RoR: Forum

For all you Solo pilots ;o)

Post 1

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 11:31am

    These were hilarious!

    Just the kind of responses *I*'d probably give were I an aircraft maintenance-guy. I got that same quirky s-o-h personality style :)

    An interesting thing about this whole 'joke-forum' section: I've been using it's URL to send such to others on my e-m list, and so 'expose' others to SOLO...without being overtly evangelical about the worth of O'ism.

LLAP
J-D

Post 2

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 12:04pm

I've had a few nifty little problems with aircraft over the years. On my second supervised solo at Suffolk County Airport (now Gabreski Field (I think), the shimmy damper on the nose gear failed while I was taxiing back to the tower to pick up my instructor after several touch-n-go's. I landed on rwy 24, which is just about 2 miles long and the approach-end of which is nearly 2 miles from the tower. Like a dope, I didn't land long, but instead, put it right on the numbers. Of course, that meant taxiing a looooong ride back to the tower, during which the nose started vibrating like crazy. So I put in full flaps, advanced the throttle just a bit, opened the side window (so I could see), pulled the nose off the ground and taxied on mains only. My instructor, who was waiting for me in the tower parking lot, almost had a conniption when he saw me approaching. He calmed down after I told him what had happend, though. ;o)

Edit: Spelling errors.

(Edited by Summer Serravillo on 9/08, 12:16pm)

Post 3

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 1:09pm

There are a couple of gems in there like "evidence removed" and

(P) Target Radar hums
(S) Reprogrammed Target Radar with the lyrics

Silly stuff that reminds me of the movie Airplane!

Rock on and fly high!

Kat

Post 4

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 2:59pm

hahahaha! The "straighten up and fly right" solution floored me!

Now, I have that song in my head and it won't go away!

gw

Post 5

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 3:22pm

My fav is "Live bugs on order" ;o)

Post 6

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 4:59pm

I guess the "Duh" award goes to the friction locks!

gw

Post 7

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 5:31pm

I guess the "Duh" award goes to the friction locks!

I dunno... Maybe it's tied with this one? :o)

(P) Test flight OK, except autoland very rough

(S) Autoland not installed on this aircraft

Post 8

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 5:51pm

Great stuff Summer. I once had a blonde flight instructor refer to compass heading 385 during some mental calculations. It even took a little argument from me before it finally clicked with her. Of course, she was also the direct cause of the first and last time I was ever in an airplane beyond red-line speed!

Post 9

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 6:12pm

I once had a blonde flight instructor refer to compass heading 385 during some mental calculations.

LOL!! My instructor would have never made such a mistake. He was ex-Air Force (flew in Korea).

Of course, she was also the direct cause of the first and last time I was ever in an airplane beyond red-line speed!

Now, that my instructor was famous for! We (or he, I should say) once shot an approach at 130kias in a Cessna 150... WITH FLAPS! (White arc? What white arc??) We had a 727 behind us on a straight-in, and he wanted to demonstrate how to expedite a landing. He cut the throttle over the threshold and somehow managed to put it down before we used up half the runway. That man was a trip! ;o)

And the pilot who did my practical -- a WWII fighter pilot, and grumpiest man I've ever met -- had me take my test in MVFR/IFR conditions. I did the whole test without a horizon, and with him screamin' at me for all sorts of ridiculous things. But he passed me, so I guess he couldn't have been that bad ;o)

Post 10

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 7:51pm

Summer,

I dunno... Maybe it's tied with this one? :o)

(P) Test flight OK, except autoland very rough

(S) Autoland not installed on this aircraft

I think I would give that the "Lucky to still be here" award!

Jody,

It even took a little argument from me before it finally clicked with her.

You, argue? No way!

I still find the fact that someone had the nerve to call you an I.L.P. hilarious!

Summer and Jody,

I actually shook hands with Chuck Yeager a couple of weeks ago!

He may be my greatest living hero! (Why did I say, may?)

He was signing autographs at a Cabella's sporting goods store & I waited in line for about 10 minutes. Most people were in another line to meet the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. I don't think very many people there even knew who he was. I did though, and I had my priorities straight! (Chuck Yeager or Cheerleaders? Hmm? No contest!)

