Top 7 Mistakes you're most likely to make as a new pilot.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- Season 3, Episode 6
I've always felt that TH-cam pilots give the whole community an unrealistically good impression. That's great, because anybody watching is likely to hold themselves to our high standards, but I think it's equally as important to know that not everyone has the same standards. Although you should always do your best to be the best pilot you can be, it's ok to make mistakes, and that's often how we learn. These are just a few of the silly things, and some not so silly things, that will likely happen to you in your first 250hrs of flying.
Hey, did you guys know that the FAA actually certifies flight instructors to tell you everything that I try to convey in these videos? You should definitely talk to one of them instead of trusting some video you found on the internet, because who am I to tell you how to fly? I'm just a pilot sharing my experiences with the world, and these videos are not meant to be instructional or advisory in any respect.
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Having the wrong frequency
"Tower permission to land"
Getting a reply from a trucker by the freeway
"Tower is absent this is 10wheeler charlie Oscar charlie"
Lol has that actually happened??
Haha
The trucker comment was probably from another pilot teasing them. Funny! 😂
Even worse when you're an owner, and yell "clear prop" only to realize your keys are still at home (15-20 minutes away).
Sometimes I yell clear prop only to realize that I'm still at home...
How do you do a preflight without the keys?
Because you don't need the keys to turn on the electrical system, just the magnetos and the ignition.
Most people don't lock them, to be honest. The door key is often also different than the ignition key. The real question is how do our students keep locking they keys inside the planes when the doors only lock from the outside!! XD
LOL!
#3. Left one notch of flaps in until I noticed I wasn't picking up speed at 4500 ft. On my PPL checkride. He just sat there, let me work through it and chuckled when I tried to sneak the flaps down. He said "I was wondering when you were going to do that.... But good job working through it. That's your one and only mistake that I'm gonna allow for this ride, so you'd better be perfect from here on out." Evidently, I was because I was officially a Private Pilot 45 minutes later.
Yay! Haha good story :)
that would mess me up for the rest of the flight aaha
way to put the pressure on lmao.
@Agent J No clue what you're talking about...
I wonder if making a mistake in flight, and recognizing that mistake helped you, since you were then probably even more focused on not making any further mistakes
I know this is late but I called gear down in a Cessna 172
Eh. Good practice ;)
With the GUMPS check I always call the gear condiguration. 172s; "down and welded." Indian twins; "down and locked, one gear in the mirror." Also includes some C-210s. 737-800; "down, six green, cleared to land." "Verified."
It never hurts to verbalize.
I'm not a pilot yet, but I remember many times that I was airborne with a Cessna 172 on FSX, and automatically said out loud "positive rate, gear UP"
I always go with: "runway in front, gear down confirmed" no matter what type of airplane. Lately a passanger in a glider asked: "what else do you expect other a runway??"... I just said: "maybe water" cause I was in short final. Later, in order to calm down the pax, I had to explain that I fly amphibians as well, where you then have a second one: "water in front, gear up confirmed"...
yep.. one guy I trained with used to always use the landing gear check in his downwind checks.. in a fixed gear, he would say "gear; down. Locked and welded.."
Received clearance to taxi, had to cancel clearance, shut down and pull chocks. Refired, requested taxi clearance and had to endure "Are you sure?". KASH
hahaha
That's great. I love those controllers up there. I'll be there for breakfast on Monday :)
AAAAHHHH, Midfield Cafe, haven't been there for quite some time, based at KLCI now.
That controller is your best friend. Making sure that all is OK is a top service!
The controller actually IS a friend, something I would still get every time I asked for something. Are you SURE you want a full stop? Great guy. He's no longer at Nashua.
On my second solo I landed after an hour flight, only to discover the tail tie down rope wrapped around the horizontal stabilizer! That still keeps me up at night, 13 years later...
Wow! That's a good one! I wonder if it was trailing or actually wrapped the whole time.
It had broken away from the cleat on the ground, I did my walk around during preflight and it wasn't wrapped then. That being said I still forgot to untie it from the airplane! It's good knowing that other people have made these mistakes, and sharing them probably helps people from repeating them. Love your content, and the channel. keep up the good work! Fly safe.
That's why I made it! Glad you enjoyed :)
TheDogsniper I was walking out to my plane and heard a guy clear prop I looked over just to see which spinny thing was about to spin and noticed something dangling from the tail. I waved my hands frantically and walked up asked him if he'd like me to undo his tie down from the tail. Unsurprisingly he said yes.
but but my dream job is being a pilot😦😦😦😯😣
Flying 300 miles and discovering after landing that you did not return the keys of the courtesy car ...
Lol.... we humans are easily distracted
Don't worry it happens a lot and they always have spares ! It's if you damaged the car without declaring it you would worry !
I was shocked when my dad (the most careful, beat pilot I've ever seen) admitted he once accidentally landed on a taxiway.
No level of experience or intelligence will make you immune from making a mistake.
So did Harrison Ford, and there's video and audio proof of that one
On a more absurd nearly-disastrous note, did you hear of the Air Canada Flight 759 incident?
This is far from the full story, but here:
On the date of July 7th, 2017, an Airbus A320-211 under registration C-FKCK was approaching SFO at 11:46 PM local time (i.e., night); Runway 28L was closed and its lights were off, so the pilots were left to aim for 28R instead. The weather was clear, and at the time this meant that an instrument approach was *not* required, so the pilots elected to rely on a visual approach to what they _thought_ was Runway 28R...except it was actually Taxiway C, which had four other airliners (3 United, 1 Philippine) awaiting takeoff clearance. AC759 managed to execute a go-around, but it was an _extremely_ close call; the incident aircraft's lowest height AGL was *59 feet/18 meters,* and it would have collided with the third plane if the pilots pulled up even ~5 seconds later!
I've never made a piloting mistake!
True!
Well, I've never flown anything yet, that's why. xD
Haha I laughed ;P
Not flying is a mistake!!
