lessons learned

[Guest pokey]

most have already stated heaps of things that they do and won't do again and why. How about we take it to just a simple one liner? (Confucius style)For instance, you have read some of my dumb things, and i yours. Make this a kinda "moral to the story"? i'll start with a few:

 

don't fly with ducks, OR topless wimmins, you may quaak up

 

don't fly inverted with upcoming hill, is so? remember to push FORWARD

 

when making emergency landing in your 747, make sure mom has plenty of quarters

 

leave cherry drying to the birds

 

 

[r22butters]

If the (leaving soon) pilot who is conducting the flight portion of your job interview has nothing but bad things to say about his (soon to be) ex-boss,...LISTEN TO HIM!

 

Ok its not a one-liner, but it is one sentence.

[Nearly Retired]

Always...*always* pee before a flight.

[bigfan]

Remove probably from your vocabulary.

 

We probably have enough fuel

We can probably land in that spot

[WolftalonID]

Do not drink THREE ginger ales before a two hour flight home, and then fly over waterfalls for photographers.

[adam32]

Don't eat a bunch of cherries right before taking off to dry them.

[Rupert]

1. Whatever you prepare for never happens.

 

2. Multiply initial time estimates by three.

 

3. If you hear yourself saying "I can do that," then don't.

[RagMan]

1.) Don't pass up an opportunity for a bag of gas.

 

2.) In regards to preflight/postflight actions; Touch everything you look at, and look at everything you touch.

 

3.) Double-check those cowlings (and inside of them) once more before jumping into the seat.

 

 

[Guest pokey]

etching your initials or name on your tools is a good practice, especially when the owner of a Cessna 310 brings it back to your shop bent and says: "gee? i didn't know the gear was strong enough to bend a Snap-on 1/4 in drive ratchet"

[Azhigher]

When landing on (company) helipads land between the tie down eyelets and not on that giant H.

[r22butters]

- Paying to fly the R-44 is a waste of money!

 

- Flying for the sole purpose of "building time" is incredibly boring, a huge waste of money, and not why I became a pilot!

 

- "Get-there-itis" is real!

 

- When renting after hours, always check the lights BEFORE getting gas!

 

- When the chopper won't start, check that the mixture is in before calling to say, "Chopper won't start dude"!

 

- Airplane pilots can't see you and are often not on the local CTAF,...and that's why he almost hit you! (like four times now)

 

- Pop tarts are not a good idea before a sunrise flight!

[Guest pokey]

the mechanic: "without maintenance?, nothing flies"

 

the entrepreneur: "without money?,, nothing flies"

 

the pilot: "without me?... only the birds fly"

 

the reality: "without the dream?,,,,nothing can possibly fly"

[r22butters]

With a fat wallet you are qualified to fly anything - Jet Ranger pilot at 400hrs!

[TonarHerocopterPilot]

No. I'm not doing that.

[r22butters]

Never assume an employer will treat you like a human being!!!!!

[Spike]

Should've been a fireman......

[Eric Hunt]

The ones who talk the most do the least.

[Wally]

I'm not paid to make you like me.

[wbrady755]

An EFC on an IFR flight plan is pretty much just a promise from ATC of when they plan to forget about you completely.

 

"ABC center, Copter 12345 still holding over the ABC VORTAC"

 

"Copter 12345 who handed you into my airspace?"

 

"This is Copter 12345, we've been talking to you for 45 minutes..."