All You Sinners (pilots) It’s Time To Confess Your Flying Sins

You need to repent and have this burden lifted.

I know some of you are worried that the evil CASA is looking here – but have no fear. You may have seen someone else sin, without any names. Or it may have been many years ago.. in a faraway galaxy…

All pilot confessions are welcome from RAA to GA (including commercial who will surely go to hell)

Examples of some Pilots Sins could be (not in any order …

Left the chocks in place or still tied down trying to taxi

Forgot to check for water in the fuel before flying

Left a fuel cap off

Seat belt off on takeoff or landing

Door not secured on takeoff or flight

Wrong airfield setting

Arrived at different airfield at 1000 ft and found that you could read the number plates on the cars

Unsure of position - really no one!

Totally lost

You were more than 4km off track and still did not know which side of the track you were off (REFER ABOVE)

Flying with the fin of the aircraft in cloud – (and also possible) looking at the birds in the trees (VFR)

Wrong radio frequency

Takeoff wrong runway direction

Radio runway call right - but landing wrong runway direction e.g. reversed runway numbers

Misread the windsock

Big one (landed at unknown or wrong) airport or strip

Exceeded VNE – if you are still here!

Left the wife at the airport (no biggy)

Forgot flaps at takeoff or landing - or exceeded flap extension speed

Forgot to retract flaps for more than 1 min or more after takeoff

Forgot to turn fuel on

Forgot to switch fuel tanks in flight every 30 mins ish

Stuffed up last light, or wind strength and ended up night flying or nigh circuits (WELL DONE!)

No checks on downwind

Tried to land on top of an aircraft on the runway

Picked a fight with ATC

ATC asked nicely to call them after landing

Punched into CTA without clearance

Told any Instructor or CFI that they are an idiot

Forgot your head set and could not fly

Any Pilot in Command that flew to a winey or wine tasting

Used the wrong aircraft callsign to ATC VS FLIGHT PLAN

For commercial pilots - got in the wrong aircraft - than actually flew it

That’s an evil list and anyone is going to get ten of them. Aren't they?

I relate to a few but the one I remember was returning from a solo XC during PPL training at a controlled aerodrome & being told to join for 18 so I manouevred to join for 36. ATC told me twice more join down wind for 18 which I dutifully read back & proceeded to head for a 36 join. Then I got the instruction "ABC turn left NOW". That was when I woke up. Nothing more was said. Later when confessing in the bar, most of the other pilots also confessed to having done the same thing. All of a sudden I felt human again.

I got 15

?

Way back in a past life when I was doing my night VMC I flew when I was not mentally fit to do so - definitely a sin. The NVMC training gave me some of the most intense and enjoyable experiences I've ever had, but I came badly unstuck on my first attempt at the flight test.

I was tired from a stressful work week, hadn't slept well, and seriously thought about cancelling the test. But it was a beautiful still summer evening at Jandakot, so I thought dammit, let's get this done. I shouldn't have. I didn't do well on the oral test, and the instructor only just agreed to carry on and go flying. I did OK navigating out to Narrogin, turned on the PAL lights and there they were right under the nose, beautiful. Feeling a bit more positive. But when we got down to circuit height and lower, things deteriorated pretty rapidly. There was huge thermal activity happening down near the ground, and there was a ferocious gusting 90-degree crosswind at the surface - the windsock was standing out horizontal. Wrestled the aircraft down onto the runway for the first touch-and-go, but really struggled on the climb-out. Back up at circuit height was a bit smoother, but going down base and final the next time was like riding a bucking horse. Climb-out the second time was even worse - I was way behind the aircraft, chasing the airspeed and overcontrolling. I was even starting to feel a bit disoriented, so had no option but to ask the instructor to take control. As soon as he put his hands on the controls it was like oil on water - I could hardly believe it. Back up at altitude all was smooth and calm so we headed for home in glum silence. And back at Jandakot the windsock was hanging limp and barely moving, nothing like the chaos I'd just been through. I will never forget that awful night. So, salutary lesson for all - for flying, mental fitness is at least as important as physical fitness, probably more. The mental workload can increase significantly and rapidly, for all sorts of reasons. I remain very glad that I had an experienced pilot sitting next to me.

One .

Bernie .

I got 9 of them. There is one missing from the list, failed to maintain adequate air speed. Not many get to own up to that.

there is one missing - just started taxi - noticed pitot cover on wing flapping in the wind

Is that all we have to choose from?

I have about 7 of them...

Also...

