Something is missing

This nagging feeling of having forgotten something can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the overall reliability of your memory. Personally, when I get this feeling, I rack my brain for a certain amount of time and, if that doesn’t work, I push it out of my mind. And THEN, after a couple of minutes, I remember! At least 34.7% of the time. The other 65.3% of the time, I remember when I’m already too far down the road or at my destination. But then I’m not responsible for piloting and aircraft, so a little hit and miss is okay.

A vital strategy of mine is to outsource my memory to paper or, more recently, to my phone. I have an app where I can manage to-do-lists on my phone and my computer and they are automatically synchronized. It’s great! In the olden times, I would have my paper-based lists, usually a big sheet of paper with a to-do-list for today, for later, for various projects, a shopping list, etc. etc. and every so often would have to write a new sheet and transfer the usually enormous amount of unchecked items. Things are so much better now!

Of course, if I don’t put “toothbrush” on that awesome electronic list, there’s a non-zero chance that I’ll actually forget to pack one, like on our last vacation trip, haha!

Stef

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5 comments on “Something is missing
  1. Lewis says:

    It’s this because Mike left all his stuff at the rc track only to realize it when he got all the way home?

  2. Harro Nehlsen says:

    Good one!
    I can relate to the “somethings missing”, that irritating feeling is awfull.

    So, Chuck can do some decent landings after all. On the other hand, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. I had a situation some time ago when the tower commented my landing the same way Chucks ATCs did in a strip a while ago. “That was three for the price of one …!” – I felt so like Chuck did – I think.
    Greetings from Hamburg, Germany

  3. Dix says:

    Aftermath:

    Julio performing the postflight-check. No findings.
    He is pondering “I am afraid that something is missing…”


    My personal experience:
    Indeed, after identification of “something is missing”, synapses will keep on running. But without admitting it.
    And then! Suddently! – Of course when it is about most unimportant context – Bling! Got it!
    Oh great, thanks for nothing…

  4. Bernd says:

    Well, he didn’t read back the frequency, which you normally should. But I guess for pilots at the home airfield, and when the frequency hasn’t changed in a long time, that’s ok. And talking on the wrong frequency usually isn’t very dangerous, only embarassing.

  5. Fbs says:

    Bernd, It can be even worse. At LFPN, you are supposed to switch to ground yourself to announce « runway cleared », and get taxiing instructions – no message from controllers at all in this case. This procedure is documented in the specificities of this airfield.
    At 105k moves/year, radio is busy (to give an idea, lfpg was at 200k moves/year before covid, but they have 2 tower and two ground frequencies)

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