Haha
That joke is a mistake.
I did a lot of mistake, yet all i did was playing flight sim
Door not completely closed.. no wonder it's so windy
oh my god. haha
Little bit breezy in here, isn't it?
It happened to me on one of my first solo flights. I stayed calm and returned for landing.
I'm flying gliders, was doing a control flight in L-13 Blanik, where the canopy opens sideways and you sit in like a fighter. Instructor trusted me and started gazing around, and opened the canopy in order to see better, without alerting me.. I instantly put my hand up to hold it and he said that everything's fine, he's holding it. It WAS windy.
hahaha did that 3 times. fool me 3 times... and that probably makes me an idiot
Lately I've been reading this pretty morbid book called The Killing Zone. It's full of common simple mistakes pilots have actually made that ended up costing them their lives. I strongly recommend it for any aspiring pilots!
Yeah, I've heard a lot of people recommend that one. Probably should. I read sooo many NTSB reports.
Completely unrelated but what's that silver handle above your head at 1:10?
Trim!
MrRibbotron I'm reading that book right now!
Take it from the top: the most important thing about flying is that the number of landings must be the same as the number of takeoffs!
I'm guilty of forgetting the tie-down! One of my first Solo XC's I was following my checklist and undid the tie downs but when I got the fuel check I had to call the fuel truck over who reattached the tiedown when he grounded the aircraft and in my anxiousness as a new student pilot failed to recheck the wing tie down. I was about to pull away when an instructor walked in front of the aircraft and pointed to the wing and luckily I didn't do anything other than embarrass myself.
The worst I've ever seen was a Pilot rented a 172 and forgot to remove the control gust lock! MIA02LA132 is the NTSB report; I was interning at the FSDO that summer and when I walked up to the wreckage and peeked inside it was obvious why the plane never got off the ground. The gust lock was installed in the yoke shaft plane as day! Talk about an embarrassing moment. His first mistake was not doing a preflight and the 2nd was because he was renting he didn't want to waste time doing a run up where he could have had a 2nd chance to realize he missed something, the 3rd mistake was he did a mid field departure (again to save time by not taxiing to the end of the runway), by the time he realized the aircraft wasn't getting off the ground he had gotten the aircraft up to around 80 knots and was at the end of the runway, he locked up the brakes and pulled power but it was too late he went down the slope at the end of the runway and came to a sudden stop when hitting a dirt berm destroying the plane (he luckily walked away).
Thanks for the video mate, almost 20 hours student pilot here :D I've had my last lesson before my first solo today and i did poorly in my view. There was a strong crosswind and i botched almost every landing :(. My instructor noticed my worse than usual performance but still cleared me for soloing. I think he only cleared me because the 2nd time we flew together we had an engine failure and I did a good job of helping him land our C152 on a farm. But hearing about these mistakes, in particular the ones that were mentioned in the comments helped me feel better about myself^^ Keep up the good work!
Wow! That's quite the adventure you had for a student! Glad you're still with us.
I better keep playing FSX Steam Edition. Where hot air baloons cruise at 300kts and 737s go inverted...a mistake mostly stays undiscovered. lol
On my first flight after passing my private pilot check flight, I flew with a friend who hadn't yet got his ticket (he was scheduled to take his check ride the next week). We flew from KTEB (Teterboro) to KAVP (Wilkesbarre/Scranton International) and back late at night. On my return, I chose to get clearance to fly through the NY TCA (as it was called then) so I could have a higher altitude and get a smoother ride. The controller vectored me all over the place and I lost track of where I was.
Finally, he handed me off to Teterboro tower, and gave me the frequency of 118.3 which was not Teterboro, but was Newark International. I switched to the correct frequency for KTEB, and saw an airport at my 12 O'clock, and asked for the runway lights for runway 6. They replied that the lights WERE on for RWY 6 and that they did not have a visual on me. I thought that very strange because I saw lights for a runway that was more of an east-west heading. I then noticed a large sign at this airport that said "Eastern Air Lines" and realized that ATC vectored me to KEWR instead of KTEB. The RWY I saw was 11/29 at KEWR. I returned to the approach frequency and a VERY NERVOUS controller came back to me (realizing what he had done) and apologized to me and vectored me to KTEB.
Lesson learned: ALWAYS know where you are at ALL times!
I wish I could emphasize how valuable your approach and premise is to these videos...I think you are 100% spot on with your desire to share mistakes. I recently damaged an aircraft and when I got through that event and started instructing again, I literally felt like I was speaking differently...from a whole new perspective and source of expertise...almost like I was a completely different instructor than who I was before I damaged the plane. Thank you for your efforts.
Real bad mistakes:
1. Leaving the towbar attached and starting the AC. (never did this). Usually followed by a large repair bill.
2. Leave the oil cap/dipstick unsecured. Did this (hey I was 15 at the time). Turns out the airflow sucks oil out of the engine quite efficiently. I never figured out why my instructor wanted to ever fly with me again after that.
3. Seatbelt shut in the door. Controllers just LOVE this one, since they get to tell you on radio. Here is a hint. If you hear a loud banging sound near you when you run up, your seat belt is in the door.
4. Leaning out the engine to clear a fouled plug and killing the engine. Tends to scare that new date you finally got to go flying with you.
5. Leaving the door open. Both done this many times (ok, 3 times) and had this done while flying passenger. Its non-fatal, since the airflow will keep the door closed, but *VERY* exciting for the passengers. For pilots, not so much, especially on Cessnas. I open my door or windows all the time for the fun of it. My wife has made death threats if I ever do it with her onboard. It can be closed midair with a SHARP pull, but thats hard to do from the pilots seat. Many times the passenger is unable/unwilling to apply the required force. Cessnas doors are notorious for appearing closed if you shut them but don't close the bar, then they pop open in flight.
