Motor skills post flight

[Plthijnx]

we all think we are above average drivers, at least on the ground. i've noticed that after a particularly long or challenging flight, when i get behind the wheel of my truck my brain will sometimes "shut down" and i won't be paying as close attention as i normally would making me a little more dangerous than a blue hair looking through the steering wheel! what about y'all?

[C310RCaptian]

I find myself scanning my instruments more when driving in fog……

[fireflyr]

we all think we are above average drivers, at least on the ground. i've noticed that after a particularly long or challenging flight, when i get behind the wheel of my truck my brain will sometimes "shut down" and i won't be paying as close attention as i normally would making me a little more dangerous than a blue hair looking through the steering wheel! what about y'all?

HAHA---This brought back a great memory!!!
Back in the early 60s, Hamilton AFB was home to an F-104 squadron and they had a lot of "alert" drills wherein they would be on a ready status for 36 to 48 hours at a time and they were usually pretty punchy by the time they went home.  (it was rumored they were issued amphetamines)   Seems there was this 104 pilot, after being released from a particularly long alert drove his Corvette into the back of another car when traffic halted abruptly on the freeway.  When asked by the CHP officer why he didn't stop he replied that when traffic stopped he had instinctively added power and pulled back on the wheel to climb over the obstruction!   I believe that story even got to the "Humor In Uniform" column in Readers Digest.

But back to your question, Most definitely yes, there were times after flying 7 hours plus hauling freight at night, I would jump on the freeway in Oakland and find my concentration drifting either to flying or just shutting down, scared myself a couple of times.  My divorced cured that problem, the ex-wife took everything including my car, so for a while, I lived in a borrowed van in the parking lot at OAK and was able to walk across the street to work!

[Plthijnx]

(it was rumored they were issued amphetamines)

I've heard that rumor as well - Adderall

[Stef]

It happens to me quite often that I seriously can't remember when I ask myself "was that last traffic light green?". I'm sure it was though, but somehow the whole activity of driving a car is so automatized that I can't really "remember". I like to ask that question when I'm not the driver and it turns out that I'm by far not the only one who can't remember!

[Plthijnx]

oh yeah, sometimes i'll get highway tunnelvision and can't remember the last few miles or so, usually on trips of a couple of hours or more.....

[leiafee]

I've never learned to drive, so can just veg out on the train home

[Plthijnx]

I've never learned to drive, so can just veg out on the train home

HEY! that's cheating!

say, leiafee, is that a traumatizer on your avatar?

[leiafee]

I've never learned to drive, so can just veg out on the train home

HEY! that's cheating!

Makes little old ladies give me reproachful looks though because I tend to be wearing a dozy grin that makes people think I'm drunk or stoned

say, leiafee, is that a traumatizer on your avatar?

Affirm.  In fact that is the same trauma--errmm--terror---ahh---tommy---uuhh--  PA38 that I'm learning in.

(The weather in the unmodified photo goes some way to explaing why said learning is taking so ruddy long...)

[Frank N. O.]

Hehe, yeah the weather has been pretty bad in this part of the world in this so-called spring. A friend of mine who lives in the eastern part of Wales said you'd had tons of snow and frost like we have had here in Denmark too for months.

What's with the name of the plane? Is it that bad? Speaking of which, I heard that the PA-38 has better space than the C-150/152 but I've never been in either one so I wouldn't know, it does look like the visibility might be better in the "Tommy".

About driving after flying then I sadly can't comment since I've only even flown once, so far. I do know however that driving a real car after intense racing with game pedals and a forcefeedback wheel in a racing-simulator game is absolutely no problem since it feels completely differently for me but it's been made clear to me that disgiungishing between different situations also in detail seems to be a born gift I got from my dad that's not all that normal, at least to my degree.

Btw, I base my reactions to situations from personal experience, which I also automatically analyze and improve from without having to think about it, thanks to my dad who gave me that skill, so with my experience that basically shows that people aren't very cautious in ground-traffic, even if they are parents with children on board, then even a long safe smooth enjoyable flight wouldn't make me forget to be alert when transitioning to a ground-vehicle.
However I do understand that habbits and personal routine might also cause the other reactions described at the start of this thread but I'm sure experience and understanding of safety will jog the memory a bit. This forum has shown that there are drivers/pilotes out there that understand safety and responsibility, and know and believe that safe flying can still be fun 

You know, I have a great idea for a short movie-clip on a related theme, if it hasn't been made already. It's a pilot driving home from the airport and a car drives right out in front of him, or her, and instead of steering around then the pilot pulls back on the wheel and the car lifts off and flies over the other car and lands on the other side safely. With adjustable steering-coloumns the interior-part could be made with a real car showing the close-up of the pull-back, like in a SAAB 9-3 Sport Sedan for instance (very fitting car I think)

Frank

[Gulfstream Driver]

That'd be a good idea for a GA commercial.  "Learn to fly.  Don't get cut-off."   

Even safety-concious people have trouble when fatigued.  There was a study done a few years ago with truckers and fatigue.  They were recorded in a simulator after becoming fatigued, and after 8 hours rest were shown the video.  Most didn't remember unsafe events and swore that they would never pass in a no passing zone, etc.  It's extremely difficult to go from one medium -- air -- to another -- ground -- when you're tired.

[MO]

I don't know if this fits here, but... Have you checked out Leia's website? Here it is:

http://www.leiafee.flyer.co.uk

A great site for those who are taking their firsts steps into the fascinating world of aviation... And even for seasoned flyers it should bring memories back. I spent quite a while reading her adventures...

Nice site, Leia!!!

Cheers!!!

[Plthijnx]

What's with the name of the plane? Is it that bad? Speaking of which, I heard that the PA-38 has better space than the C-150/152 but I've never been in either one so I wouldn't know, it does look like the visibility might be better in the "Tommy".

it's a piper tomahawk and there's a little more room than a c-150 and the visibility is great. they're kinda squirrely on the ground and can take some getting used to. they're also spinners. they will spin very easily and you HAVE to do the proper control techniques to get out of the spin whereas in a cessna all you have to do is let go of the controls and it will get itself out of the spin, they're designed that way. also, you have to "fly" the tomahawk to a landing, not "glide" as you can in a cessna. your normal approach speed on final is 70. as a friend of mine says (an MD-11 F.O.) "it flies like a 'real' airplane"

[Gulfstream Driver]

*cough* low wing *cough*

[Plthijnx]

*cough* low wing *cough*

Shhhhhhhhh......i'm trying to get some creative thinking going here