Distractions? Very distracting.

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

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!

"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

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.

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!

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.

"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"

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"

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.

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."