Any pilots out there?

[Derboesekoenig]

Curious how many of you fly. I'm doing an online ground school followed by an accelerated format training to get my private pilot cert. in March. I have limited time off, so just decided to go for it. Any tips?

[shortsqueeze]

I fly for fun. Curious how the accelerated training goes for you. You must be in an area with perfect weather all the time. If I could do it all over again, I’d have done my primary training in a tailwheel airplane. Tips? Stick with it, try not to get frustrated if you get hung up on some concept/skill area that’s a challenge for you. Unless you’re Chuck Yeager or something, expect to hit a few bumps in the road that may blow out your accelerated timeline/expectations. Also, get set up with an experienced CFI who loves to teach (not just building hours) and someone you gel with, cut bait and reestablish quickly with a different one if you’re not feeling it because primary training is so important as it establishes a knowledge set and foundational habits (hopefully good ones), the most important being how you deal with emergency situations and aeronautical decision making in general. Good luck, keep us posted. 

[Corylax18]

I went the opposite path. It will end up taking me about 24 months from making the decision to do it, to actually getting my license. 18 months of that are/will be the actual flying/training. I work about 5 minutes and live about 10 minutes away from the second busiest public airport in the country (KAPA/Centennial) so that definitely makes things easier for me.

I did Standard ground school, 2 classes a week for 6 weeks. One on Thursdays after work, the other Sunday afternoons. I also spent the money to build a mini simulator so that I could get comfortable with the cockpit layout and basic handling characteristics of the plane I am training in. (Cessna 172)

The weather in Colorado is highly unpredictable, so I would say that about 15% of my flight lessons get cancelled, usually because of wind, but occasionally its because of IFR conditions. 

I use most of my time off to travel, so I do most of my flying on the weekends. I have to book about a month in advance, but that's not an issue for me. 

[Lord Vader]

I earned my private certificate in 2003 and an instrument rating in 2004. I earned my A&P certificates in 2009. It's going to cost more than you expect, and it's probably going to take more time than you expect. Do it anyway; it'll be worth it.

- Find a mechanic who is willing to show you more about your aircraft than you can learn from your CFI. This doesn't mean your instructor isn't knowledgeable (he probably is) but spend some time with the guy who fixes them. You don't have to learn to fix the thing yourself, but it's worth understanding exactly what it means when your alternator fails or whether you should be concerned about the puddle under the nose wheel strut. You will be a better pilot for understanding your aircraft instead of just knowing your aircraft.

- Don't bother with the tricks of the trade. Learn the trade. All of it. Every detail.

- Get a copy of the FAR/AIM and read it when you aren't in class. Ask your instructor what something means if you don't understand a rule. Understand the significance when they use the words "may" and "shall." Become an expert on this book.

- Pay a LOT of attention to your simulated instrument training. After you finish your private certificate, consider getting an instrument rating. Even if you don't finish the instrument rating, get some additional training under an IFR hood. It may well save your life. There's no big deal about getting ATC vectors to let you down through a cloud to get back home when the weather changes on a day when you expected perfect VFR conditions and you ended up on top of a layer. It is a big deal if you go at it blindly and end up in a spiral into the side of a mountain because you listened to your body telling you you were in a turn while your instruments said you were straight and level.

- Become a weather expert. Learn to look at charts and readings and decide for yourself whether you think the crosswind is going to kick up five hours from now at your destination, even though the forecast is for light and variable all day.

- Listen to that inner voice that tells you today isn't the best day for flying. It's there for a reason... mainly to make sure you're still here tomorrow.
 

[Chas.Alpha]

I really couldn’t add much to Lord Vader’s reply, especially the part about paying close attention during the 3 hours of hood time. It may save your life...

Even if you don’t get your IFR rating, take some Instrument training. You’ll become a lot more proficient with your radio skills.

p.s. First solo is a day you will remember for the rest of your life! Have fun!!!

[Islandboy]

1 hour ago, Lord Vader said:

I earned my private certificate in 2003 and an instrument rating in 2004. I earned my A&P certificates in 2009. It's going to cost more than you expect, and it's probably going to take more time than you expect. Do it anyway; it'll be worth it.

