Author Topic: Things you never want to hear  (Read 38432 times)

Offline Gulfstream Driver

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #45 on: February 14, 2006, 11:55:58 PM »
You wouldn't think GA pilots would have to worry about being shot at, but there are a few people out there that don't like planes hanging around their houses.  I always try to do ground reference maneuvers around empty intersections, and if we have to do anything over or near a home, we don't hang around very long. 
Behind every great man, there is a woman rolling her eyes.  --Bruce Almighty

Offline Ted_Stryker

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 443
  • Never Forget 9/11/2001
    • Cyber Forensics
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #46 on: February 15, 2006, 04:18:00 PM »
You wouldn't think GA pilots would have to worry about being shot at, but there are a few people out there that don't like planes hanging around their houses. I always try to do ground reference maneuvers around empty intersections, and if we have to do anything over or near a home, we don't hang around very long.

One thing that I never thought about (until I flew with C.A.P.) is that some of those people on the ground that have things to hide (like what crop is growing in their back yards or embedded in a tree line) think that a circling aircraft is law enforcement scouting them out!  In many cases it's true too, though there are better ways to do that with satellites if one wants to really pursue the bigger fish.  Unfortunately, for GA pilots minding our own business, we don't often thing about those factors.  It's also dangerous in certain areas to go after an ELT signal on the ground because there have been cases of drug runners using ELT's for homing beacons for drug drops.  Just some of the things one learns when doing Air Search/Rescue with C.A.P.!

I prefer using the designated practice areas around my local airport for practicing stalls, and other maneuvers.  I bring a safety pilot (for a second set of eyeballs), or a CFI if I'm going for my FAA Wings program.

Just my two cents :)
We're going to have to come in pretty low!  It's just one of those things you have to do... when you land!  -- Ted Striker - Airplane!

Offline Gulfstream Driver

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #47 on: February 15, 2006, 04:36:06 PM »
Luckily, we don't have to worry too much about drug runners from Latin America in ND.  We've got our own home-grown meth cookers to worry about, but they're too baked to shoot straight. 

Unfortunately, living in ND, you tend to forget about dangerous people that enjoy hurting others.  We do have our share of sex offenders, murderers, etc., but you tend to hear about them on the news and then you forget about them.  The Dru Sjodin case up in Grand Forks woke a lot of people up. 

I've only been in CAP about 5 months and haven't gone on any missions yet.  I joined to do some instruction and build hours, but I think it'd be cool to go on some missions, too.  I hope to get checked out for Scanner soon, then make Mission Pilot.  Our funding got cut this year, so we're not going to have as many SAREX's.  Kinda stinks.
Behind every great man, there is a woman rolling her eyes.  --Bruce Almighty

Offline Ted_Stryker

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 443
  • Never Forget 9/11/2001
    • Cyber Forensics
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #48 on: February 15, 2006, 05:49:13 PM »
Luckily, we don't have to worry too much about drug runners from Latin America in ND. We've got our own home-grown meth cookers to worry about, but they're too baked to shoot straight.

Unfortunately, living in ND, you tend to forget about dangerous people that enjoy hurting others. We do have our share of sex offenders, murderers, etc., but you tend to hear about them on the news and then you forget about them. The Dru Sjodin case up in Grand Forks woke a lot of people up.

I've only been in CAP about 5 months and haven't gone on any missions yet. I joined to do some instruction and build hours, but I think it'd be cool to go on some missions, too. I hope to get checked out for Scanner soon, then make Mission Pilot. Our funding got cut this year, so we're not going to have as many SAREX's. Kinda stinks.

Well, I'm in Missouri, and you wouldn't think there would be problems here.... but in the "bootheel" region (SE corner of the state), and several other areas, there have been problems with pot growers and others that don't take kindly to low flying, loitering aircraft.

