Flying Dangerously !!!

[Jetranger]

Flying Beyond Ridlicious Crashes that is !!!

The last few years, I've been keeping up with as many News articles on small plane crashes, and gotta tell ya, I'm really really starting to wonder if some of these people should of ever been issued a Pilots license in the 1st place ??

Been noticing way too many Small Plane crashes lately, within the last 3 years especially !

Keeping in mind - my Father flew for 53 years without ever an incident and owned his own plane, as well as Maintained it himself, mostly !

Which today I believe is the "Majority" of the Problem with a lotta these Aircrashes happening today !

Too many people with some money are able to just go get their PILOTs license, from Jo'Blow supposed instructor at Goobers so-called Flying School, down in Backwater USA or where ever.

they take your money, pump you up to get even more money out of you and after X Amount of Hours - Presto' you've got yourself a Pilots License , you good to go !!!!

Yup, their all set to take themselves and their family & friends flying

Except 1 little tiny-incy-wincy - bincy thing , they don't really know what the hell their doing, and a lotta what they were taught if at all, just got tossed out the window, because of Arrogrance and ignorance !!!

They were taught how to take the controls, fly the plane, maybe , maybe even PROPERLY talk to ATC / Air Traffic Control , walk around and look at how pretty the airplane looks before taking off, which I highly doubt many are seriously doing and physically checking certain things before ever leaving the ground or firing up the engine !

Wonder just how many "small plane pilots" these days actually "Physically" check their own Fuel, before ever taking off

and I'm NOT talking about how much Fuel they have in their Tanks !

what I am referring to is the Water/ Fuel Ratio , or , if these wanna be Pilots just assume that the Fuel company takes care of all that - "Assuming" that 16 yr.old kid who pumped that fuel into your tanks checked ?

Well whats the Big Deal about it anyway , Mr. Jetranger dude

So what if theres a little WATER / Condensation / H2'O in the Fuel, whats it gonna hurt, it'll burn off eventually

Well, OK, Mr. Wanna be pilot dude ,,, whens the last time YOU seen a parking lot in the SKY, where you can just pull over if things go BADD

When your Engine starts to Sputter and Spit and cough, while your flying at 7,500 feet or higher, ask your yourself ,
are you "Mechanically inclined enough to actually know your Aircraft" ??
are you Mentally inclined enough to know what procedures to do before actually flying the Aircraft you are about to fly and put your family and friends in ?
Checked your Spark plugs and OIL Lately and all the Fuel & Oil lines and brake lines, and I don't mean, just LOOK at them, but actually physically checked them, are the fittings tight any leaks that you can see ?
any loose or frayed wiring under the hood around the motor
Exhaust manifold tight all bolts tight ??

and how about that Fuel

when is the last time YOU dipped your Tanks ??

and checked for WATER in the Fuel ?? Geee I dunno'

So, whats the Big Deal Mr. Jetranger dude !

Well, what does WATER do at certain temperatures, it FREEZES, and if YOUR not careful when you get to certain Altitudes up in the air, IF you've got any water in your Fuel, it could and can FREEZE up in your Fuel lines, Fuel pump and Carburator, and then what happens

Ummmm, YOU crash !

So, YOU didn't check to see if you had any Condensation / water in your Fuel tanks before EACH and EVERY FLIGHT ??
each and every Flight every single flight

and NOW your permanently forever flying around in Heaven , NOT where you really wanted to be, because now, some other Dufus moron, is Enjoying your hott Trophy Wife in the comfort of what used to be your Bed & Home !!

all because either YOU were too Lazy, or too "assuming", or in too Big of a Hurry to give YOUR aircraft a good proper check - going over, during down time while in the Hanger or before Flight !!!

What did they really teach you at that flying school, besises how to hold on to the controls, look around, look at a few instruments and maybe communicate with ATC, what else did they actually teach you, if, their a reputable qualified Flight School ?

Word of advice :

there are NO Parking Lots in the Sky where you can just "Pull Over" if things go wrong !!

Always do a Pre-Trip inspection of your Aircraft inside & out

that includes the Engine Compartment and area around it, and if you Don't know how or what to look for - than YOU shouldn't be flying !!!

check the water in your FUEL TANKS to see if there is any before each and every Flight - each and every Flight, especially if you live at high altitudes, or with constantly changing climate conditions , such as Heat & humidity and Cold the next day.

My father would constantly check his Spark Plugs and plug wires and Fuel lines, almost weekly, along with his radio's, brake lines, Fire Extinguisher, All windows, tires & wheels, prop about everything and anything you could think of.