- Find a mechanic who is willing to show you more about your aircraft than you can learn from your CFI. This doesn't mean your instructor isn't knowledgeable (he probably is) but spend some time with the guy who fixes them. You don't have to learn to fix the thing yourself, but it's worth understanding exactly what it means when your alternator fails or whether you should be concerned about the puddle under the nose wheel strut. You will be a better pilot for understanding your aircraft instead of just knowing your aircraft.

- Don't bother with the tricks of the trade. Learn the trade. All of it. Every detail.

- Get a copy of the FAR/AIM and read it when you aren't in class. Ask your instructor what something means if you don't understand a rule. Understand the significance when they use the words "may" and "shall." Become an expert on this book.

- Pay a LOT of attention to your simulated instrument training. After you finish your private certificate, consider getting an instrument rating. Even if you don't finish the instrument rating, get some additional training under an IFR hood. It may well save your life. There's no big deal about getting ATC vectors to let you down through a cloud to get back home when the weather changes on a day when you expected perfect VFR conditions and you ended up on top of a layer. It is a big deal if you go at it blindly and end up in a spiral into the side of a mountain because you listened to your body telling you you were in a turn while your instruments said you were straight and level.

- Become a weather expert. Learn to look at charts and readings and decide for yourself whether you think the crosswind is going to kick up five hours from now at your destination, even though the forecast is for light and variable all day.

- Listen to that inner voice that tells you today isn't the best day for flying. It's there for a reason... mainly to make sure you're still here tomorrow.
 

This is the best bit of advice I’ve read in some time...and I’m not even a pilot. 

[HarveyBoulevard]

At my FBO now. Have not flown in a few weeks so came by and put air in the tires, checked and added some oil, got fuel, did a preflight, and handed the keys to my mechanic to check out an issue with the engine. 
 

Hanging out having a cigar watching planes take off...

[Chas.Alpha]

Hey Vader! As long as you’re an A/P, do you think you could have a look at my airplane?... ?

[fungi]

Studying for my written while I wait for better weather to begin training. 

Someone above mentioned weather - check out Weather Flying by Robert Buck. 

[Duxnutz]

2 hours ago, Lord Vader said:

I earned my private certificate in 2003 and an instrument rating in 2004. I earned my A&P certificates in 2009. It's going to cost more than you expect, and it's probably going to take more time than you expect. Do it anyway; it'll be worth it.

- Find a mechanic who is willing to show you more about your aircraft than you can learn from your CFI. This doesn't mean your instructor isn't knowledgeable (he probably is) but spend some time with the guy who fixes them. You don't have to learn to fix the thing yourself, but it's worth understanding exactly what it means when your alternator fails or whether you should be concerned about the puddle under the nose wheel strut. You will be a better pilot for understanding your aircraft instead of just knowing your aircraft.

- Don't bother with the tricks of the trade. Learn the trade. All of it. Every detail.

- Get a copy of the FAR/AIM and read it when you aren't in class. Ask your instructor what something means if you don't understand a rule. Understand the significance when they use the words "may" and "shall." Become an expert on this book.

- Pay a LOT of attention to your simulated instrument training. After you finish your private certificate, consider getting an instrument rating. Even if you don't finish the instrument rating, get some additional training under an IFR hood. It may well save your life. There's no big deal about getting ATC vectors to let you down through a cloud to get back home when the weather changes on a day when you expected perfect VFR conditions and you ended up on top of a layer. It is a big deal if you go at it blindly and end up in a spiral into the side of a mountain because you listened to your body telling you you were in a turn while your instruments said you were straight and level.

- Become a weather expert. Learn to look at charts and readings and decide for yourself whether you think the crosswind is going to kick up five hours from now at your destination, even though the forecast is for light and variable all day.

- Listen to that inner voice that tells you today isn't the best day for flying. It's there for a reason... mainly to make sure you're still here tomorrow.
 

Good advice, especially the learning the trade bit. It’s been a long time since I did my private but I still remember the basics which has served me well through several years of bush flying and half a decade of night freight in turbo props - before GPS was as common as it is today. 

My advice: 

- Learn to navigate with just a sectional. One day everything may go blank and it may save your life. (Back in the day we used to draw lines and put in 6 min markers based off ground speed to keep track). VFR flying. 

- Be confident with engine failures and what/where you are going to go during each stage of flight. I.e. takeoff 0-700ft 30 degrees either side of nose, enroute etc

- Respect weather and alway be conservative. There’s no prizes for busting lines of thunderstorms nor scud running. If you don’t like what’s ahead and you’re in the air, land and grab a cup of coffee and wait it out. 

