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  1. SpeedyAV Jan 2, 2017

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    Please share your most memorable flight(s), whether it was a close call and/or passengers missed out on how dangerous a situation they were in or an unruly passenger(s), medical emergency, etc. Open to military pilots as well and your most memorable experience. I've always had an interest in flight (who doesn't right *Speedy*)and I always make sure to thank the pilot(s) of my flight and especially let them know if they performed a good landing.
     
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  2. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jan 2, 2017

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  3. corn18 Jan 2, 2017

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    I'll go first.

    First time I flew any aircraft was my first flight in a T-34C Mentor with VT-6 in Pensacola, FL (Whiting Field) in Aug 1988. Scared to death. Front seat. Great instructor in the back (not a screamer). Clear day. He did the takeoff, climb out and initial up and away demo. We were flying straight and level at 5,000 ft, maybe 120 kts CAS. He asked if I was ready to take the controls. I meekly replied "affirmative". As soon as I took over, I was doing great. For about 30 seconds. Then the plane kept climbing and descending and accelerating and decelerating. And it was clearly bent because I could not maintain my heading no matter how hard I tried. No matter what I did, the plane was out of control. There must be some malfunction.

    After letting me suffer for a couple of minutes, the instructor took the airplane back and got things under control. The plane had clearly self repaired itself and was now ready for me to try again. It was then that I learned how to fly: the instructor told me to look in my mirrors at him in the backseat. Both his hands were in the air. Apparently, planes fly just fine without any human input at all. He gave me control of the plane again and I held my hands in the air. He gave me an above average for air work for that.

    That's my first memory as a pilot.

    Corn
     
  4. Pvt-Public Jan 2, 2017

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    I've been in a couple go-arounds at DCA.They are always interesting
     
  5. Mad Dog rockpaperscissorschampion Jan 2, 2017

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    Much like @corn18 above, the first aircraft I had ever flown was the T-43C Mentor with VT-2 in Pensacola, FL (Whiting Field) in early 1987. A later part of the T-34C syllabus at the time called for a number of precision aerobatic (PA) solo flights where loops and rolls were practiced. On my first PA solo flight following practicing aerobatic maneuvers, I lost radio communications with ATC. While checking all switches, knobs and cords, I had lost situational awareness of where I was over the ground and was lost...BUT...I had regained radio communications with ATC. I asked for a vector to one of the visual checkpoints in order to return to Whiting Field since I was starting to get somewhat low on fuel. ATC asked for my position and I stated that I was a student Naval Aviator and that I didn't know my position...and that I was lost. Humongous laughter ensues over the radio since many of our instructor pilots were also on that frequency. Anyway, I got my vector, became 'unlost' and landed without incident at Whiting Field...BUT...I received a ton of shit from the instructor pilots when I walked into the squadron.

    That's my first 'oh shit' memory as a pilot.

    Mad Dog
     
  6. ahsposo Most fun screen name at ΩF Jan 2, 2017

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    I'm not a pilot but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once.
     
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  7. Mad Dog rockpaperscissorschampion Jan 2, 2017

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    Also, don't forget to tell them how cool their watches (and watch bands) are. :D

    IMG_8198.JPG
     
  8. dougiedude Carpe horologium! Jan 2, 2017

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    I'm not a pilot, but my watch is one...;)

    Photo Nov 18, 2 43 44 PMb.jpg

    At first, I thought perhaps this was a call to those with the Zenith Pilot... a pretty cool watch! :cool:

    Photo Nov 17, 2 02 00 PM.jpg

    ...but I can certainly appreciate everything that the men who are named for these watches represent ... thanks for the very cool thread and the awesome pilot stories so far... :D...:thumbsup:

    In my own profession, there are mostly periods of 'steady as she goes'... but then every so often....:eek:

    Bring 'em on!
     
    Edited Jan 3, 2017
  9. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Jan 3, 2017

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  10. corn18 Jan 3, 2017

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    I thought the rule was no smoking within 12 hours and no drinking within 50 ft.
     
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  11. SpeedyAV Jan 4, 2017

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    Will do...especially if saw a pilot wearing a watch on both wrists :)

    Thank you pilots (and non-pilots) for your interesting stories :thumbsup:
     
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  12. Mad Dog rockpaperscissorschampion Jan 4, 2017

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    ...with matching black nylon Rothco Commando protective bands...AND the watches [Seiko 6309-7049 top, Seiko SRP777K1 bottom] are synchronized and hacked to the second...zoom in on the pic and behold the AWESOMENESS. :D
     
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  13. corn18 Jan 6, 2017

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    I'll add another story.