Sorry to hear that funding for SAREX's got cut for ND Wing.  Not sure how they are doing funding appropriations anymore.  I know that the very active wings, such as Colorado, usually get preferential treatment and funding.  Hope you enjoy your time with them.  I was in for 9 years in Missouri Wing, and may rejoin soon.  I did all sorts of things with them, and always found it fun and rewarding (provided one stays out of the internal politics loop, which any large organization has).

:)
We're going to have to come in pretty low!  It's just one of those things you have to do... when you land!  -- Ted Striker - Airplane!

Offline Gulfstream Driver

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #49 on: February 15, 2006, 10:54:34 PM »
I think our funding was cut because the planes aren't used enough.  Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get hours on the plane.  Then there are times when everyone's itching to fly, but the weather stinks.  It was solid IFR for a month earlier this year. 
Behind every great man, there is a woman rolling her eyes.  --Bruce Almighty

Offline Ted_Stryker

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 443
  • Never Forget 9/11/2001
    • Cyber Forensics
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #50 on: February 15, 2006, 10:41:42 PM »
I think our funding was cut because the planes aren't used enough. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get hours on the plane. Then there are times when everyone's itching to fly, but the weather stinks. It was solid IFR for a month earlier this year.

I can relate to both situations :)  That's why I'm working on my Instrument rating now... finally :)  It's a shame about the funding.  I hope that works out a little better in next year's budget.  I've heard that the new C.A.P. corporate aircraft are pretty cool!
We're going to have to come in pretty low!  It's just one of those things you have to do... when you land!  -- Ted Striker - Airplane!

Offline Frank N. O.

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2446
  • Spin It!
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #51 on: February 16, 2006, 02:56:43 AM »
This is something I wouldn't want to hear: Cessna N20ABC taxi to general aviation parking and try to keep up the pace you got a 747 behind you!
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0336520/L/

And I thought it was bad driving a small Peugeot 206 and having a Mercedes-taxi on my bumper with no space to overtake :D

Frak
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo da Vinci

Offline Have Blue

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 45
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #52 on: February 16, 2006, 03:35:08 AM »
Bwahahaha! :D

"AA123, caution wake turbulance..."
"I'm sure as hell not a killer, but flying combat is like a game, and a guy likes to come out on top."
-George Preddy, P-51 ace

Offline Frank N. O.

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2446
  • Spin It!
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #53 on: February 16, 2006, 03:54:10 AM »
Actually I have heard a story about a Cessna 152 pilot hearing ATC call out "Watch wake turbulance from dearting Cessna 152" to the next waiting airplanes, two 747's! :D

Frank
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo da Vinci

Offline Roland

  • Cockerel
  • ***
  • Posts: 178
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #54 on: February 16, 2006, 07:12:26 AM »
HAHAHA, I love that, Mike!!!

In Helicopter transport missions pilots don’t like to hear (which happens then and when):

“ Uhm, you brought the wrong load up here. It belongs to the mountain opposite.”
If helicopter flying would be difficult, engineers would do it.

Offline Ted_Stryker

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 443
  • Never Forget 9/11/2001
    • Cyber Forensics
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #55 on: February 16, 2006, 06:05:07 PM »
This is something I wouldn't want to hear: Cessna N20ABC taxi to general aviation parking and try to keep up the pace you got a 747 behind you!
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0336520/L/

And I thought it was bad driving a small Peugeot 206 and having a Mercedes-taxi on my bumper with no space to overtake :D

Frak

:D  I actually had that happen to me during my flight training!  I got my flight instruction through Parks Air College, and my instructor and I were doing controlled airspace familiarization for TRSA's of various types.  Little did I expect to actually take a C-152II into Lambert International's airspace (KSTL)!!   They said "Keep your speed up on approach, L-1011 8 miles out inbound behind you."!  Well, that was at 1 mile final with me and my instructor... and we had a slight headwind.   It was not a comfortable feeling!!  We ended up barely getting it on the ground and taxied clear in time for the L-1011 not to have to abort his landing!  This was in 1985, by the way.

