Closest Calls

[addo1]

  What is your closet call on a mission or a flight??  Or lets just hear some tall tales....

[MIKE]

I think you mean closest call.  Closet calls might be interesting though.   

[CASH172]

Alright, my closeSt call would be at the NJWG Falcon Flight Encampment.  I was a student, doing pattern work with my instructor on the active runway.  The way that Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station was that there were two perpendicular runways intersecting near the centers of the two runways themselves. 

As I was coming close on right midfield downwind for the active, my instructor pulls the throttle and says simulated engine failure.  Nothing out of the ordinary, happens to all students pilots starting out.  He tells me to try and take it down on the inactive, but also on a taxiway intersecting the inactive was a C-17.  The C-17 was pointed so that the jet blast was facing the inactive.  My instructor called tower said we had a simulated emergency and requested the inactive.  Tower hesitated for a couple seconds because of the C-17.  Now Lakehurst is a pretty small airport to handle say a commercial plane the size of a C-17.  So the taxiways and the amount of room to work with are about the sizes you'd expect to see at a GA and small corporate jet airport. 

Tower cleared us to land on the inactive and then called the C-17 to move forward 10 feet.  I descend down from pattern altitude to an approach altitude in within a couple seconds.  Then there's a abnormal amount of crosswind for a student because it was the inactive runway.  Anyhow, we come and touchdown and are slowing down, and the C-17 is so big that the very top part of the tail is sticking like 2 feet into the runway.  As we're still slowing down on the runway, we go right behind the C-17 when the jet blast tilted our wings about 45 degrees and picked up our plane a little.  We were able to manage to stay on the runway then slow down and taxi back to parking. 

[SJFedor]

Night time back in PA. Doing a practice PAR into NASJRB Willow Grove in one of our lovely Cessna 172s. (NASJRB Willow Grove is notorious for having student Naval controllers)  On about a 6 mile final, they advise me that a flight of 4 A-10s are inbound from the NW (I'm south of the field, landing runway 33 for the option). I continue the approach, and the A-10s are vectored into the VFR pattern. I ask if they want me to reduce speed or break off the approach, they decline. On about a 2 mile final, on course, on glidepath, I get a pointout that there's an A-10, 10 o'clock, turning base to final ahead of me. These guys were coming back from a range or something I surmise, and this one guy didn't have any of his lights on. I'm looking, and all of a sudden I get a visual on his landing light, a lot closer then a mile. Before I can say a thing, the PAR controller's instructor breaks in and gives me an immediate breakout. I'm afraid to ask how close I got, but from the tone of the controller instructor's voice, it sounded like we got close enough.

I didn't hear the student's voice on the radio on my 2 subsequent approaches.

Things will come out and bite you at night if you're not extra vigilant.


Second one is at a small airport north of Philly where we took our birds for avionics work. Pretty small runway, trees at one end, power lines at the other. I brought an aircraft out that needed something with the ICS fixed (static in the ICS, only duplicated in flight at high power settings). So, I take the mechanic up to demonstrate the problem. He hears it, identifies it, and we head back. Pretty windy day in PA, front just moved through. We're on final towards the power lines, wind is working me but not too bad. 13 knot crosswind. Make it past the power lines, into the flare, looks to be a squeaker. Suddenly, I get a big gust from the left, which pitches the aircraft into a right roll during the flare. The wing tip on the right must have been inches from the ground, but I was in the flare, maybe 1-2 feet off the ground. I roll hard left aileron and full back elevator, which rolled the plane level and flaring as the mains touched down.

Mechanic and I both looked equally shook up. I waited a bit before flying back out of there.

[addo1]

I think you mean closest call.  Closet calls might be interesting though.   

                   Good point!!

[Al Sayre]

When I was a young 15-16 year old C/TSgt, we threw a "teen age party" and there was this girl in our Squadron...

Oh wait a minute, I dont think that's what you had in mind.   

[addo1]

When I was a young 15-16 year old C/TSgt, we threw a "teen age party" and there was this girl in our Squadron...

Oh wait a minute, I dont think that's what you had in mind.   

HA,HA

[Pylon]

I changed the name of the thread to "Closest Calls."   

[Duke Dillio]

But we were having so much fun with the closet calls...

[Pylon]

But we were having so much fun with the closet calls...

Hey, what you do on your own time isn't any of my business. 

[addo1]

I changed the name of the thread to "Closest Calls."   

Thanks; Sorry about that... I meant Closest.