- Always have a plan, an initial plan, a back up plan and contingency plans. 

- Don’t let anyone force you into a position you don’t wanna be in; be that ATC, fellow pilots, passengers etc. Be the Captain/Pilot In Command.

- STAY CURRENT!!!. Practice your craft. Be that a couple take offs and landings a month or a flight with a cfi, please don’t randomly go flying months after your last flight, especially IFR if you go that route. 

- Finally, what was echoed before about Hood flying. Get a basic understanding of instrument flight (even just a 180 degree turn on instruments to get out of cloud). I highly urge you to get your Instrument Rating. 

 

Have fun fun and keep with it. The theory and concepts can be challenging but it’s a rewarding achievement. Just don’t do it for a living!

[Lord Vader]

Hey Vader! As long as you’re an A/P, do you think you could have a look at my airplane?...

 

Yeeeeeeah... maybe. But it ain’t gonna be fast and it ain’t gonna be cheap. You’re definitely going to need a bit of sheet metal work on the tail.

 

Tornado get ahold of that poor Cessna?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Chas.Alpha]

2 minutes ago, Lord Vader said:

 

Yeeeeeeah... maybe. But it ain’t gonna be fast and it ain’t gonna be cheap.

Tornado get ahold of that poor Cessna?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

Nah, that’s the result of my typical landing.

Hurricane Charley, ‘04. My hangar was at KPGD. 

Step #1: House and family. ?

Step #2: Airplane and hangar. ?

[Derboesekoenig]

13 hours ago, shortsqueeze said:

I fly for fun. Curious how the accelerated training goes for you. You must be in an area with perfect weather all the time. If I could do it all over again, I’d have done my primary training in a tailwheel airplane. Tips? Stick with it, try not to get frustrated if you get hung up on some concept/skill area that’s a challenge for you. Unless you’re Chuck Yeager or something, expect to hit a few bumps in the road that may blow out your accelerated timeline/expectations. Also, get set up with an experienced CFI who loves to teach (not just building hours) and someone you gel with, cut bait and reestablish quickly with a different one if you’re not feeling it because primary training is so important as it establishes a knowledge set and foundational habits (hopefully good ones), the most important being how you deal with emergency situations and aeronautical decision making in general. Good luck, keep us posted. 

As of right now, I don't plan to make manned aviation a career (unmanned, a different story). I will be training near Ocala/N.Fl. in March, so weather should cooperate for the most part. I hope. They offer tailwheel endorsements, maybe I can add that on there as well?

5 hours ago, Lord Vader said:

I earned my private certificate in 2003 and an instrument rating in 2004. I earned my A&P certificates in 2009. It's going to cost more than you expect, and it's probably going to take more time than you expect. Do it anyway; it'll be worth it.

- Find a mechanic who is willing to show you more about your aircraft than you can learn from your CFI. This doesn't mean your instructor isn't knowledgeable (he probably is) but spend some time with the guy who fixes them. You don't have to learn to fix the thing yourself, but it's worth understanding exactly what it means when your alternator fails or whether you should be concerned about the puddle under the nose wheel strut. You will be a better pilot for understanding your aircraft instead of just knowing your aircraft.

- Don't bother with the tricks of the trade. Learn the trade. All of it. Every detail.

- Get a copy of the FAR/AIM and read it when you aren't in class. Ask your instructor what something means if you don't understand a rule. Understand the significance when they use the words "may" and "shall." Become an expert on this book.

- Pay a LOT of attention to your simulated instrument training. After you finish your private certificate, consider getting an instrument rating. Even if you don't finish the instrument rating, get some additional training under an IFR hood. It may well save your life. There's no big deal about getting ATC vectors to let you down through a cloud to get back home when the weather changes on a day when you expected perfect VFR conditions and you ended up on top of a layer. It is a big deal if you go at it blindly and end up in a spiral into the side of a mountain because you listened to your body telling you you were in a turn while your instruments said you were straight and level.

- Become a weather expert. Learn to look at charts and readings and decide for yourself whether you think the crosswind is going to kick up five hours from now at your destination, even though the forecast is for light and variable all day.

- Listen to that inner voice that tells you today isn't the best day for flying. It's there for a reason... mainly to make sure you're still here tomorrow.
 