Talk about pucker factor!
We're going to have to come in pretty low!  It's just one of those things you have to do... when you land!  -- Ted Striker - Airplane!

Offline Mike

  • Supreme Overlord
  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3384
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #56 on: February 16, 2006, 06:31:18 PM »
Here is another pucker factor for you:
I was filming a NASCAR race with the LongRanger and in the beginning of the show they had a fly-by of 5 F-15's. They were scheduled to arrive at a certain time and I was supposed to be above them to film it from the top. They showed up 2min early and I was struggling to get up to my assigned altitude with full fuel and all the camera equipment on board. I barely made it and the zipped through right underneath me which gave the camera guy some awesome footage but having an F-15 coming right at you just below the speed of sound is probably the last thing many iraqies saw in the war.... pretty scary....
Dear IRS: Please cancel my subscription.

Offline Ted_Stryker

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 443
  • Never Forget 9/11/2001
    • Cyber Forensics
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #57 on: February 16, 2006, 08:03:59 PM »
Here is another pucker factor for you:
I was filming a NASCAR race with the LongRanger and in the beginning of the show they had a fly-by of 5 F-15's. They were scheduled to arrive at a certain time and I was supposed to be above them to film it from the top. They showed up 2min early and I was struggling to get up to my assigned altitude with full fuel and all the camera equipment on board. I barely made it and the zipped through right underneath me which gave the camera guy some awesome footage but having an F-15 coming right at you just below the speed of sound is probably the last thing many iraqies saw in the war.... pretty scary....

That would wake one up to be sure! :)

Only other time I had a close call was on a CAP mission.  We had a search in progress and were flying a grid search in an area of the state that had an MOA.  Now, they are supposed to shut off all but CAP flights below certain altitudes when a SAR is in progress, but somewhere, on this one mission, things in the communication chain broke down somewhere.  At 500 ft AGL, doing 60KIAS, the plane I was in (flying as mission scanner on that flight behind the pilot) was suddenly greeted from BELOW by TWO F-4 Phantoms from the ANG!  They both peeled up and barrel-rolled after passing under!  No doubt they were having a good time, and were likely only 150 ft off the deck, but it was not quite as "fun" for us in our aircraft at the time.   Bad enough when that sort of thing happens when you expect it.... but when you supposedly have the skies to yourself... whew!!

We're going to have to come in pretty low!  It's just one of those things you have to do... when you land!  -- Ted Striker - Airplane!

Offline Frank N. O.

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2446
  • Spin It!
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #58 on: February 17, 2006, 05:46:15 AM »
Wow, Mike and Ted, that doesn't fun at all! Mike, is there a clip of how close you were on the internet somewhere by any chance?

Regarding flying into large airports with a small GA then isn't it a great help if the plane has spoilers or speedbrakes, which makes me wonder why more planes don't have them. The only well-known GA's that have such a thing that I know is the Mooney Bravo and co, Commander 11X-series and Lancair Legacy (the later is jduged from a FlightSimulator model), I also read from an article in Plane and Pilot (I think) testing a Bravo that spoilers help to slow the plane down while enabling to keep power up to avoid shock-cooling the engine, and that sounds very practical in my ears.

Frank
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo da Vinci

Offline Gulfstream Driver

  • Chicken Farmer
  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Things you never want to hear
« Reply #59 on: February 17, 2006, 07:00:34 PM »
Spoilers and speed brakes are designed for airplanes that go very fast and don't like to slow down.  They wouldn't do any good on a 152, because they don't fly fast enough to be effective.  They'd just cause a stall a lot sooner.  You usually don't have to worry about shock-cooling an engine unless it's turbo-charged (i.e. fast planes) or if it's -20 deg. F (like it is today.  Brr.).
Behind every great man, there is a woman rolling her eyes.  --Bruce Almighty