6. Gas cap off/unsecured. Never done it (knock on wood). If you see one of your tanks dropping fast, LAND AND CHECK. The airflow will suck gas out of that tank. Hint: The gas caps on a cessna have the handle aligned with the airflow when properly secured. Look at that (and see if you left the towbar on) as the last thing you do before getting in the pilot's seat.
7. Runup creep. You are running the engine up, and you are occupied. The airplane brakes are slipping while you are reading/doing the checklist. (Everyone has done it). Can be VERY expensive, and make you look silly explaining to that other airplane why you chewed part of his tail off. Hint: glance out the side window while doing checklist at the ground. If the ground is moving at all, you need to stop. STAND ON THEM BRAKES. Forget about the parking brake. Seriously forget about it.
8. Left fuel level check stick on cowling. Did this once in mexico. Got a very nice double bang on startup as the stick blew over the plane. When I landed on the next airport and found the stick missing, it was like "oh, that's what that sound was".
9. Take off with flaps down. (yea, once or twice) Easy to do if you are doing a lot of touch and goes. Its like "boy this airplane is not climbing".... doh! Seriously, this one will kill you.
10. takeoff/land on taxiway. No, never done it, but have lined up on one. The FAA will take your license and make you go back to training for this.
Thanks, very helpful. I only did #7 (so far), but caught it right away.
Did #9 + carb heat at the 10 solo hour mark. Kept me up at night for a long time. Never was able to tell my instructor. Now as I start each takeoff roll I always glance outside to confirm flaps.
Got into an argument over #7 with a CFI. He was a big proponent of the parking break whereas I am a stand on the brakes kind of person. At first as I put power in we didn't move but as we got up to 2000 RPM, we started to inch forward. I caught it (as I usually do, never make it far) within a foot or 2 of movement. CFI argued that's why we use the parking break. I was a CFI candidate so I remarked back that's why I dont use the parking break. At least when I hold it, I know to be aware of any movement at all whereas the tendency is to rely on the parking break when you set it so you stop dividing your attention to the outside and miss when the parking break doesn't hold the plane still.
I've seen #3 done and boy can that seatbelt buckle do some damage!
Had #5 happen with a passenger up front and one in the rear in a C172. Door looked closed from my position on the left. Latch was down and locked. Took off and kept thinking how it was more noisy but didn't see anything wrong until the passenger in the back asked how do they turn the air off as their legs were freezing (it was a January flight in the mid-atlantic region). Looked down and back for what I assumed would be a floor level airvent and noticed the "big" opening at the base of the door. Some how my passenger managed to close and latch the top part of the door but not the bottom. Had to have them open it in flight to get it closed.
Did #6 too. Made a flight to a nearby airport without a fuel cap. Still not sure exactly what happened but I guess I didn't put the cap back on after fueling. It sat on top of my wing all the way through taxi and run-up and fell off during takeoff. Thankfully, there was someone helpful at the airport I was going to who flagged me down when they saw fuel coming out of my wing on taxi and lent me an extra fuel cap to use for the return flight. Found my fuel cap on the runway back at the home airport and then got to fly back to the other airport to return the borrowed cap. At least the airport was only 10 NM away
#4 is interesting just from a leaning to kill the engine perspective. I've taken a plane up to its service ceiling where the moving the mixture minutely in either direction resulted in the engine coughing and sputtering. Also have had a PA-28-161 that would cut out before reaching peak rpm or EGT on the JPM engine monitor; the airport I flew that at was also at sealevel so the engine was prone to going from "running smoothly" to "cut-off" without much warning and well before mixture actually reached cutoff. At least it was usually easy to catch and push the mixture back in a bit before the engine died completely and it would spring back to life. Honestly, I dont think anything of the engine sputtering or dying as a result of playing with the mixture in terms of it being a "pilot mistake"... What would concern me or strike me as a mistake is the engine sputtering or dying because you didn't touch the mixture (too rich or too lean) and/or allowing the sputtering/dying engine to actually conk out to the point you need to engage the starter again as these are indications of improper mixture control. Getting a sputtering or dying engine while actively leaning though is just finding the threshold/boundary of your mixture control.
@@apromero911 I had a bad cylinder that was loading up the plugs. Before I fixed it I was constantly have to go wide open and lean it out. I have push pull mixture control that is seldom smooth. That darn thing would go too far and shut off, then I would pull it back out with a lean backfire. The whole airport would crack up. My mechanic friend would give me hell. It's fixed now.
Did #3 and, true to form, tower broke my balls on freq. Had #5 happen at 5,000 feet AGL during a slow flight exercise. Don't ask...I'm still fuzzy on how it happened in the first place, but I almost loaded up my shorts...
Yep, done my fair share of those. It pays to remember that every checklist was once a blank sheet of paper continuously populated by the mistakes of others.
Some mistakes that are not okay:
-flying out of trim
-squawking 7500 to see a fighter jet
-chatting over aerodrome freq
yo, thats such a great way to get some great air-to-air pic with an f-16!!! totally trying that!
Call 911 For Cookies just call over freq "pretend I'm a spitfire and let's do some bfm!
XD i bet i could outmaneuver him in a Cessna since im like practically almost stationary for him, he'd shoot by me and probaly never get his guns aligned with my XD
Argh, people are chatting on the CTAF at my home (non-towered) airport all the time. If there's no traffic and you keep it short, then fine, but when there are four planes in the pattern and I'm drumming my fingers waiting for a chance to call my position then GET OFF THE RADIO!
ARGH chatting on CTAF!!! People do that all the time out here. "Bob, did you hear they re-opened up the restaurant at Owosso airport?" "No, Jim, How's the food?" "Well Bob, It was pretty good, and you should see the pictures on the wall, they had this plane that was almost as old as me, I think it was called a wright flyer... It must have been one of those Burt Rutan designs because it was a biplane with canards and a pusher"
This can go on for what seems like hours when I'm trying to take-off or land.