I'm definitely not going to give up, as I have about $10k set aside for this, and it's in place of my vacation. My dad got his A&P 35-40 years ago, so he knows pretty much anything you can possibly think of regarding airplanes, though he doesn't have any pilot certs. Got a copy of FAR/AIM, Student Pilot's Flight Manual, Aviation Weather, and Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. 

Guess I'll add Weather Flying to the list. Also have Stick and Rudder on that list and Private Pilot Blueprint. Anything else I need to get?

Definitely plan to add IFR after this

3 hours ago, fungi said:

Studying for my written while I wait for better weather to begin training. 

Someone above mentioned weather - check out Weather Flying by Robert Buck. 

Thanks, adding it to the list!

2 hours ago, Duxnutz said:

Good advice, especially the learning the trade bit. It’s been a long time since I did my private but I still remember the basics which has served me well through several years of bush flying and half a decade of night freight in turbo props - before GPS was as common as it is today. 

My advice: 

- Learn to navigate with just a sectional. One day everything may go blank and it may save your life. (Back in the day we used to draw lines and put in 6 min markers based off ground speed to keep track). VFR flying. 

- Be confident with engine failures and what/where you are going to go during each stage of flight. I.e. takeoff 0-700ft 30 degrees either side of nose, enroute etc

- Respect weather and alway be conservative. There’s no prizes for busting lines of thunderstorms nor scud running. If you don’t like what’s ahead and you’re in the air, land and grab a cup of coffee and wait it out. 

- Always have a plan, an initial plan, a back up plan and contingency plans. 

- Don’t let anyone force you into a position you don’t wanna be in; be that ATC, fellow pilots, passengers etc. Be the Captain/Pilot In Command.

- STAY CURRENT!!!. Practice your craft. Be that a couple take offs and landings a month or a flight with a cfi, please don’t randomly go flying months after your last flight, especially IFR if you go that route. 

- Finally, what was echoed before about Hood flying. Get a basic understanding of instrument flight (even just a 180 degree turn on instruments to get out of cloud). I highly urge you to get your Instrument Rating. 

 

Have fun fun and keep with it. The theory and concepts can be challenging but it’s a rewarding achievement. Just don’t do it for a living!

Learning sectionals now. A lot more to it than I thought, but I'm starting to understand. And unfortunately, I am in Afghanistan and probably will be here off and on for the next at least few years, maybe longer (hence, the accelerated training). I'm probably going to end up flying with a CFI for the first flight back for every vacation, before I'm comfortable again. Who knows

Thank you all for the advice!

[Lord Vader]

13 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Nah, that’s the result of my typical landing.

Hurricane Charley, ‘04. My hangar was at KPGD. 

Step #1: House and family. ?

Step #2: Airplane and hangar. ?

Sorry to hear that. I'm glad you had your priorities in line and I hope only an airplane was lost.

[Chas.Alpha]

When I echoed Lord Vader’s suggestion on additional instrument training, I was speaking from real life experience. I shall elaborate...

Some years ago, I was having some suds with a good friend of mine when we were joined by an acquaintance of his, a VFR rated Pilot. After some conversation, he said that he was flying his brother up to the Jacksonville, Fla. area (from Ft. Myers) the next morning and asked if I wanted to come along. Well, free flying is the best kind, so I happily accepted. I had a few more pints when I got home and went to bed. When I got up early the next morning, I was definitely not feeling my best, and had I had his phone #, I would have likely begged off. Since I didn’t, I felt that I was obligated, as they would have no doubt waited some time for me before giving up.

It was a typical Florida spring morning, partly cloudy and no weather expected along our route, with the exception of have to stay 2000 ft. horizontal from the fluffy cumulus clouds. One of the comments the pilot’s brother made from the back seat was “what would happen if you flew into a cloud?” to which our PIC replied “oh, no biggie, I’ve had training...” I turned my head to the right window, to hide my obvious smirk. (My 1st mistake.)

After landing at Jax exec, his brother called a cab and went to his meeting, while the pilot and I hunted up some lunch. After a couple of hours, his brother met us back at the airport, and we prepared to depart.