53 years without an incident, kinda Speaks for itself doesn't it and it was an older Aircraft too a 1965 Cessna 172 !!

Yes, I been up in it many a times, and I'm thankfully alive to talk about it today , know why , because Dad actually cared about his Saftey as well as mine and was a perfectionist on almost anything he did, at work and on his Airplane and took it serious, which is why I'm here right NOW, able to type this message to the rest of you wanna be pilots, rather your filthy stinkin rich or dirt ass poor - take flying serious !!!

Theres NO room up there for "Horseplay" and goofying around , showing off, it could may very well cost you and others YOUR Life !!!


Below are some interesting links :

http://news.msn.com/us/feds-plane-with-unconscious-pilot-goes-into-ocean

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/08/rockville-teen-among-four-college-students-killed-in-ohio-plane-crash-106481.html

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/08/small-plane-crashes-in-montgomery-county-md-at-least-one-critically-injured-106391.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/07/29/second-person-dies-after-small-plane-crash-on-fla-beach/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/17/small-plane-crashes-investigation/10717427/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/29/home-built-plane-crash-idaho

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/24/teenage-around-the-world-pilot-dies

http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/may/06/small-plane-crashes-house-colorado-video

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/30/santa-monica-plane-crash-california

http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/08/alaska-plane-crash-aftermath-video

http://www.kten.com/story/26331717/pilot-in-weekend-plane-crash-identified

[Fozzer]

When you look at the last photo, you get to realise that aeroplanes are made from nothing more than aluminium cooking foil!

Very dangerous vehicles to be inside...rarely survivable.

No safety air-bags, seat belts, roll-over bars, and impact crush zones!

Paul.

[OldAirmail]

The worst thing about most plane crashes is the pointy thing in front usually hits first.

Otherwise we could have some great simpit cockpits.



Just sayn'.

[Gunslinger619]

As a Mutli-Engine rated Private Pilot, I ALWAYS physically check my fuel level. I have also worked many years in line service. I have seen so many crazy things that I would never do! I personally have seen the "Doctor in the Bonanza." We had a hanger queen at KMYF. The doctor would come fly every 6-8 months. One day I was ASTONISHED to see him pull out the Bonanza A-36 from the hangar WITHOUT a preflight, fire it up and go! WTF!!! That is just asking for it if you ask me!!! I agree with all of your "Flying Dangerously" post! Rock On Ranger!

[Sprocket]

Coming from a background of R+D of medical devices, by its very nature the call is for faultless performance of those devices and is the number one priority.

So now here's an altogether different way of looking at things: A BOLD STATEMENT with a new mantra to adopt...

There is no such a thing as an accident, and there is no such thing as an incident. These are just man made names for human error:

There is no "accident" nor "incident" that you can name that has not got its cause because of either:

1: An unsafe act, or
2: An unsafe condition, or
3: A combination (interaction) of the two.

There are no other causes of accidents other than this....absolutely none. I challenge you to name me just one...
Even damage caused by a tree blown over in a strong wind would have been an "unsafe condition" that already existed.

Nowhere is this mantra more applicable than to flying:
During a pre-flight inspection, the pilot looks for any unsafe conditions which may exist:
During flight he does not do anything unsafe, ie an unsafe act.

The complexity of the safety checks of course depends on the type of flying. ie, is this a fun trip in the Cessna, or a cargo shift in a C130 ?

So now having said all this, one can now understand why there are rigorous checks, and double checks, especially in the military, where there are rigorous systems such as tool checks, cross checks etc.

So, let the debate begin... But I bet you one thing: You are going to remember this thread next time you drive down the road in your car...No more unsafe acts whilst driving along, whilst all the time keeping an eagle eye out for any unsafe conditions..

Jan







And that to me must be the same for flying.

[Jetranger]

I have to agree with Sprocket as well !

[Jetranger]

Another plane crash

http://www.kctv5.com/story/26459008/unresponsive-plane-crashes-off-the-coast-of-jamaica

[Jetranger]

I Have Money , I Buy Airplane - I go Flying, nothing to it, besides I trained in a Simulator, its all Good !!!

Nothin' to Flying, just get in and go, just like driving a car !!

Except for about 20 other reasons, its NOT like Flying an automotive Vehicle !

I've been monitoring a lotta Small to medium aircraft crashes the last few years, and it appears a lot of these crashes seem preventable if they didn't have the wrong attitude and actually took Flying way more seriously and the actual maintenance of the aircraft, other than just doing a Pre-Trip walk-around, and that's it.

That and paying close attention to the Weather !

