Worst PIC experience

[DieselFan]

What was your worst dangerous / brown pants flying moment and what would you now have done differently if at all?

[Big-D]

Flew from Petit to Cullinan about a year ago. Had fellow microlight pilot (low hour) as pax. We had a terrible headwind with Groundspeed showing 38kph at one stage on the way there. Approx 4nm from Cullinan I hear Kasparson on 125.40mhz telling all the Petit pilots to come home at once – He then asked where I was to which I answered and I was then promptly told to land in Cullinan as there was a storm approaching from the West. We did, and waited it out, weather looked OK and we decided to fly back – Big mistake. Worst turbulence I have ever experienced. I knew Rhino and Kitty Hawk were close-by but did not want to let the bar go to look for it on the GPS.

Pax had to fly us home last 10 minutes as I was completely exhausted from wrestling the trike.

Made it home in one piece – Not nice. Lesson learnt. Don’t fly in bad weather, ever. If you can’t go home, camp have fun and fly back the next day.

[Chaz]

Was still a rookie pilot in 2000, had about 45hours when i did a xross-country flight to Secunda. By the time we had refueled and said our goodbyes it was 10H45 with a helluva xross-wind(windsox horizontal to the ground). Went maximum runway and on rotation was weather cocked violently into the wind . Was at about +- 3/400 feet in the air when the trike went into a sudden nose dive for the ground. Girlfriend started screaming which got the adrenaline pumping more and i screamed at her to shut the F#%K up as i knew i had kaak as the ground was rushing up like an express train.

I think this is where good training kicked in . I pulled the bar back a few inches and kept full power and we cleared the ground with feet to spare. That shook me quiet a bit and it was the longest and worst flight i had ever experienced.From Secunda to Springs i was being smacked around like a paper packet. I also learnt that day not to fly over red farm ground. It feels like a hot air dryer and it kicks you upwards violently. I think i have mentioned it here before and although i was scared i did not let it get the better of me i.e. "PANIC". I think every pilot must have 3 letters put on his flight suit on the arms near the wrist A,P,C. meaning ASSES, dont PANIC and CONTROL. It worked for me that day. My girlfriend never ever flew again. I think it was also the flight that ended my flying career as after that i could never shake the nervousness when i flew in turbulence. I would say it was probalby the main reason i evetnually sold my trike as my nervesnous got the better of me and i get hurt. MAYBE ONE DAY AGAIN !!!

Your's in Flying
CHAZ

[Tailspin]

Doing conversion to 3 Axis, coming in to land and nearly lost it completely, Luckily shouted and instructor took control and all went ok. Still a bit shaken but getting much better at it.

[The Agent]

With the Banatm my first solo flyout to FAWB I kanded behind another Bantam and the left wing dropped on roundout, I correctedwith power and I think rudder as I was able to walk away after uttering some words which are still stuck to the wind shield.

Oh Yes and coming back from Baberton Oh brother those mountains are so frikken high-------------------

[Biggles]

Solo cross country with a decent easterly coming over the hottentots. I could see that going close to the mountains would be a disaster with all sorts of turbulance so routed south well away from the mountains, all OK. Then I had to decend to do the outlanding on a farm strip. Suddenly all hell broke loose. I started spiral decending and I was suddenly in a 90 degree bank, I recovered and after battling for a ages with the bar tucked against my chest, all the time wondering how much abuse an old windlass can take before breaking up. Suddenly it all smoothed out and I had gained 500ft inaltitude!! I think I had decended into the up portion of a standing wave. Anyway had plenty of time so headed west a few miles before decending and coming back lowish to the field for the landing.

[Dre'man]

My very first lesson after intro we lost a rear wheel on take off. We continued with instruction for nearly 2 hrs to burn the feul and then circled airfield for about 15 min for paramedics to arrive. My instructor flew the wing on finals with me calling airspeed and cutting mags on touchdown, steering and braking. Trike just skidded for about 20m meters and stopped with no damage. Looking at some of the incidents in the past months I realise we were very lucky as it could have been much worse.
One of the reasons I will never get to hate circuits, If the instructor was not as pedantic about being able to land perfectly we could have been in trouble.
I think although it was a long time to be up there thinking about landing we were very fortunate in being able to discuss possibilities and consequences and had the opportunity to get advice from the ground.
Most people do not have a couple of hours to prepare for emergencies only a second or two, we did and I am grateful for the lesson.
Most importantly, no matter how bad the situation never stop flying the plane
I am thankful every time I get on the trike as that is not a lesson you can pay for.

[Bacardi]

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[cornell]

Flew a chater form Umtata to Fapm. Got stuck in a thunderstorm while doing the let down with the ADF following the storm and not the beacons. After my first go around flew it on the ADF and GPS.

[FO Gyro]

My scariest moment was after just having purchased my trike. I had been signed out after my conversion onto trikes, and thought I would do a practice ground run to see if my engine was running ok.

With an ATP licence, and flying Boeing aircraft, and with around 7000 hours, I had no idea how sensitive trikes were to turbulence and wind. Had never flown anything like this before. As I accelerated down the runway, before I knew it, I was airborne by mistake. It must have been blowing at least 15 kts that day, at around midday. Wasn't wearing my headsets, had no comms, and hadn't done a preflight.

I panicked, and it took me 3 landings before I got her down again. I must say I lost my confidence in my trike for some after that, and whenever I got into turbulence, I got really scared. Eventually sold my trike after a year and got into gyro's. In all my flying, I had never got scared in anything, except a trike. Not bashing trikes, just the honest truth.

[Bacardi]

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[afskies scribe]

...Missed the runway by some margin, but ran down a fair sized rabbit which was converted into a terrific stew :D The Scribe has the story, albeit a gruesome tale.

...bunnyhuggers beware...

[Skimmer]

Flying down to Vryburg en route to Bundubash - me in taildragger Bushbaby & Ken in 912 Aquilla, we landed to check fuel etc in murderous wind at Lichtenburg. Both aircraft survived landing as wind was just slightly cross but estimate wind was at least 30MPH (just about uprooting trees) and stirred up by the cement factory silos. Spent whole day and night waiting for it to die sown - luckily Ken's trike was very well equipped with sleeping bags, tent, etc etc although he probably plans for nicer bed-mates that don't shriek in the night.....

[Tower]

Had two scares so far.

1. Coming back from the Vaal to microland at 11.00 on a saturday, low on fuel, ill pax ( the briefing joke about chucking left and not right to avoid the carbs helped) and a head wind that gave me an airspeed of 54mph and a ground speed of 11mph!

2. Taking off from mabilengwe in a group, roughly no. 5 of 10, going for it, rushing, bar not quite in the middle, lifting of, drifting right, missing the big tree on the right of the runway with nothing more than a hand seperating the wheels from the tree tops! I was the IDIOT that day!

Now, think I might try to cross the Atlantic next

[DieselFan]

with nothing more than a hand seperating the wheels from the tree tops
Now, think I might try to cross the Atlantic next

Or perhaps Amazon jungle :D

Never knew trikes were allowed to take off from Mabalingwe?

To hijack slightly The last I was there it rained slightly just enough to wet the car, there was a largish twin engine plane prep for take off, on doing his power run he sand blasted my car, to my right ppl on an open Land Rover will killing them selves laughing As the plane put full throttle the wing changed direction and covered them in dust / mud, we couldn't even see them :D . I read their lips after that