[SJFedor]

When I was a young 15-16 year old C/TSgt, we threw a "teen age party" and there was this girl in our Squadron...

Oh wait a minute, I dont think that's what you had in mind.   

A little off course there....

[RogueLeader]

lol, hilarious.

[Flying Pig]

I was flying into 29 Palms Airport and decended a little low a little to early, just in time to see something red to my left and slightly above me.  I circled back around and saw I had missed a radio tower and the support wires by MAYBE 100 yards.  The red thing I saw above me was the red beacon on top.

[SJFedor]

I was flying into 29 Palms Airport and decended a little low a little to early, just in time to see something red to my left and slightly above me.  I circled back around and saw I had missed a radio tower and the support wires by MAYBE 100 yards.  The red thing I saw above me was the red beacon on top.

That's some pucker factor right there!

[Flying Pig]

Well, the sad thing is that the tower was on the map!

[RogueLeader]

I'm laughing. .  .I know I shouldn't. . . . but I can't help it.  I'm sorry. :angel:

[genejackson]

Engine out in CPF 4518.   Been flying 33 years and flying for CAP for 11 years.   Have over 1000 hrs flown for CAP alone...

Airport is SMALL and runway was not visible when flying from east to west, completely obscured by tree line until I flew over it and made my final turn to land.

[SDF_Specialist]

Engine out in CPF 4518.   Been flying 33 years and flying for CAP for 11 years.   Have over 1000 hrs flown for CAP alone...

Airport is SMALL and runway was not visible when flying from east to west, completely obscured by tree line until I flew over it and made my final turn to land.

I'm not a pilot, but I can tell you that I would have probably wished I had another pair of underpants with me. It's true that a lot of people think "it could never happen to me", but the truth is you never know if it will or not. You are a great example of this Colonel, and I applaud your critical thinking in an emergency such as this. BTW, you never said if any other CAP personnel showed up to "get you".

[RogueLeader]

Wow, that just goes to show that you can do EVERYTHING right, and still get shafted by life.  I'm just glad that you weren't shafted as bad as you could have been.

[Trung Si Ma]

Short final to 34 at Merrill Field, Anchorage, maybe 100' of altitude, and a 210 decides that the tower's instruction to "...hold short for the Cardinal on short final..." meant to pull forward onto the numbers.

Throttle, gear, flaps, carb heat, breathe.

[genejackson]

Ryan,
Yes - the Encampment staff were loading up people into the vehicles to come to my LNP (last known point) as I called my LAT/LONG to them.   As they were heading out from the BKT Airport where they were using as a get ready point, I had already landed and called on my cell that I was OK and for everyone to stand down.   They still sent a van with two people to help me pull the airplane off the runway and get me home.
Also, we pulled the number 4 jug off the engine and it had a whopper of a crack going 270 degrees around it.  See picture attached

[SDF_Specialist]

Ryan,
Yes - the Encampment staff were loading up people into the vehicles to come to my LNP (last known point) as I called my LAT/LONG to them.   As they were heading out from the BKT Airport where they were using as a get ready point, I had already landed and called on my cell that I was OK and for everyone to stand down.   They still sent a van with two people to help me pull the airplane off the runway and get me home.
Also, we pulled the number 4 jug off the engine and it had a whopper of a crack going 270 degrees around it.  See picture attached

Wow Gene. I'm actually surprised that there wasn't a fire in air. You never know what could happen. It's good that a team still came even though they got the ok to stand down. It shows the dedication we have to each other.

[genejackson]

Oh, FIRE you say.   Take a look at this picture.   I was IFR at 10,000' msl going from OKV to DAN in another airplane last month and had a whopping smell of AVGAS in the cockpit as I adjusted my fuel flow.   Good thing was this came from the #5 cylinder and not #1 or #3.   #5 was most near the firewall.   Fuel from the #1 or #3 intake line would have sprayed AVGAS on the exhaust manifold.   The blue you see on the firewall and engine mount is the coloring added to 100LL AVGAS.

This was a T model 182 and it had undergone the mandatory check for injection line leakage within the past 20 hrs (AD 2002-26-01 for you A&P gurus).

Landed safely and mechanic tightened the line.  No further leaks although I did have to throw away those pants as I'd never get the smell out.

[Duke Dillio]

Oh, FIRE you say.   Take a look at this picture.   I was IFR at 10,000' msl going from OKV to DAN in another airplane last month and had a whopping smell of AVGAS in the cockpit as I adjusted my fuel flow.   Good thing was this came from the #5 cylinder and not #1 or #3.   #5 was most near the firewall.   Fuel from the #1 or #3 intake line would have sprayed AVGAS on the exhaust manifold.   The blue you see on the firewall and engine mount is the coloring added to 100LL AVGAS.