Thank you for this video. Information overload will make you forget the simple things... it’s nice to hear that other pilots make similar mistakes...
Oh sweet it's Friday!! The worst mistake I've made in flying was not flying frequently enough. I used to skip 6 months at a time, with less than 200 hours. Sometimes I'd skip a year, and be so paranoid I'd bring a CFI along.
Yeah, that's what always plagued my father.
that's not paranoid that's smart.
That is one of the things preventing me from getting starting. I know I can't afford to fly as much as I should. A few times a year at most would be worse than not at all..
Flying Schools and Examiners prefer that Jonn !
Plane won’t start , continue cranking it , realize after battery is dead that the mixture was all the way out
Had my pilot license since the 70’s. One thing I always remember is “there are old pilots and bold pilot but NO “old bold” pilots. Forgetting the chocks is a classic which I have done and many others. Keep up the videos you’re doing a great job. Flying should be fun and your keeping it that way
Other embarrassing mistakes I've made:
* During a touch-and-go, forgot to clean up the airplane. I took off again with carb heat on and 30 degrees of flaps.
* This one happened during my checkride. We did an emergency descent. Afterwards I was trying to climb back up and wondered aloud why the performance was so poor. I finally realized that the carb heat was still on. (I passed the checkride anyway.)
* I pulled the plane out of the hangar and started it up. During my pre-taxi, the owner of the hangar next door came over and waved me off, which seemed odd. After I landed, he came back and chewed me out. Apparently I had started up the plane with the prop wash aimed directly at his open hangar and blown a bunch of dust in. Good thing I didn't do the run-up there, and I've always been careful about my prop wash since.
* Finally, this one wasn't really my own fault. I did my training at a non-towered airport, so flying to a nearby tower and getting my three solo landings in was a requirement that needed to be checked off. I did a couple of landings with my instructor, then dropped him off with his handheld radio. He had told me to request the option, but for some reason I requested stop-and-goes instead ("the option" is silly when you know in advance what you're going to do). I did my first take-off and landing, stopped on the runway, then applied power and started to take off again. Just then my instructor says on the frequency, "Ian, I don't think they've cleared you to take off." Suddenly confused, I pull the throttle and step on the brakes and get back on the radio. "Tower, am I cleared to take off?" "N7---D, you're cleared to stop and go." "Does that include being cleared to take off?" "N7---D, you're cleared to take off." As I'm finally taking off, I hear the controller saying "N7---D instructor, I have a number for you to call."
I basically did exactly what you describe during the touch and go once with a good crosswind. It was a very scary experience. I hit the ground and did more of a go around procedure which did not work so well, never again will that happen!
This happened to me once! Really awkward, luckily I was Solo Flying.
The dreaded “I’ve got a phone number for you”
Made pretty much all of those mistakes and some others. Well done, you're absolutely right here.
i forgot the tail tie down rope on my second flight lesson. the nose of the 172 popped up into the air. super embarrassing. I still haven't forgotten it.
Friendly Skies Film it is a reoccurring tale. I think many people are only admitting to it now behind the safety of their computer screens. After my incident me and my instructor promised never to tell anyone
See this is I guess the one negative in my flight training that I don't have to worry about as the Cherokee I fly is hangared it's never tied down nor does it have pitot covers ect.
That's why I bought a plane too ;)
I did the same thing in a DA-20! Luckily no one saw me though, but I felt really dumb.
@@MrJaiimez can still get bugs makign nests in your pitot in a hangar. i'd cover it.
During runup:
left magneto check........turn key from both to left magneto, check!
Turn key back to both magnetos
right magneto check......turn key (too fast) and fly by the right magneto position straight to the OFF position. Realizing what I had done I quickly switch the key back to the right magneto position.
I'm immediately greeted with the loudest BANG of my life as the engine backfires. (Pucker factor a solid 10)
Instructor (very pissed instructor): You could have blown the exhaust manifold right off my engine, don't ever do that again!!!
Result: my landings still aren't the smoothest, but I can gracefully check my magnetos like nobody's business.
Been there, done that 😂
yup me too
Or the key is still in your pocket and you have to try and contort yourself to dig it out without taking off the safety belt / harness, LOL
Haha, or when your phone is in your right pocket, but you try to get it with your left hand. The "Cross-Pocket" maneuver.
OMG all the freaking time.
Yuuuup!
Every. Freaking. Time
Of the mistakes in the video, this is the one I make most often. Second is forgetting to note the tacho.
Ok, I'll admit it with over 5,000 hrs flying we landed at the WRONG airport. How you say? Well the runways have the same number and were 5 miles apart on the same flight path, and my CoPilot convinced me it was the right airport (I learned a valuable captain lesson). This was with a passenger...OOPs., it all worked out as we were closer to his hotel in the end and he was happy. Company was not happy :-(.
Wow, sounds like a particularly easy place for that to happen!
The Montay were you the guys who landed the c17 at the wrong airport?
This same thing happened near me with a Southwest jet full of people a few years ago. It was a flight from Chicago to Branson, Mo. Unfortunately the much smaller general aviation airport is on the same flight path when you're coming from Chicago, but you encounter it five miles sooner. The crew had clearance and just landed very naturally at the runway they saw up ahead, not realizing it was the wrong entire airport with a much shorter (and abruptly ending!) runway. I'm sure it was equally exciting for the tower when the airplane reported being on the ground but was nowhere in sight. They stopped safely before a drop off but it was a job to get back out again. The airline had to lighten the airplane as much as they could and perform a pretty dramatic short field takeoff to get back out, was exciting enough all the local news outlets sent cameras to watch.
I was a passenger on a commercial flight to Oklahoma City. One of the audio channels was the aircraft radio. I was listening in and as we were lining up on final, ATC came on and said we were lining up on Tinker Field. Oops. It was a beautiful clear day.
My buddy's favorite thing to say when new people show up at his shop after they land is "welcome to Madera!" His shop is at KFCH 20 miles away. The looks he gets are actually pretty funny.
