Never again on PE - share your mistakes

[stealthbob]

My apologies to the controller last night....I really just pooped the bed on that one.

From over shooting and under shooting my altitude 3 times, going off course twice and at one point lost comms due to my tinkering with the headset.

I should never has started the flight, I would have failed outright the last three checks in the IMSAFE checklist....

Yes, I did have a couple of sudsy gold bevys in me...I was over with the neighbor hanging out that evening.
Yes I was tired and should have been in bed already, just wanted to get a flight in before I did.
Most decidedly dumb I decided to fly my new Dash 8 with only minutes of experience on that aircraft.

The funny part is it started to get dark and I could not even find the dome light switch.

Anyway, I will be sure to not repeat that series of events again.....

[bbuckley]

Yes, I did have a couple of sudsy gold bevys in me...

I wish I could say I had had a couple of sudsy ones, I blew this one without any "help". Flying my new Carenado Phenom 100 IFR from KSBP to KBUR. My biggest issue is I haven't figured out the G1000 AFCS yet. I was fine at altitude on NAV tracking a GPS route. I had loaded the KBUR ILS 08 approach from the first IAF (FIM) pre flight and was planning to activate vectors-to-final after requesting that from approach. But instead of vectors, Approach gave me "direct SILEX (a much closer IAF) cleared for the ILS 08 approach". So I selected SILEX from the FPL and pressed Direct but I had not yet activated the approach. So I took the AP off NAV and used HDG while I activated the approach. Then I selected APR on the AFCS. But since I had loaded in the full approach the AFCS started taking me off somewhere and I wasn't sure what it was doing so I had to just hand fly in from there. Not pretty given the off course, high and fast start but I walked away. In the process of trying to get down to the crossing altitude while trying to figure out the AFCS I completely forgot I was supposed to do a HPILPT at SILEX. Since I had asked and was expecting vectors to final I completely blew the fact that I was given an IAF and approach clearance not vectors. My bad. Post flight review of the approach however I have a question: If I had been given "Direct TOAKS, cleared for the approach" would a HPILPT have been required? The leg from FIM to TOAKS is marked NoPT but does that apply to TOAKS as an IAF as well?

I also need help understanding a scenario with the G1000 AFCS on approach. If I have the AFCS on NAV tracking a GPS route and then activate an ILS approach with GPS waypoints, I assume the AFCS starts to track the GPS approach route as long as GPS is selected on the CDI. When do I activate the AFCS APR mode and select the ILS on the CDI to get the approach mode for lateral and GS? Anyone have any training material on this?
Thanks--

[Centerforcekid]

Well, I have been out of my cockpit for about 2 months due to back surgery. I'm planning a rusty pilot flight this weekend and thought it would be a good idea to get a few flights in on PE. Out of the box, it to me forever to get my thoughts and mouth working at the same time. Then I got vectors to join V23 out of KSNA, I was vectored past the airway and thought maybe I missed a call, so I turned back to join the vector... wrong... Should have requested verification BEFORE making the turn. Duh ... Man, it's amazing how much you get behind after just a few months off.
Great learning environment Keith, thank you!
Pat

[Flying Penguin]

Well, if anyone heard some idiot in SWA 697 completely mullering a flight from Burbank to Vegas yesterday afternoon, that was me. Between volume issues (couldn't tell what anyone was saying half the time), being a bit rusty on the ol' NGX, EZDOK playing up and a good dose of plain old incompetence, I very nearly logged off in disgust.

If nothing else, it highlighted how much extra workload the proper communications add, and how much further ahead of the aircraft I need to be, particularly when I unexpectedly got a visual approach when I was only really prepared to fly the full STAR. Not so much a problem in my trust old 172, but fighting the NGX proved a bit too much

To whoever was controlling, you have the patience of a saint

[stevekirks]

Well, if anyone heard some idiot in SWA 697 completely mullering a flight from Burbank to Vegas yesterday afternoon, that was me. Between volume issues (couldn't tell what anyone was saying half the time), being a bit rusty on the ol' NGX, EZDOK playing up and a good dose of plain old incompetence, I very nearly logged off in disgust.

If nothing else, it highlighted how much extra workload the proper communications add, and how much further ahead of the aircraft I need to be, particularly when I unexpectedly got a visual approach when I was only really prepared to fly the full STAR. Not so much a problem in my trust old 172, but fighting the NGX proved a bit too much

To whoever was controlling, you have the patience of a saint

I was on as SWA3325 on a flight from KSNA to KSAN and from what I remember it didn't seem very bad on this side. Did you pull the tapes and listen to see if your memory was as bad as the real thing?

Steve

[Flying Penguin]

Hi Steve,

Other than a series of errors in the read backs (and one duff frequency change), it might not have been obvious how high the degree of in-cockpit chaos was, but that was because Aviate, Navigate, Communicate was very much in effect....

Quite frankly Otto the inflatable copilot could have done a better job

[stealthbob]

Just had one of those moments that brought a lot of the training together for me and I learned something that will definitely help moving forward.

When we fly on line, for the most part, controllers anticipate what we may want based on the equipment and location and at times help with options. I just failed my I8 due to the fact that I did not take charge in my flight plan and tried to accommodate the controllers instructions. It was a good one as he gave me the Sweetwater arrival at KSAN, something surely not intended for my little Barron .

I stumbled and indicated that I was not prepared for that and the controller gave me another option. I thought I heard visual for 27 but that was wrong as well.

Lesson was...

I should have just said "Negative on the Sweetwater, request LOC RWY 27"

It may seem to be a simple concept for most of you guys but it was a good lesson learned about being a PIC in the plane. Not sure who the controller was but nice job tripping me up...lesson learned.

Could have been worse, I could have been the guy that cut though someone landing at KSNA....he hit eject though before the controller could get a word with him.

[tshuff]

I was flying while that was happening. This stuck out to me because a bunch of us got the Sweetwater visual a few weeks ago. I assumed you would fail because you didn't have the necessary charts on board, not necessarily because of the Rwy 27 LOC approach not being requested. Pretty crazy, but lessons learned.

[stealthbob]

I was flying while that was happening. This stuck out to me because a bunch of us got the Sweetwater visual a few weeks ago. I assumed you would fail because you didn't have the necessary charts on board, not necessarily because of the Rwy 27 LOC approach not being requested. Pretty crazy, but lessons learned.

Yea I heard you on at the time and thought about the fact that I saw you fly the Sweetwater on an earlier stream....it added a sense of familiarity but I knew it was all wrong.

I recall the route you took and it was certainly one meant for large airliners and not one for my little Barron.

Its amazing looking back how obvious it all was, which is why it was a good "Teachable moment"....trickery yes but it was effective.

I also have to admit I was a little distracted by the guy who blew through an arrival at KSNA.

For the record I repeated the I8 later today and passed without any errors of note.

[Keith Smith]

It's a good reminder that one of the goals of the rating program is to reinforce the concept that if you want to fly an approach other than the one that's assigned, then you need to request it. Per the 'Taking the Tests' section of the training web site, the controller and the 'examiner' are two different roles. While a rating may call for a specific approach, the 'controller' isn't aware that you're doing a test. The 'examiner' is watching you, but it's a separate role to that of the controller (in fact, at some point in the future, the examiner may well be a separate person).

As a result, you need to request whatever approach is required for the rating since the controller isn't supposed to be in on the plan.