This was a T model 182 and it had undergone the mandatory check for injection line leakage within the past 20 hrs (AD 2002-26-01 for you A&P gurus).

Landed safely and mechanic tightened the line.  No further leaks although I did have to throw away those pants as I'd never get the smell out.

Pucker and smile.  Pucker and smile.

Congrats on making it through those two incidents.  You haven't considered, like, not flying anymore have you?

[Hill CAP]

Wow Gene I am so glad I wasn't flying with you.

I seriously doubt Lt Col Jackson has thought of giving flying up well atleast not anytime soon but hey you never know.

[genejackson]

Nah, not gonna stop flying any time soon.   In fact,  I'm studing for my ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) rating right now.   With the coming of VLJ's and all, one never knows what the future holds.   If nothing else,  ATP would be good for braggin' rights.

In 33 years I've only had 3 events happen.   In 1979 I had a gear failure in my Cessna 310,  had the engine quit in June this year,  the fuel leak in July.   I figure things come in 3's and now I'm done and get to fly another 33 years with no more problems.

But one thing is absolutely for sure, I'm keeping my guard up for anything that is not perfect when I fly.

[SDF_Specialist]

I'm telling you Gene. You just seem to not have the best of luck with airplanes I'd say quit while you're ahead.

[genejackson]

Morning Ryan,
Yeah, one of my biggest fans was saying the same thing the other day,  "Daddy, stay home and don't fly".   Photo attached of my 9 week old son Alex.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[SDF_Specialist]

Looks like you have yourself a great little guy there Gene! Now I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell my wife (who's also a member of CAP), there's no reason that he shouldn't get the Spaatz Award, as with your other three if they haven't already!

[SJFedor]

Col Jackson-

The 182 you were flying on the previously mentioned incident where you lost the cylinder, what model 182 was that?

Great job keeping the oily side down on both!

[genejackson]

Steve,
The C-182 was a 1985 R model.   It only had 909 hrs on the engine and had undergone a top overhaul 92 hrs previously.    N9983H.
Gene

[Duke Dillio]

They didn't like change the cylinders during the overhaul did they?  Perhaps they got some cheap cylinders from China or something?  One more reason to BUY AMERICAN!!!

[genejackson]

Top overhaul included 6 refurbished cylinders from a company in Texas that has an excellent track record for sending nothing but top quality parts to CAP.   This was simply one of those things that happens and one should always be ready for it.

I have since flown the airplane over 20 hours and it is wonderful.   I've had >8 hrs PIC time in the past week, all IMC and mountainous and shot 6 approaches to genuine minimums and this airplane is ready to resume the mission.   The bad jug was a fluke, and that's all.   

[♠SARKID♠]

I was a flight line marshal on a major wing SAR training mission.  We were at a particular busy part of the day and most of our mashallers were tied up on planes.  There was 1 inbound coming from the south side of the ramp and there were only 2 open marshallers due to the fact that number 3 was in the tower taking a number 2    The plane had to be moved so we decided to go ahead with 2 marshallers (the configuration of the ramp requires 3).  We did our best, but it wasnt good enough.  When the plane came to its final stop, its right wing was 11 inches from another planes wing.  WAY too close of a call!

[SDF_Specialist]

I was a flight line marshal on a major wing SAR training mission.  We were at a particular busy part of the day and most of our mashallers were tied up on planes.  There was 1 inbound coming from the south side of the ramp and there were only 2 open marshallers due to the fact that number 3 was in the tower taking a number 2    The plane had to be moved so we decided to go ahead with 2 marshallers (the configuration of the ramp requires 3).  We did our best, but it wasnt good enough.  When the plane came to its final stop, its right wing was 11 inches from another planes wing.  WAY too close of a call!

Speaking without knowing if it was a CAP plane, can't CAP be held responsible if our FLMs damage another plane? I don't think that would go over too good with Wing or National.

[♠SARKID♠]

Speaking without knowing if it was a CAP plane, can't CAP be held responsible if our FLMs damage another plane? I don't think that would go over too good with Wing or National.

(Yes, they were CAP planes)
Good question, I'm not entirely sure.  I think the FLMs would be responsible since the pilots are following our directions.  But if the pilots aren't doing what we say and going on their own, maybe its their fault.  Not sure, good question.  As for nationals and wing, I'm just glad it wasn't at the mission before that when we were under AF eval.