Forgot to check NOTAMS and almost breached a royal flight (you don't have then in Aus, but when a Royal wants to take a jolly, there is a 10nm radius of moving class D airspace from the point of the aircraft... ) Also took off after airport hours (allowed) when GA was shut down (not allowed) in the South East of the UK because Obama decided he wanted to helictoper in to see Stonehenge after a G20 summit in Wales or something. Thankfully I was able to talk my way out of the possible licence suspension as when I contacted F'Borough, they sent me back to my airfield, whcih I complied with and the NOTAM was at short notice because the decision by Obama to see Stonehenge was also at short notice.

Forgot to set the area QNH, which meant I ended up breaching prohibited airspace over a nuclear power stations. Thakfully I was working at that powerstation at the time and only got a reprimand. I should have planned a bigger margin.

I picked a fight with and AFISO (aerodrome flight information service officer), and thankfully won.. He was a complete posterior hole that enjoyed his power over the radio, but in person he was a coward.

Flew across an international FIR boundary but forgot to lodge the flightplan. (well.. I remembered to lodge it, but as I taxied out, I thought I had done it).

Apparently read back a hold to cross an active runway, then proceeded to cross it... Thankfully noticed a C310 starting its roll and jumped on the brakes. Tower berated me on the radio and I made up some excuse that my feet slipped off the brakes and it lurched forward, so no call to visit ATC. However, I am dead certain my readback was to cross the active runway.

At Moorabbin, on 17L (used for training), as a solo student, I was given clearnce to take off.. I saw an a/c on finals so declined the clearance due to aircraft on final. He may have been a way out, but as a student, I thought I would be cautious (there was no "don't delay" in the instruction). I guess ATC didn't like that because they made me wait until what seemed like all the traffic had left the circuit...

One I have seen, started and taxied with dolly attached to front wheel.

Surely it must have been bumpy as....

Surely it must have been bumpy as....

Ok....tried to taxi.

This list is only some EXAMPLES of sins - Please add more to my examples - for we know we ALL sin. And Bernie with one sin - I don’t believe you!

Well, apparently, it does happen:

Is this a confession? Oh.. there are a couple of lines that I shall foresake...

You forgot :

Took off with speed brake extended

Taxied with air inlet plug still fitted

Started takeoff run with rough engine but ANC headset masked the rough engine, rest of airfield said engine sounded awesome

More than three is bragging

Seen somebody taxiing with control locks still in place............for a short distance.

I was looking for " leaving the choke on " and the biggy " landing wheels-up " but otherwise I have about 7.

The mistakes regarding fuel supply have killed a lot of pilots. I've never forgotten the episode involving one of the senior members of the BAS in W.A., who decided to go ultralighting - and who forgot to turn the fuel on.

He got to about 150 feet before he went straight down - and he didn't survive. How ironic that a bloke who investigated many cases of pilots killing themselves with simple piloting mistakes, went out the exact same way.

Onetrack, an engine failure at 150 ft, if handled properly, should not cause you to go straight down. That sounds like a stall to me, and the pilot should have maintained airspeed. So there was more than one mistake here.

Maybe that is true but SOME height, say 80 ft OTA, a low inertia/high drag plane, climbing out at minimum speed is going to damage you whatever you do when the donk stops. Overspeeding the climb helps but there is a performance loss there if you have to clear obstacles. Nev

tried to continue a taxi, when the wheel went flat

I have about 7 of those already mentioned.

Failing to give radio broadcasts, due stress of weather. It saved me a landing fee.

When a student we had a rip roaring send off for a couple of instructors going to Ansett and TAA. I flew next morning, practicing stalls and kept thinking I would have to land, then recovering. About 10 hours bottle to throttle.

Maybe that is true but SOME height, say 80 ft OTA, a low inertia/high drag plane, climbing out at minimum speed is going to damage you whatever you do when the donk stops. Overspeeding the climb helps but there is a performance loss there if you have to clear obstacles. Nev

I was really surprised to learn that some in some aircraft an EFATO is irrecoverable, as you say. The climb out attitude and lack of inertia mean that you will impact nose down whatever you do.

I was really surprised to learn that some in some aircraft an EFATO is irrecoverable, as you say. The climb out attitude and lack of inertia mean that you will impact nose down whatever you do.

I can't agree with that statement. In a thruster at max weight and best climb it is always possible to make a successful transition to glide if you act WHEN THE ENGINE NOTE CHANGES FOR ANY REASON. I am not an instructor but have demonstrated just how quickly the air speed drops to many new pilots transitioning to the type AT A SAFE ALTITUDE. I also advise a gentle climb for the first 200ft. Thruster would be one of the most susceptible types to EFATO but they can always be successfully PILOTED. Flying Thrusters since 1985.??