    I was a department head (Maintenance Officer) in VFA-82, probably around 2000. Our squadron was transitioning from older Lot 10 F/A-18C's to brand new Lot 18's. Whenever we got a new jet delivered, it would need a Pro A acceptance hop. Basically go out and test everything to make sure it works (shut down engines, emergency gear extension, lots of other fun stuff). The best part about the new jet that it's slick: no external pylons or kit. So it can go really fast.

    I took the jet out into the warning area off of South Carolina and ran through the Pro A profile lickity split and had about 8,000 lbs of gas left. So, I decided to see how fast this new bird could fly. I started a Rutowski climb profile. Accelerated to Mach 0.9 and started a climb to 45,000 ft. I turned south abeam North Carolina and pushed the nose over to accelerate to Mach 1.3. Then climbed back up to 45,000 ft at 1.3M and let her run. Got to Mach 1.92 abeam Jacksonville, FL (that's as fast as the Hornet would go. The inlet geometry limited the airflow at this speed). That turned out to be just north of 1,500 mph ground speed. I thought that was cool, but wanted to see how fast I could get the calibrated airspeed up to. Pushed the nose over at 45,000 ft about 30 deg nose down. Let the KCAS climb until I got scared. I pulled up at around 16,000 ft and saw 820 KCAS in the HUD. That was really cool. (The engineers told me later that the canopy was only rated to 780 KCAS. I told them no it isn't).

    About then, I looked outside and I was abeam Miami and short on gas, so I pointed her north and headed home on a bingo profile (luckily I didn't have to declare an emergency for low fuel), feeling pretty good about my pilot skills.

    I landed and taxied back to the flight line and shut down. The line chief was there and asked how the hop went, and I said fine. Then he walked around the jet and yelled "What the hell did you do to my jet?" I walked back to where he was and he pointed to the starboard vertical stabilizer that was now missing quite a bit of paint. I said oops, and told him they should make the paint more durable.

    I think I flew at the speed of heat that day.

    Corn
     
  14. Mad Dog rockpaperscissorschampion Jan 6, 2017

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    :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
    :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
    :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

    If there was a 'triple like button', I'd hit it. :D
     
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  15. cvrle1 Jan 6, 2017

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    I wish I was a pilot. Wanted to get my private pilot license for long long time, but never have the funds for it. $13K minimum, Just cant find that kind of dough lying around on the side of the street anywhere so far.
     
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  16. gemini4 Hoarder Of Speed et alia Jan 6, 2017

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    If the F-18 had more range you could have been abeam Havana.
     
  17. SpeedyAV Jan 6, 2017

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    Awesome story @corn18 ...after the first read I went back and looked up some terms and abbreviations like abeam, KCAS, and bingo profile...learned some new things and enjoyed a cool story :thumbsup:
     
  18. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jan 7, 2017

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    Duty crew story.

    I was marshalling a Mirage 111C in after a late transit from Singapore some years ago.

    As chocks went in and engine ran down I glanced over the bird for the normal issues (leaks, doors, etc) and noticed a coconut palm leaf jammed between the port external tank pylon and the wing!

    Holy Fu#k! I thought. I walked to the STB side and saw the big jug (external long range tank) had two really big dents in it about the size of a human head, WTF???

    I went back to the ladder just as the knuck was getting out and asked him what was the go with the "foliage".

    "Oh that, yeah I guess we were a bit low, I was trying to beat Boggy back and in the rush I got a bit low on approach and ran into a coconut palm".

    The fact is that approach at both ends was clear for out to five kilometres didn't seem to register with him.

    I guess there were some residents somewhere along the flight path from Singapore to Butterworth who wondered what all that noise and falling coconuts was all about.
     
  19. corn18 Jan 7, 2017

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    Hmmm.... Definitely not a Viper driver, because we both had short legs. Eagle drivers never cared about range and there were never enough Echo drivers to matter. F-14 guys ignored the A part until around 1992, so maybe a Tomcat F/A wannabe. Now, an Intruder guy would say that. Everyone else is largely irrelevant. :cool: ::stirthepot::
     
  20. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Jan 7, 2017

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    Had to clear a few F-18 s coming from Guam and there was a few places that I had to get around to see them all. The squadron leader was first down but at one of the hangers where there was a hanger full of officials and Australian military personal so I thought I could pick the second one up on the apron before the first made it to the hanger.

    Jet stopped and pilot jumps out with his dick still hanging out through he's jump suit. ( forgot to put it away after removing his piss tube ) Ground crew tried to warn him that his fly was undone but the pilot thought he was asking about the flight and started rambling on. At this point he noticed and turned around and put it away and laughed and said " that's how we roll " . Never seen anyone as embarrassed

    Got to the other hanger and had the pilot in the back of the car that was sooooo glad he didn't do it in front of the 20 odd people ( several ladies) waiting for the squadron leader.

    Spent a week down at the air base with some of the US pilots and never paid for a beer whilst matey was there.
     
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