[SDF_Specialist]

Good point. If the pilot isn't paying attention to the FLM, then it would most likely be their fault since they had guidance, and never paid attention to it. And yes, you are lucky that the AF wasn't there.

[♠SARKID♠]

Good point. If the pilot isn't paying attention to the FLM, then it would most likely be their fault since they had guidance, and never paid attention to it.

We had that problem the first time we had a flight line w/marshallers.  A few of the pilots just went when they felt like it and totally ignored our commands.  We had polite talk with them and they followed us after that.

[SDF_Specialist]

Good point. If the pilot isn't paying attention to the FLM, then it would most likely be their fault since they had guidance, and never paid attention to it.

We had that problem the first time we had a flight line w/marshallers.  A few of the pilots just went when they felt like it and totally ignored our commands.  We had polite talk with them and they followed us after that.

Pilots can be like that. Some of them don't want to hear what the crew have to say, some don't like to adhere to the signals provided by the FLM. Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons we end up with damaged aircraft, and why the AF gets mad at us. This is my problem with pilots. You may know what you are doing, but when you have people who are there to provide extra safety measures, swallow your pride. My saying is "If you were the best pilot around, you'd be piloting Air Force One, not a Cessna 182".

[Cadet Tillett]

Oh, FIRE you say.   Take a look at this picture.   I was IFR at 10,000' msl going from OKV to DAN in another airplane last month and had a whopping smell of AVGAS in the cockpit as I adjusted my fuel flow.   Good thing was this came from the #5 cylinder and not #1 or #3.   #5 was most near the firewall.   Fuel from the #1 or #3 intake line would have sprayed AVGAS on the exhaust manifold.   The blue you see on the firewall and engine mount is the coloring added to 100LL AVGAS.

This was a T model 182 and it had undergone the mandatory check for injection line leakage within the past 20 hrs (AD 2002-26-01 for you A&P gurus).

Landed safely and mechanic tightened the line.  No further leaks although I did have to throw away those pants as I'd never get the smell out.

Wow.  I flew in that same plane once.  lol

[jimmydeanno]

ummm...me too! That's the plane I qualed as an observer in.

[addo1]

  Good stories!  Keep them coming in!!  

[SJFedor]

(Yes, they were CAP planes)
Good question, I'm not entirely sure.  I think the FLMs would be responsible since the pilots are following our directions.  But if the pilots aren't doing what we say and going on their own, maybe its their fault.  Not sure, good question.  As for nationals and wing, I'm just glad it wasn't at the mission before that when we were under AF eval.

Honestly, the pilot should have shut down for a multitude of reasons. 1) not enough wing walkers to ensure safety, 2) Operational temp too high on ramp, too much possibility of an oopsie.

As a marshaller, you (and your supervisor) probably should have stopped the plane outside the ramp area, and waited until a 3rd became available. There's nothing we do, especially in training missions, that an extra 2 minutes will harm.

The pilot is ultimately responsible. The FLMs name would probably be in the safety report, but, it's ultimately the driver of the bus's butt.

There was a nice system on the flight line at NESA. If you didn't like how it looked, or the FLM didn't like how it looked, either could call an immediate stop and shut down and discuss it with the prop stopped. I actually did it once myself because they were bringing me into a very tight space. Ended up with about 2 feet on each wing tip, but I would have rather pushed the last 10 feet and know I'm clear, then do it under power and find out that I'm not.

[Flying Pig]

By Recruiter...
^"If you were the best pilot around, you'd be piloting Air Force One, not a Cessna 182".

The Marine pilot of HMX-1 might argue that......

[SDF_Specialist]

By Recruiter...
^"If you were the best pilot around, you'd be piloting Air Force One, not a Cessna 182".

The Marine pilot of HMX-1 might argue that......

Yeah, probably. I do give all pilots credit though. For some, it would take nerves of steel to fly. I personally love flying, and hope to get a pilot's license someday soon.

[Al Sayre]

It doesn't take nerves of steel to learn to fly, just bags of money...

[SDF_Specialist]

That's why I said someday Of course I have to get a medical first. I'm just hoping that that won't prohibit me from getting my pilots license.

[Al Sayre]

If you are serious about not passing your medical, DON'T GET ONE!!! Once you fail a flight physical you are seriously screwed trying to get it back Took me 3 years and countless rounds of correspondence with the FAA in OK City, and now I have a pilot in my Squadron who is going through the same thing...