The current weather as we left was partly to broken, bases at 3000 and 10 miles visibility. Perfectly fine in Fla., since the nearest mountain is 100’s of miles away! When he filed his VFR flight plan, his requested altitude was 6000 ft. I thought that was a bit curious, but if he didn’t mind dodging the clouds, why should I care? I was just along for the ride. (2nd mistake.)

About half way home (I really hadn’t been paying much attention to where we were, 3rd mistake), up in front of us was a big fluffy horseshoe, at about 5 miles distant. I quietly inquired as to the pilot’s intentions, and he said that he was going to bump us up over the top of it. In retrospect, this is where I should have interjected my opinion, but he was PIC and I didn’t feel like I should embarrass him by questioning his judgement. 4th and worst mistake.

So, we begin to climb in an underpowered Piper Archer, with 3 adults. The cloud seemed to be building at 200/ft. minute and we’re climbing at 75/ft. min.

Yep, you guessed it, in we went...

Now, all of this starts to look like a horror movie. He’s still in a climb, and has turned to the point where I wasn’t sure which direction we had entered the cloud. My eyes were as big as dinner plates, and I am now hyper sensitive to the instruments. The 1st thing I noticed was that in his now anxious climb, we were bleeding off airspeed. I am leaning over to the left to see the panel, and I told him to watch his airspeed indicator. The next thing I asked him is if he knew that we were in a left turn. 15 seconds later I reminded him to watch the airspeed. 15 seconds after that, when he had us in a 30 degree left bank and the stall warning horn was sounding, I had enough and took control of the airplane.

I am now leaning all of the way over to fly the instruments, which of course created such a sense of vertigo that I would have bet all of my coins that the airplane was flying sideways, I put us in a standard rate corkscrew while climbing at VY.

After what seemed like an hour, or roughly 3 minutes, we popped out of the top of the cloud. I got my bearings, put us on a rough heading for home and contacted Tampa departure for a flight following back to Ft. Myers. After getting a vector direct, and of course being assigned an altitude, I flew us back home.

The moral of the story? He was an idiot, and I was an idiot for letting him be an idiot.

The next weekend, I contacted a CFII friend of mine, and I did about two hours of hood time from the right seat.

 

[HDGSN]

I don’t fly, but I like watching Premier1Driver’s YouTube videos.

[Derboesekoenig]

5 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

When I echoed Lord Vader’s suggestion on additional instrument training, I was speaking from real life experience. I shall elaborate...

Some years ago, I was having some suds with a good friend of mine when we were joined by an acquaintance of his, a VFR rated Pilot. After some conversation, he said that he was flying his brother up to the Jacksonville, Fla. area (from Ft. Myers) the next morning and asked if I wanted to come along. Well, free flying is the best kind, so I happily accepted. I had a few more pints when I got home and went to bed. When I got up early the next morning, I was definitely not feeling my best, and had I had his phone #, I would have likely begged off. Since I didn’t, I felt that I was obligated, as they would have no doubt waited some time for me before giving up.

It was a typical Florida spring morning, partly cloudy and no weather expected along our route, with the exception of have to stay 2000 ft. horizontal from the fluffy cumulus clouds. One of the comments the pilot’s brother made from the back seat was “what would happen if you flew into a cloud?” to which our PIC replied “oh, no biggie, I’ve had training...” I turned my head to the right window, to hide my obvious smirk. (My 1st mistake.)

After landing at Jax exec, his brother called a cab and went to his meeting, while the pilot and I hunted up some lunch. After a couple of hours, his brother met us back at the airport, and we prepared to depart.

The current weather as we left was partly to broken, bases at 3000 and 10 miles visibility. Perfectly fine in Fla., since the nearest mountain is 100’s of miles away! When he filed his VFR flight plan, his requested altitude was 6000 ft. I thought that was a bit curious, but if he didn’t mind dodging the clouds, why should I care? I was just along for the ride. (2nd mistake.)

About half way home (I really hadn’t been paying much attention to where we were, 3rd mistake), up in front of us was a big fluffy horseshoe, at about 5 miles distant. I quietly inquired as to the pilot’s intentions, and he said that he was going to bump us up over the top of it. In retrospect, this is where I should have interjected my opinion, but he was PIC and I didn’t feel like I should embarrass him by questioning his judgement. 4th and worst mistake.

So, we begin to climb in an underpowered Piper Archer, with 3 adults. The cloud seemed to be building at 200/ft. minute and we’re climbing at 75/ft. min.