Wow I just discovered your channel and I'm in love! You are so inspirational. My dream is to become a pilot of any sort and travel the world. Thank you so much for making these videos.
Aw, just what I needed to read before going to bed. I'm so glad I could be that for you :)
Before spending ANY money on flying training make sure you are medically fit to fly Solo otherwise you will waste your money !
Been years since I've flown, but your videos always keep those fantastic memories fresh
For us Cessna drivers, don't forget shutting the cabin door with the seat belt hanging out! You'll catch it on the checklist, but it's always a "D-oh!" moment. Great video!
Haha seen that a bunch of times.
I haven't done #2 exactly, but:
"Cheyenne Tower, Skyhawk 7---D is fifteen miles south at 9500 feet for runway 27 with information hotel."
"N7---D, report midfield downwind."
...
"Cheyenne Tower, 7---D is midfield downwind runway 27."
"N7---D, cleared to land runway 27."
"Cleared to land runway 27, 7---D".
...
"N7---D, you're lined up for runway 31. Did you still want runway 27?"
DOH!
Oof. At least they noticed and were polite :P
My dream is to become a pilot, after this year I will hopefuly get into a plane mechanic school and join the army to become a military pilot, but glad I will remember these mistakes to teach me not to forget. Awesome vid!
Thanks, mate, and best of luck :)
Thank you so much, it mens a lot!
Haha. Back when training for my PPL, i forgot one tie down attached to one of the wings of my PA28 and got into pilot seat getting ready for engine start procedures.
My CFI - retired US army Col. Said:
“Unless you wanna start today’s lesson with Steep turns on the ground; I suggest you remove all tie-downs”
That was both embarrassing and hilarious 😂
Great video, I must say I chuckled when you said forgot chocks, I've done that twice, and I remember a few flights when on base trying to turn on the landing and and finding it still on
I bought a plane half way through my student training. My first float with my CFI, I was so excited I went through the checklist, checking everything. Or so I thought, line up on the numbers... and the airspeed did not respond. Oops, the checklist said nothing about the pitot tube cover.
Haha. I did the same thing (buying my plane halfway through training), not the pitot thing, sorry! Haha.
Turn to full throttle, "airspeed is... dead?"
To be fair, that is something you should really add to that checklist.
What checklist are you using? Checkig the Pitot tube is on every aircrafts preflight checklist. See if you can find it on this one? www.cpaviation.com/images/downloads/C150-Checklist-9.27.16.pdf
Mistakes. You will make them. Hopefully you'll live another day to learn from them. Some of the mistakes I've made raise the hair on the back of my neck. Like forgetting to replace the fuel cap. Or ignoring a loose flying wire that resulted in a bracket breaking holding the vertical stabilizer in place. Do this hobby for long enough, and you'll do something that will really question if you got any business being at the controls of a flying airplane. Learn from your own mistakes. But whenever you have the chance, learn from others mistakes. And don't judge the errors of another pilot. That could easily have been you skidding the airplane from base to final. If you do find yourself scoffing at the errors of another pilot, it is a good sign you've picked he wrong hobby.
Bravo! Simply the best statement on the subject I've read yet.
Awesome video! :) Almost all of these are not very high risk issues and very glad that when I do dumb stuff like forgetting something I am not alone. As technical as flying can be and as many opportunities as there are for things to go south on you, it can also be very forgiving. Just never count on it.
This video made me feel really good and also made me laugh because I've done some of the exact things mentioned here, as a student pilot with about 60 hrs total including 8 hrs solo.
When I was very new as a student pilot, I almost started moving with the tail end "tie-down chain" still in place, as I missed this during my pre-flight. Sad thing is my instructor was with me. Luckily another instructor saw that we were about to move and frantically signaled us!!! Now I do this even before I do any other pre-flight items!
Other embarrassing mistakes:
like saying ".....turning LEFT final 😃 ....." and then being corrected by someone on the radio that there is no such thing as a "LEFT" final!
contacting "TRAVIS approach" to request flight following and saying "TRACY approach (no such thing😃) cessna 67755 with request". Did this by mistake after hearing another pilot's conversation referring to the TRACY traffic pattern (another airport).
Took off with carb heat on (did not do after landing checks meticulously) and was wondering why the aircraft was climbing so slowly. What made this situation even worse was that I was practicing a soft-field takeoff, and the C152 is literally flying at its performance limits on a hot day! Luckily I noticed this just in time! Suffice it to say I've learned my lesson! 😃
Luckily I don't have to mess with changing fuel tanks (at least for now), since I fly a C152 which does not need this procedure.
#8 forgetting to put the fuel tank cap on... another great video!!!thanks for all your hard work! very entertaining and love your variety
That ALMOST made it in! Look at the thumbnail ;)
Forgetting to set the altimeter during preflight. Of course my instructor let me get in the air and on course before asking me what altitude I should be flying! Easily corrected, but felt so dumb.
You are awesome for putting out this video and I hope that you and everyone who watches this channel has these mistakes as their worst mistakes ever
Fairwinds and blue sky’s
In the earliest part of my PPL training after a botched approach, my instructor told me to go around. I replied "go around?" to confirm and he replied "go around." I had thus far never done a go around in my training. I pushed the throttle forward, pitched up enough for straight and level and proceeded to clean up my flaps. The mistake I had made was that I didn't allow my airspeed to reach Vr prior to retracting and a 0 flaps configuration raises our Vso. We started to drop for about a second. I, being a flight sim enthusiast knew that you apply back pressure until your IAS is at or above Vr and then pitch for Vy. Everything happened so fast. As we started to climb my CFI asked me "you ok?" Slightly shocked and shaking my head in disbelief I replied "yeah I'm ok." He said "you never clean up your flaps until you are well above your stall speed. I started to slap your hand."
That was a big lesson that I will never forget.
On a piper with a 2 latch/lock door. Forgetting to lock the top latch door.
