433@attbi_s54...
Even more embarassing, I got a call a few hours later saying that they
found
the problem with COM1.
They turned the volume up.

Ha! It's not every day someone makes coffee come out my nose... Great
way
to start the day...

Thanks for sharing that. We've all done equally stupid things, and this
is
a good place to share those experiences.
--
Jay Honeck

It kinda reminds me of this joke:

You guys probably have all seen all these befo these are (supposedly!!)
complaints of Quantas pilots to their mechanics ... and their response.

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.)
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding
on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com