Yep, you guessed it, in we went...

Now, all of this starts to look like a horror movie. He’s still in a climb, and has turned to the point where I wasn’t sure which direction we had entered the cloud. My eyes were as big as dinner plates, and I am now hyper sensitive to the instruments. The 1st thing I noticed was that in his now anxious climb, we were bleeding off airspeed. I am leaning over to the left to see the panel, and I told him to watch his airspeed indicator. The next thing I asked him is if he knew that we were in a left turn. 15 seconds later I reminded him to watch the airspeed. 15 seconds after that, when he had us in a 30 degree left bank and the stall warning horn was sounding, I had enough and took control of the airplane.

I am now leaning all of the way over to fly the instruments, which of course created such a sense of vertigo that I would have bet all of my coins that the airplane was flying sideways, I put us in a standard rate corkscrew while climbing at VY.

After what seemed like an hour, or roughly 3 minutes, we popped out of the top of the cloud. I got my bearings, put us on a rough heading for home and contacted Tampa departure for a flight following back to Ft. Myers. After getting a vector direct, and of course being assigned an altitude, I flew us back home.

The moral of the story? He was an idiot, and I was an idiot for letting him be an idiot.

The next weekend, I contacted a CFII friend of mine, and I did about two hours of hood time from the right seat.

 

Wow. What would've happened had you not been there?? I don't ever want to be in that position, which is why I think IFR training is important regardless. I don't want to die as a result of a stupid mistake on my part. If it can be avoided, it will be avoided. 

[Chas.Alpha]

16 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

Wow. What would've happened had you not been there?? I don't ever want to be in that position, which is why I think IFR training is important regardless. I don't want to die as a result of a stupid mistake on my part. If it can be avoided, it will be avoided. 

It’s funny you should ask that. When the stall warning horn went off, we were left-wing low and less than 5 kts. from going into a spin (in the clouds.) If it we’re the two of them, the most likely result would have been two killed and the destruction of a perfectly good airplane.

I got a little long winded because I wanted to make sure that I illustrated the point.

It wasn’t (and rarely ever is) A mistake. It was a series of them, all playing out in order. I didn’t tell this story to make myself out to be some superhero Pilot savior. I fed into every one of those mistakes. While you could argue that he was PIC, my flying experience and training out matched his 20/1. What might have been a simple suggestion 10 minutes earlier had become a life or death decision. I did not offer my experience to him until it was damn near too late.

I often think back to the story of JFK, jr. Rich, handsome, a rising star in American politics. His wife had angered him by shopping late before crossing a small body of water to fly into his cousin’s wedding. He had the “Get there-itus.”

He was late, it was dark, probably foggy with a VFR flight plan. They say he went in inverted at a 45 deg. angle. Yes, your stomach will tell you all kinds of things...

I am not responding to your post by trying to frighten you from getting your pilot’s license. On the contrary, it is the single best thing that I have ever done in my life! You will have a different attitude about most everything the day after your first solo! It’s great!!! You will always remember that moment when some crazy flight instructor tells you to let him out, after you’ve had a mere 12/14 hours of flying instruction, because he trusts you not to break his airplane! ?

I’m getting misty-eyed thinking back to that day...

Have fun! Keep us posted on your progress. Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask...

[Derboesekoenig]

That's an amazing story. I hope that the guy immediately decided to take more lessons. I have 7 weeks from now that I'll get there and start flying. It's a little overwhelming, but I think if I just take it one section at a time, I'll have a good knowledge base before I begin with the instructor. 

[Coloniales]

Been flying professionally for 30 years... Currently 777s for the last 14 years...

 

Keith.

[HarveyBoulevard]

My flight instructor sent me this as he was climbing out of the plane for my first solo.

Carb heat what???

 

[torsion]

@Joshtupps your kind of thread

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Duxnutz]

On 1/17/2020 at 11:48 AM, Chas.Alpha said:

When I echoed Lord Vader’s suggestion on additional instrument training, I was speaking from real life experience. I shall elaborate...

Some years ago, I was having some suds with a good friend of mine when we were joined by an acquaintance of his, a VFR rated Pilot. After some conversation, he said that he was flying his brother up to the Jacksonville, Fla. area (from Ft. Myers) the next morning and asked if I wanted to come along. Well, free flying is the best kind, so I happily accepted. I had a few more pints when I got home and went to bed. When I got up early the next morning, I was definitely not feeling my best, and had I had his phone #, I would have likely begged off. Since I didn’t, I felt that I was obligated, as they would have no doubt waited some time for me before giving up.