My third flying lesson: when shutting down, I forget all about cutting the mixture and pull the keys straight out. After frantically slashing the mixture, the instructor gives me a VERY puzzled face. Kept me up at night for a month. Thanks as always for the videos!
Haha that happened at the end of one of my videos with someone recently, but I won't tell you whom ;P
Actually not that big of deal if you stop the engine by cutting the mags, but it can leave fuel in the cylinders and make an accidental start more likely. How do you stop your car engine?
I try to do it intentionally about once a week as a mag check: low-idle, key to OFF, listen for the engine to slow, key back to BOTH, engine comes back to life, then idle to 1000 and mixture cut-off to actually stop the engine. Then keys to OFF and out. If you've never done that, then you have no way to know if your mags actually disengage when you turn the key to OFF.
Ditto, but I did not get a puzzled face, I got a never to do that again face.
Well, it's comforting to see I'm not the only one who has done this :')
if you usually drive a car you can get used to that to think keys will stop the engine :)
I ride a bike :)
Very open, honest and generous of you!
Great list! It keeps us all humble and... primed to be our best as pilots.
At my school they set a reoccurring message in the GPS to go off every 30/45 minutes to switch the fuel tanks. You could use that as well and set it to whatever you think works for you. Just an idea!
Is that on a Garmin 430/530? Because that would be fantastic!!!
Friendly Skies Film jappp. There are timers in the 430s... AUX pages...
That's the best new trick I've learned in months!! Can't wait to implement. Funny, I've explored every page in that GPS and have the PC trainer. It just never occurred to me to use it as a fuel timer!
Friendly Skies Film me flying Archers... 20m counters... Any counters in Foreflight ?
Not that I know of (which doesn't say much today!) but I'm also using a WAY old build of foreflight.
I have done almost all mistakes listed in this video. Except wrong RWY.
Can't remember one single flight where I have done evrything 100% flawlessly.
It's a tall order! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for making these videos. They are really helpful!
I really needed this video! I just started flight training at the USAF Aero Club here in Okinawa, Japan. It seems really challenging to fly here, but I feel a little more relaxed about not having to be perfect at everything all the time. Great video as always!
Glad I could be of service! That's why I made it :)
Nicholas! Just wanted to let you know this video of yours is being shown at the Corpus Christi International Airport's Control Tower by their during tours of their facility. I recorded as much as was allowed of a tour they gave to South Texas Flying Club, and your video is included in this recording. They seem to love you there, and I thought you'd like to know. Keep up the good work! Here's the link... southtexasflyingclub.org/gallery-blog/
How about landing at an AFB a couple miles over from your civilian destination. I hear lots of annoyed men with guns show up and take you to see the base commander, where you get to talk to your flight school, and get a new lecture in navigation when you get home!
Neil Harbott .. Rapid City and Ellsworth AfB?
Barry Kiesz air force base
Stay WELL CLEAR of KXTA aka Homey Airport! You'll get a naaaaasty suprise... and probably never be heard of again.
I've made most of these mistakes during my private pilot training. One of my favorites was on a flight from Tracy to Livermore, I addressed the tower at Livermore as "Tracy Tower". "Cessna 12345 this is Livermore Tower". For those of you unfamiliar, this is even more embarrassing because Tracy is untowered.
Great video. Forgot the chocks once during an early lesson. CFI let me forget them. Last time it's happened (so far...). My most common mistake after getting my license seems to be forgetting to turn the master on before yelling, "Clear prop!" and turning the key to hear only silence. Even though I have the checklist IN MY HAND. Genius award, right here...
The worst is when it’s Opposite Day and you raise the gear on approach
probably after 40 hours of flying as a student pilot, i made the mistake of forgetting to pull the chocks. had the engine started and pushed the throttle in to get going but i wasn't moving. i looked down and saw that the brake was off then looked out the window and saw the chocks still on. i felt like a complete idiot and my flight instructor just put more throttle in till we jumped the chocks XD
This was exactly how it happened to me. You feel literally like the dumbest man in the world!
That beginning scene when the flaps were raised and the carriage settled was so cool!
I agree with you on how important it is that you make sure others are learning. I think that makes a new pilot show the FAA how much they love flying. How important flying is
You're doing great man I wish you the best I'm working on my PPL great advice
Too kind. Thanks, friend :)
Loose end of the seatbelt hanging out the door of a c150...starts loudly slappin the fuselage shortly after tkf and you just KNOW a wing is coming off🤣
If it's not hanging out too far it makes a buzzing noise consistent with engine RPM... sounds like an oil starvation or engine bearing problem. Power on, it's there, power off, it's gone. Try noticing that half way through your first solo long cross country flight over decidedly mountainous terrain 45 minutes from the nearest airstrip.
Today, I started to preflight the wrong airplane (similar tail numbers). When I looked at the Hobbs and realized they were completely different from the binder I had, I started to secure the airplane and locked the keys to the airplane I was supposed to fly inside the wrong airplane. 🤦🏻♂️
When I got my first car I had a nasty habit of locking my keys in the car, so much so I started walking with a spare set. One day I illegally parked in a fire lane of a strip mall because I quickly needed to use an ATM. When I got back to my car… yep, you guessed it. I locked the keys in the car… with it running, spare set in the car also.
I run back inside to use a payphone (this was a awhile ago) and call a locksmith (which I had the number memorized by this time). “Yeah, me again. At the strip mall this time”
“Okay, I’ll be right there”
So I go back to my car to wait for the locksmith to show up and it was at this moment 🤦♂️. Busy parking lot, bright sunny day right in the middle of the afternoon and my cars running with the keys in the ignition, spare set on the center console… sunroof open and all the windows down. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
One time me and my instructor was trying to start the engine for like 2 min, but then realizing the key was not turned to both. It was a pull starter c150
Distraction, inexperience, being under pressure are at the roots of all these mistakes. Discipline, practice, planning is the cure for all of them.