So the AUTO-PILOT kicked off and he lost control of the Aircraft and it exceded the Speeds - wing broke off went thru the aircraft and in that process, apparently from what I gather , it sucked his son out of the Aircraft, and the plane Crashed killing all on board.

Wonder what he was doing , PRIOR to the Auto Pilot Dis Engaging itself

Hopefully Not sleeping ??

Most Auto Pilots have an ALERT Buzzer Sound to let the Pilot know its NOT engaged, at least to my knowledge on the more "Expensive Aircraft", unless somebody here knows different !

I look for the FAA and NTSB to start issuing Stricter guidelines to get a pilots license, and it may be well warranted !

Recent Air crash story link : http://www.kmbc.com/news/pilot-inexperi ... h/29967378

more info on this crash : http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article4172498.html

NTSB Report : http://www.ntsb.gov/AviationQuery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20120607X54234&key=1

News Report : http://www.wptv.com/news/state/bramlage-family-lake-wales-florida-plane-crash-body-of-boston-bramlage-found

[wifesaysno]

It is the "Cirrus" mentality.

The assumption all the gizmos and geegaas will save you. The assumption that the airplane is always "completely safe"....then with Cirrus people particularly (not all) it is the "I've got the chute I'm okay to do that!" and Cirrus advertising the SR and hyper spin/stall safe (look up the Aussie salesman chute pull- its priceless).

The other side of it is it has become so expensive to fly, flight HOURS have suffered! Doesn't help that many flight schools are training students "the Cirrus way" with SRs and/or the latest glass cockpits and flying them like airliners with each hour of flight training costing $200+ cutting down how often the student flies...then they get their license and are unleashed on the world.

Problem with over confidence in equipment: it can fail, it doesn't control the weather, it doesn't make decisions for you, and it is not controlling the aircraft. Don't get me started on BRS.

Problem with cost: Not enough regular flight time to stay current. 3 touch-and-goes will not prep you for a 1,000mile cross country. (Cirrus folks love flying 1,000mile cross countries)

Problem with flying GA as if they are airliners: GLIDE distance, cross wind tolerance, and general handling are all very different. No need for a 5 mile final! Lycomings, Continentals, and the like fail more than a big turbofan on an airliner.

It all comes down to one thing: airmanship.
Not knowing your plane, not training properly, and not having the discipline to understand your limits and eliminate them with training.


To address this in my current flight training, I am doing the first half of my primary in a tail draggin' & very old panel equipped Cessna 140 with an ex airshow Piper Cub driver...lots of stick-and-rudder, dead stick maneuvers, "ground proximity flying", I fly in mountains so varied winds are common as are varying visibility & ceilings. I practice what I preach! Working on high performance homebuilts helps too in encouraging flying safe.

Happy Swooping!

[Jetranger]

just sad when an entire family loses their life, they seemed like a good family too. and with 4 kids.

dis-heartening to see things like this.

[Sky Boy]

Happy Holidays to all Flight Simmers and your families!

Once back in the late 1960's my brother and I got to ride along with my uncle and his minister who was then a newly retired U. S. Military pilot who flew in Korea and later was a flight instructor for the Air Force up through the early 1960's. They picked us up in Kansas City, MO at the old Municipal/Downtown Airport (Now the Wheeler Downtown Airport I think.) in what was a four passenger, single engine prop airplane with the wing under the belly of the body, e.g., perhaps a Piper Warrior maybe?

Anyway, I distinctly remember watching him prior to our return trip fom from Springfield, MO check EVERY little detail of that aircraft BEFORE he even nodded and told my uncle it was okay for us to carefully board the airplane. He checked EVERYTHING it seemed,e.g., The entire engine components, electrical stuff, lights, flaps, tail, wings, cockpit, windows, etc., etc.. He seem very focused, detailed, thorough doing so. I remember getting to ride home from Springfield, MO to Kansas Cith, MO in the front seat next to him and hear him explaining what each gauge and button was for and what he was constantly monitoring in-flight. Sure, I was a "dumb kid" on my first ever airplane ride, but he sure made a big impression on me throughout that flight, I.e., in-the-air, pre-flight, and post-flight! It was like he was virtually and completely "at one with his aircraft" so to speak. That was my only time witnessing a private pilot or riding in his private aircraft, but I do believe he made a very positive impact on me about the seriousness of piloting an airplane back then!

Just wanted to share that with all of you folks and wishing more so called "private flight instructors" and "private pilots" were like that old guy!

Take care,

Jeff
Call Sign: Sky Boy
Conway, Arkansas, USA