It was a typical Florida spring morning, partly cloudy and no weather expected along our route, with the exception of have to stay 2000 ft. horizontal from the fluffy cumulus clouds. One of the comments the pilot’s brother made from the back seat was “what would happen if you flew into a cloud?” to which our PIC replied “oh, no biggie, I’ve had training...” I turned my head to the right window, to hide my obvious smirk. (My 1st mistake.)

After landing at Jax exec, his brother called a cab and went to his meeting, while the pilot and I hunted up some lunch. After a couple of hours, his brother met us back at the airport, and we prepared to depart.

The current weather as we left was partly to broken, bases at 3000 and 10 miles visibility. Perfectly fine in Fla., since the nearest mountain is 100’s of miles away! When he filed his VFR flight plan, his requested altitude was 6000 ft. I thought that was a bit curious, but if he didn’t mind dodging the clouds, why should I care? I was just along for the ride. (2nd mistake.)

About half way home (I really hadn’t been paying much attention to where we were, 3rd mistake), up in front of us was a big fluffy horseshoe, at about 5 miles distant. I quietly inquired as to the pilot’s intentions, and he said that he was going to bump us up over the top of it. In retrospect, this is where I should have interjected my opinion, but he was PIC and I didn’t feel like I should embarrass him by questioning his judgement. 4th and worst mistake.

So, we begin to climb in an underpowered Piper Archer, with 3 adults. The cloud seemed to be building at 200/ft. minute and we’re climbing at 75/ft. min.

Yep, you guessed it, in we went...

Now, all of this starts to look like a horror movie. He’s still in a climb, and has turned to the point where I wasn’t sure which direction we had entered the cloud. My eyes were as big as dinner plates, and I am now hyper sensitive to the instruments. The 1st thing I noticed was that in his now anxious climb, we were bleeding off airspeed. I am leaning over to the left to see the panel, and I told him to watch his airspeed indicator. The next thing I asked him is if he knew that we were in a left turn. 15 seconds later I reminded him to watch the airspeed. 15 seconds after that, when he had us in a 30 degree left bank and the stall warning horn was sounding, I had enough and took control of the airplane.

I am now leaning all of the way over to fly the instruments, which of course created such a sense of vertigo that I would have bet all of my coins that the airplane was flying sideways, I put us in a standard rate corkscrew while climbing at VY.

After what seemed like an hour, or roughly 3 minutes, we popped out of the top of the cloud. I got my bearings, put us on a rough heading for home and contacted Tampa departure for a flight following back to Ft. Myers. After getting a vector direct, and of course being assigned an altitude, I flew us back home.

The moral of the story? He was an idiot, and I was an idiot for letting him be an idiot.

The next weekend, I contacted a CFII friend of mine, and I did about two hours of hood time from the right seat.

 

I’m often astounded in the conditions vfr pilots head off in. 3000ft overcast is below what I’d head off in, in anything piston. Too easy to get boxed in. I’ve ended up scud running cb’s below 1000 agl having started off like that but that was a remote area and zero flight following but still.

“A superior pilot uses his superior judgement to avoid situations which require use of his superior skill.”

[Chas.Alpha]

11 hours ago, Duxnutz said:

I’m often astounded in the conditions vfr pilots head off in. 3000ft overcast is below what I’d head off in, in anything piston. Too easy to get boxed in. I’ve ended up scud running cb’s below 1000 agl having started off like that but that was a remote area and zero flight following but still.

“A superior pilot uses his superior judgement to avoid situations which require use of his superior skill.”

In most places, I’d agree. In Florida, 3000 is more than enough ceiling. You have to remember, the highest point in the state is 130’ MSL. I rarely fly across state above 2000/2500. There are almost as many small airports in Florida as there are golf courses! ?

[moy71]

I held a recreational licence for 2-3 yrs. Allowed me to fly VFR and within a 25nm radius from take off point.  2 seater Australian made Jabiru.  Lots of fun.  More hobby than anything else.  Eventually a 3rd child arrived and I had to give it up for financial reasons.  I definitely want to take it up again in the future.