I don't fly often enough, so I debrief all my flight and write up everything in my notebook, which didn't go well. The list is quite long :) but glancing through the last few flights helpedme to improve a lot, step by step, weeding out the mistakes, and leaving the for a good laugh from the past.
How's this, first solo x-country, was supposed to go to an airport in the high desert. "Found the airport", making calls, land, and realize the "Welcome to...." on the side of the FBO was the wrong "Welcome to...." Took off (using the correct CTAF this time) and found the correct airport about 10 miles away. Oops.
Harder to do here in MA, but probably not that uncommon elsewhere. Glad you're still here with us :P
I had the exact same experience on my first solo x-country. I called runway 26, landed on runway 27....hmm, thats weird, I thought, I must have written down the wrong runway number. Got back to the FBO and told my instructor the anomaly, he pointed to my map and smiled, I landed at an airport three miles from my intended target.
Nice to know I'm not the only one with map reading issues.
When I did it I thought it was odd that my pilotage calcs were off by 10 min, I guess that should have been a clue.
Haha, i just posted about a very similar experience on my first solo xc. Luckily I had a controller looking after me cuz landing on a dirt runway without asphalt could have been interesting. I'm still gonna send it tho
Turning the volume down to talk to a passenger, then forgetting to turn it back up. Oops!
Been there, let me tell ya!
My first flight after passing my check ride with a passenger. I request, and am granted flight following. There was a lot of chatter over the radios so i turned down the volume. After some time I realize that there is no chatter over the radio and that I should've been handed off to the next frequency. Sure enough, i turn up the volume and the first thing i hear is, "Cherokee N----D, if you can hear me, turn 30 degrees to the right". Even as a pilot, you never stop learning.
i'd let ATC tell you but you probably wouldn't hear it...
The "Intercom" "OFF" "Head Phones" selector switch got bumped to off - little bitty tiny thing. "Why doesn't this radio work where are the light gun instructions - - - - " My co-pilot/not current 3rd class pilot passenger figured it out. No, I didn't let him pay for the gas.
You made an excellent point that I try to explain to people that is often overlooked. Learning to fly is a VERY lonely endeavor. All you have is the word of your instructor. You have no peers with which to gauge how well you are doing and it makes it very difficult at times.
Kind of like skydiving... as soon as you let go of the plane, you have never been so alone!
Here are some of my pilot mistakes after 3 years of flying:
1. Wrong frequency - flew with my CFI to Class D airport and used CTAF instead of Tower because I misinterpreted the tower opening time.
2. Wrong Altitude - on the same flight as above, I set altitude to 7,500 feet MSL and the tops of the mountain was 8,000. I was practicing simulated IFR and CFI tells me to remove the foggles and look outside. Boy, was I way too close to terrain. Would have been CFIT
3. Too high on landings and low airspeed - had a couple of really hard landings because I floated too high and airspeed bled off. Should have gone around
4. ATC pissed off for interfering with a parachute drop - apparently I strayed too close to a parachute drop (not military) which was not mentioned in the NOTAMs and ATC got rather upset with me. No advisories from anyone so how would I know.
It is true that no pilot is perfect.
I want this guy as my instructor
How about taking off with carb heat on after a full stop on a grass field with obstruction at the end?
Excellent comments. Many apply to those of us who fly rotary-wing as well. Nobody's perfect. Thanks for the reminder!
Done a couple of those but never the wrong runway. The DG is always in my eye on final. I too use the trim in the 140 in the flair. Also on the climb out. I like to unload the yoke when ever possible. cool videos guys!
I saw a plane land once with a chalk swinging from his tail wheel.
6 happened to me last week
I watched this video couple of month ago before I started PPL training, it didn't make a lot of sense. Now I'm back re-watching it and it is very funny.
this made me feel better :) I'm a student pilot, currently doing ground to take my written this Feb and do flight this Spring-Summer as soon as weather gets better!
thanks for the great video! 🔑
That's why I make them! Good luck, friend :)
*squawking 7500*
*minutes later*
"Ladies and Gentleman, this is your captain speaking. We got two f-18's on our sides, please take a picture before I tell them to return. It will help your Instagram to gain followers."
Taking a friend on a flight in the plane: yelling clear prop pushing that starter button and the prop turns through 3 time never starting, only to look down and see you've left the mags off....(Those Cessna guys don't know how lucky they are with the mags key turn to start.
Ahh, yes! I see how you could make that mistake.
I did that once, starting the engine with my mechanic leaning in the open door. "I can't seem to get it started". He says "what say you turn it on", pointing at the mixture, which was closed.
I yelled "clear prop" and set mixture rich and tried starting up my 150. After multiple trials in a span of at least 2 mins, I realized I left the starter key in the off position......that made me want to literally take my stuff and get it out of the plane and call it a day. Im not the only one, nice vid
I started training in October last year and love this channel!
I've experienced almost all of these points 😕
So glad you enjoy it :)
What’s the crank on the ceiling of that Piper for?
Stabilator trim! Trim wheels on the floor only became an option after about ten years of Cherokee production. Good question :)
How bout forgetting to make the mixture full rich when starting up and not knowing why it won't start
Been there - but after a few seconds it's rather obvious. Uh Oh it kicks off with the priming charge and dies. So really it's after a few times that it's obvious.
The biggest mistake I made was as a student pilot on my first solo short three leg flight - I got lost. I gave a lot of thought to what could have been the cause and it became obvious that I forgot to set the DG before takeoff.
Good lesson. Appreciate the honesty. Been right there with you in every one of these over the years. Thanks for the candidness :-)
I tried my best. Glad you enjoyed :)
Notification Squad :p
You guys are slow today ;)
We we're stuck behind the skywest
Haha
Landing on wrong runway a common mistake?...I dont think so..I can honestly say i have NEVER landed on wrong runway. How can you mistake runway 14 for 32...Your compass and gyro was Inop?