I waited out those long 10 minutes (10 minutes on a watch but eons in real time) by off and on by staring at "Him!" and by letting visions of the "Glamorous Glennis" X-1 and F-104's and P-51's dance in my head. Anyway, I'm next in line and the thought comes to my mind, just how high did he fly in that 104? 100,000 plus? It had to be. What was the altitude?

And, there I am. Looking straight up in the air. Contemplating what was the correct altitude. When I hear, NEXT PLEASE!

Shock.....and.....Awe!

It is my turn to face Chuck Yeager! My stomach was in knots and I'm pretty sure I was shaking when I shook his hand and when he asked, grinning, "Head in the clouds?"

My response? "It's an honor to meet you sir!" then I turned and walked away!

Crap!

No autograph, no picture! Only a hand that shook Chuck Yeagers hand.

But, in the end it was worth it. Breathing the same air as guy's like that is always worth it!

And, Chuck Yeager spoke to me! Wow!

Anyway, I thought you flyboy's (and gal's!) might appreciate my little adventure. I sure as hell did!

gw

Post 11

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 8:02pm

Gary-

Most people were in another line to meet the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

As much as I admire Yeager, I have to question the line you were in.

That's a great story Gary. The man exemplified courage and ability. I've always wondered what it would be like to sit on the edge of something that no one had ever experienced. And of course, back in those days you did not have computer simulations that would let you experience what it was like to fly the plane before it had ever gotten off the ground. You strapped your ass in by the seat of your courage and ability.

(Edited by Jody Allen Gomez on 9/08, 8:03pm)

Post 12

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 8:22pm

Jody,

As much as I admire Yeager, I have to question the line you were in.

I was peekin'!

And, I think Chuck was too! Ha!

When I think of him, it's like - "Wow, now that's a life!"

And, talk about leading by example. His example is - "Jump in, take control, grab the stick, feet on the peddles, throttle to full and let's see what this baby can do!" Why, because it's important, it's interesting and it's fun! The way life outta' be!

I'm really inspired right now!

I gotta go do........something!

See ya tomorrow!

gw

Post 13

Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 8:49pm

Mine was Alan Shepard... got his book and autograph...

There was always something about him that was non-conformist, and liked that - especially when he snuck in the golf ball and whacked it on the moon...

(Edited by robert malcom on 9/08, 8:52pm)

Post 14

Friday, September 9, 2005 - 3:58am

Gary,

I actually shook hands with Chuck Yeager a couple of weeks ago!

Very kewl! I did as well, but only very briefly at Oshkosh in '95. I didn't really get to say anything to him, nor he to me. He was just "working the line", sorta like a politician. It was still pretty frikkin' neat, though. ;o)

just how high did he fly in that 104? 100,000 plus?

I don't remember how high he flew. I read Yeager many years back, and I do remember him making an unauthorized flight in an F-104 B, which had a rocket engine in the tail. The flight didn't end well... he flamed out at altitude, went into a flat spin and couldn't recover. And when he punched out, and after his 'chute opened, he was struck in the head by the seat, which deposited smouldering embers from the ejection motor inside his oxygen-rich helmet. He was burned pretty badly, if memory serves.

SmS

Post 15

Friday, September 9, 2005 - 4:38am

Another avjoke, ...

At a recent software engineering management course in the US, the participants were given an awkward question to answer. "If you had just boarded an airliner and discovered that your team of programmers had been responsible for the flight control software how many of you would disembark immediately?"

Among the ensuing forest of raised hands, only one man sat motionless. When asked what he would do, he replied that he would be quite content to stay onboard.

With his team's software, he said, the plane was unlikely to even taxi as far as the runway, let alone take off.

;o)

SmS

Post 16

Friday, September 9, 2005 - 5:08am

Gary,

No autograph, no picture! Only a hand that shook Chuck Yeagers hand.

Well, I have an autographed photo of Gen. Paul Tibbets, taken when he returned from Hiroshima. It's that famous pic with him waving out of the window of the Enola Gay. Never met him, though. He has a web site somewhere where you can order the pics.

Edit: The site is http://www.theenolagay.com (duh!) ;o)

Summer

(Edited by Summer Serravillo on 9/09, 5:12am)

Post 17

Friday, September 9, 2005 - 6:19am

Summer,

He has a web site somewhere where you can order the pics.

Will do.

Ahhh, the gorgeous B-29! I think that most WWII aircraft are my favorite works of art!

gw

Post 18

Friday, September 9, 2005 - 6:24am