Tapping the gauge again
This situation could also fall into the “it’s been like that for over 2 weeks, so it’s normal” category. Another favorite of mine, especially when I was working as mechanic, is always “it broke right when I landed!” HAHA!
I’m pretty sure we won’t get anybody here admitting on the internet to what all they have done and/or thought of doing during their aviation career.
But I’m sure all of you in the piloting business have flown that one aircraft with that one little annoying yet constant problem that never gets fixed. Nothing unsafe or un-airworthy, just annoying. I sure have! (Or have I? We may never know …)
That’s what makes Chuck so loveably, we can relate to him, can’t we? At a minimum we see “that one guy we know who is just like Chuck”. But admit it, if we dig deeper we see a little of ourselves in Chuck …
Last December, my car power window on drivers side broke. All I done was get it fixed closed.
Guess when I started thinking it might be time to get it fixed properly? 🙂
Back in the days when I was training for my PPL (far,far away), I would use a CAP Cesnna 150. We had a crancky old mechanic on-site. One day I taxied out and did a run-up, with the little red alternator light coming on during the run-up. So, I dutifully taxied back to the ramp, shutdown and informed the mechanic. He promptly went to the aircraft, removed the bulb or diode and sent me on my way, telling me that I would have no further problems.The worst part is that I believed him and took the aircraft up for a flight.
Lessee… The first plane I flew (for about a year) was not a trainer. It was a private plane that the instructor was borrowing. It was a ’72 172 I believe, but had been fully restored only a few years before I started flying it. That plane was so nice, I thought they were all like that. The second 172 I flew was a trainer and… it had no carpet and the seats had holes in them.
Yeah, I flew a plane with HOLES in the SEATS. How horrible is that?
Then I flew a 150 a couple of times. It was kind of fun because it had loads of lift. Made it feel really sporty until I realized how slow I was going.
I almost got to fly a brand-spanking new 180 with hardly any hours on it. A rich guy bought it to learn to fly in, and was too busy to ever learn to fly. So the instructor flew it around. It had a glass cockpit and he wanted to teach me how to use it. Unfortunately I think that was around the time that I had to stop flying.
Oh! I just remembered what the problem was. The 150’s left-side door wouldn’t stay shut when in slow flight, so the instructor sat there and held the door the whole time.
Not a pilot, but some in the family. Consensus is, if you won’t go until everything is in perfect order and 100% compliant with all regulations, you may get off the ground once or twice a year. On days when you have the flu and don’t notice stuff.
I’ve worked far too many “cripes, again?!?” jobs in repair fields.
Probably my favourite retort when a gripe would come in? “It left here good, and it was fine UNTIL YOU TOUCHED IT. What did you do to it?”