Big Time Embarassment on the I4

[NyyDave]

Hello PE,

I've got to share this story on one heck of a fail for the I4!

Alright so my chosen destination was Oxnard via the TEC which might I add is a very simple TEC and destination so who would have thought there'd be a problem today? First problem was I expected vectors direct to seal beach so I was surprised when I was given vectors for SMO125R even though this was a pretty obvious path. After getting vectors read to me I figured "Well that's too shallow to get to seal beach" and mis read a greater right turn which luckily was picked up in my readback. So I straightened out on the most gentle intercept course ever and probably over LAX I might have finally nailed the track. After this I get vectors after SMO and at some point later began getting vectors to the ILS 25 at OXR.

Now this is when I really started to blow it...Between my GPS pointed at OXR and the ILS dialed in for the approach (Real quick side note, I just got the RX 530 GPS add on it's taking a bit to get used to at unfamiliar fields) I felt pretty good about my Navaids. After a final vector and clearance for the ILS it looked like my receiver was off miles and miles and way wrong on the heading and I was somewhere to the left of where I should be and high. Now this isn't the first time I mis heard vectors and as I was going to ask for the airport direction approach called back and helped me with vectors. (I know it's IFR so I shouldn't need that but the conditions were perfect VMC so I figured "hey let me get a visual since I have it, I must be having an ILS/Nav problem somehow) Finally with my ILS still waaay off an airport popped into view. I contacted a confused tower, since I was off course still after which I was cleared to land on 25.

Phew! Wait, that's runway 26...
Did I...Is this...Camarillo?

It sure was! In a fit of laughter I told the tower "Tower I'll save myself the embarrassment, I'm at Camarillo, that explains why my instruments went bonkers on me...I'll be back, Goodnight" To which I got back a laughing "I don't think I need to tell you the result" .

That's my worst mishap on the network yet! Thanks a bunch to the controller who had me from Clearance to Camarillo (ha) tower and was cool with an honest mistake or two... this network is great.

Dave H
N1708B

[trigger_fsx]

Interesting story, thanks for sharing. Not sure if you attempted the rating again and got Oxnard as destination, but I did the I4 the other night on X-plane and found the Oxnard localizer to take very long to come alive, which might catch you off guard. A guy ahead of me attempting the I4 as well actually called ATC to confirm the localizer frequency as he was not receiving anything.

Safe flying and a big thanks to the PE guys for this amazing product.

[wmburns]

Thanks for sharing.

Early on starting with PE I had a couple of visual landings at the wrong airport "incidents". At best these are embarrassing. At worst very unsafe.

I noted that when the controller would ask for me to confirm if the airport was "in sight", I tended to just "glance" out the window in the general direction and report "airport in sight" upon seeing "an airport". After two embarrassing pilot deviations something had to change. I now compare the airport configuration to the chart. Comparing the runway configuration as well as the tower/beacon relative location on the field. When possible, I use the GPS to cross check the bearing and distance to the field.

To PE controllers, if you have every wondered why it takes me soooooo long to reply to a request to report the field in sight, this is why. I'm busily comparing what I see out the window to the chart.

In this regards, a valuable lesson has been learned without anyone being hurt. Thanks PilotEdge.

[flatbedder]

I just started using PE and find it to be incredible! I use P3D and downloaded FSXFlight. This little jewel lets you connect Foreflight to your sim. One on the best navigation tools ever. The georeferenced airport diagrams and plates really help.