Better to spend an extra 75 bucks and ask your flight surgeon for a routine annual physical and then ask "Oh by the way what are my chances of passing a flight physical?"  If there are no issues, then schedule it and pay him again, if there are then get them taken care of first or resign yourself to Light Sport on your DL.  Once you fill out the flight physical forms, the flight surgeon has to report your results.  If you fail you can't even fly light sport on your DL.

[Flying Pig]

^^^^  Yup Yup.

I knew a guy who was preparing to solo, and it came up that he had gall stones in the past....distant past.   And they DQ'd him.    I think he coorpsponded with the FAA for over 6 months trying to explain to them that it had been 15+ years.   By the time he had finally gotten the OK to pass, he pretty much had to start over because he had forgotten everything.  Unfortunately he decided piloting just wasnt meant to be.

[SDF_Specialist]

OK. I have 20/400 vision in my left eye, and 20/20 in my right. I was told that the most to be concerned about is depth perception. I have fine depth perception. This is the only problem I have. Would this bar me from having a pilot's license?

[Al Sayre]

Not as long as your vision is correctible to 20/40 (I think) for a private.

[SDF_Specialist]

I don't know if my vision is correctable. I went to a chiropractor last year for a physical for the police academy. The subject of my eyes came up, and I told him about my left eye. He asked if I had peripheral vision in it, and I do. He asked if I could distinguish colors, and I can. He asked if my vision is blurred, and it is. He told me that what he think may be the problem is that I need a contact to reflect the light into my eye the proper way. He said this because he said he had the same problems with his right eye, and that's what fixed it up. I'm hoping to get to a friend of my wife's who is an optometrist, and suggest this. If that works, then the sky is the limit.

[SarDragon]

I don't know if my vision is correctable. I went to a chiropractor last year for a physical for the police academy. The subject of my eyes came up, and I told him about my left eye. He asked if I had peripheral vision in it, and I do. He asked if I could distinguish colors, and I can. He asked if my vision is blurred, and it is. He told me that what he think may be the problem is that I need a contact to reflect the light into my eye the proper way. He said this because he said he had the same problems with his right eye, and that's what fixed it up. I'm hoping to get to a friend of my wife's who is an optometrist, and suggest this. If that works, then the sky is the limit.

I think you ought to consider seeing an opthamologist over an optometrist. They have more detailed and exrtensive knowledge of the eye.

As for the differences in vision problems, there are three areas they check - acuity, astimatism, and muscle balance.

Acuity is your basic 20/[number] that defines how well you see. There is a near vision number, and a distant vision number. They can, and usually do, vary.

Astigmatism is the inability to focus uniformly on lines going in different directions.

Muscle balance problems cause an inability for both eyes to focus on the same point, causing double vision and poor depth perception.

I happen to have all three problems in my eyes, and have the expensive prescription to attempt to fix it all.

I thought I had a post on here or CS with more info, but can't seem to find it.

[Flying Pig]

You went to a Chiropractor for a police physical and talked about your eyes? 

[SDF_Specialist]

He was charging $10 for a physical. I was referred to him by the college that hosted the academy. He wanted me to look at an eye chart. That's how the subject of my eyes came about. I know, it's a strange situation.

[Flying Pig]

Cuz I have a veterenarian I could refer you to.

[SDF_Specialist]

Cuz I have a veterenarian I could refer you to.

Does he work with back problems? That's my main concern right now

[addo1]

Cuz I have a veterenarian I could refer you to.

Does he work with back problems? That's my main concern right now

Or knee problems?  That is my main concern right now!   

[ThorntonOL]

Well this might be a little off topic, but a couple years ago my unit was invited to a model airplane event they where hosting and a few of the unit showed up and we were allowed to fly them once the owners got their planes in the air.
When it got to my turn my dad (current commander at the time) was already flying.
Well to make a short story shorter we end up almost hitting each other head on in midair but we were able to miss each other only to just about  on top of the other with wheels touching. (Actually almost touching.) Any closer and I would have been out a nice chunk of change.

[GTM SGT Frazier]

I was on a sarex in september of 2010 and slid down part of a steep hill. So I get to a stop and try to get myself into a good position to climb back up when my gear starts to pull me back down.
So ihit the quick release and im still going down. I realize that one of my clips is stuck to my boxers and wont release. I end up having to pull out my knife, cut the clip and watch my gear tumble into a dry rocky creek bed. THen i have climb down and get it trying not to laugh.

[GTCommando]

^Hey Slider, I remember that one! Gotta love those ALICE clips.