Happens everyday.
Alan Jerousek Wrong runway, ha. In Florida, along the coast where there are tons of airports with very similar runways, pilots land at the wrong airport all the time. Their airport diagram says Runway 16, they see 15 on final and just rationalize to themself that their diagram is out of date. Meanwhile they're landing 10miles from the runway they think they're landing on. Happens all the time.
I'm quoting paint it black here: like a new born baby, it just happens everyday
I would think landing at the wrong airport is more common although with foreflight and new tech it shouldnt happen!
Judging by the first couple hundred comments, both happen with some frequency.
Thank you. I just started my flying lessons. Will remember your video.
Not a pilot, but I can watch these for hours. Always wanted to fly. And the comments aren't full of filth. Thanks for the great content.
Aw, thanks mate :)
A serious subject delivered with excellent humour! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed :)
CHOCKS!! I was a young member of the ground crew back in the 1980's at a local airfield in the UK. As a non-pilot, having only flown as a passenger a few times, I had just been checked out to start and move aircraft and park them away from the apron out on the field. My first solo attempt came on a very busy and incredibly hot and sweaty afternoon.....I did everything I thought I needed to do very cautiously, climbed in, got settled, headset on, radio on and called for permission to start and there, right in front to CFI (a man of no humour or personality!) who was watching me like a hawk, preceded with the "CLEAR PROP" yell, started and was ready to move away, feeling cautiously proud that I was about to do 'a grown up thing', when I saw him draw a hand across his throat in a '"shut it down you fool" gesture. I did so and he came round to the door and asked me what I thought I was doing....I explained I had been checked out and as the apron was jammed with aircraft and we needed to clear space in front of the hangar, I had been asked by the tower staff, to move several club Warriors out onto the grass....."Not with the bloody chocks in you won't!" was his reply. I can still feel the clammy red face and sweat trickling down my back to this day! I climbed out, removed the chocks and did it all again. As if things were not then bad enough, as I leaned back in my seat to check the wingtip clearance, a wasp which had obviously got into the cockpit, went down the back of my shirt and as I squashed it against the seat, it stung me in the back of my left shoulder! I also still get and itch and sharp twinge from that exact site on occasion to this day! My son is now learning to fly and he has been told this tale as a reminder to be sure to remove the chocks!! The other 'NEVER FORGET' incident I saw from a few yards away one afternoon, was an experienced pilot pull his Warrior forward onto the apron with the steel tow-bar, do a pre-flight and when I saw him again, he was in the left seat and shouting "Clear Prop"...Only then did I spot he had the tow-bar still connected....shortly after the engine firing, it flicked up into the prop and was fired across the apron into the hangar doors! It went like a bullet and made a fantastic sound! BIG RED FACE AND BIG RED BILL! Fortunately no one was hurt...it could have killed someone.
I have flown heavies and was an instructor, flew commercial as well and can tell you made #1-2 before when first starting to fly. Not the others however. But the one thing that can help keep you out of trouble is think ahead of the aircraft. Such as before you take off know what you will do if the engine fails before lift off, at 50 feet in the air or at 1,000 feet. Have your plan in your mind and then you don't need to think about what you will do. I thank my instructors for instilling this in me. Same for coming into an airport, have your comms set up. Know the pattern and what you intend to do based on the winds you should already have telling you what runway is most likely in use. This is the greatest failing of all student and new pilots thinking ahead. And if you think it doesn't happen to instructors in the Air Force, it does, both of my instructor pilots taking off in a G Model B-52 forgot to inject water once the EPR was above the critical setting meaning we had to fly below 10,000 feet while dumping the 10,000 pounds of distilled water that should have been injected during take off. No one flys without making mistakes just make sure these mistakes are minor ones and think ahead.
Flying is fun but not without risk- enjoy it!
Thank so much for giving some commentary with your videos, so many people just have the noise of the plane. They should just show photos. Love your videos.
Have made some of the mistakes on your list, but what you're saying about constantly learning is so true. "Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions."
One thing I'll never forget ever again is the tow bar on a C172... Engine fired up nice and prop was happy, until I taxied and tow bar met prop...
Worst day ever, seriously! Now years later I can smile at it, sort of - ish... I still don't know how I forgot it. Biggest lesson there? Be present and alert when you fly... and most importantly, remember to enjoy it :)
Good summary, my friend :)
VERY TRUE! Excellent video. We are ALWAYS learning, every day. :)
I like to think so :)
I was landing my flight schools 172 the other day and made a perfect flair for a nice gentle touchdown with the right differential brake locked thankfully my instructor is amazing and saved it.
Thanks for your videos! Love each and every one of them.
:)
Great video! Just got home from an overnight XC and can count at least 5 things I messed up - on the first leg.
Flying doesn't have to be perfect to be safe, but we should always be striving for perfection. That's why I debrief every flight, including via track log data & CloudAhoy and I try hard to catch my mistakes in flight and either correct them quickly or make a strong mental note to avoid it in the future. Key there is not to let it distract and cause additional mistakes.
Best one yesterday was keying the mic to talk to my passenger. Ironically I said something like "I think that's the approach path" as I pointed to an airliner passing off our right that ATC had alerted me to. Very nice approach controller came on and said, "I'm not sure if you were asking me, but yes, that 737 is on the XX arrival." :) I replied, sheepishly, "Oops, I keyed the mic didn't I - so sorry, and thank you very much."
I knew someday I was going to do that. Thankful it was with my wife and not during a checkride!
I'm kind of waiting to do that too, or hear a student do it. Great philosophies, as always, btw sir.
Thank you for this video, it makes me feel easier.
As a student, this might be the most helpful aviation video I've seen yet!! Seriously. Thank you.
I'm glad you thought so :)
No matter what, you can always pick out something not perfect after every flight. Some would call it picking pepper out of dirt, but after decades of flying I find post-flight evaluation a rewarding practice nonetheless.