Bad Flight

[docpup]

Every bad flight that you walk away from is a good flight in the grand scheme of things.

My answer to the question of (I'm paraphrasing here)....

"How do you fly again after a VERY bad flight?"

For me...it's because there are people who can't (either gone from this earth or lack the courage to keep going).

 

[BACONATOR]

And if you're really, really on the ball, you learn from the other guy's shitty flights. Some of the dumbest thoughts I ever had were something like, "What an idiot that guy is..." without a follow-up of "I better never..."

VERY good point. I learned pretty early on to STFU if someone is telling me about their (or someone else's) bad hop. I internally go "What an IDIOT!" if it is indeed warranted, but externally listen carefully and take mental notes. Never judge someone, because chances are your next embarassing moment in the cockpit (or otherwise), is scheduled immediately.

I also had to learn to take something away from a bad hop and move on. As a new SNA, it was really tough for me to not let a shit flight get to me and end up snowballing. I learned "compartmentalization" through the school of SNA hard knocks...

Very limited experience as an SNA and Naval Aviator, but these lessons are best learned early and often, and as soon as they start to fade, you fuck up big time and get to learn it all over again.

 

[TheBubba]

"How do you fly again after a VERY bad flight?"

Easy... because I have this overwhelming need to correct my mistakes and get better. If I fuck it up in the jet, how can I correct it if I never get back in the jet. That coupled with the fact that I love what I do. I also happen to be one of those persistent bastards who is living as close to my childhood dream as I possibly can.

 

[ACowboyinTexas]

Good thread you got started, Huggy. See, already your bad hop is turnin' into a good thing. OBTW, keep any of mine that you witnessed to yourself;-)

 

[C420sailor]

If I don't crash it's a good flight.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Hells yes. Some of the best ready room/o club learnin' I ever got started with me or another JO saying, goddamn did I totally fuck the dog tonight. Then the salty dogs launched in with "that's nothin', let me tell you about one night during Serbia..."

 

[bunk22]

I don't remember any good flights, only bad. That means my flight bag of experience is filling up and in the long run, that's a good thing.

 

[Gatordev]

I don't remember any good flights, only bad. That means my flight bag of experience is filling up and in the long run, that's a good thing.

Or maybe you just suck.

(smiles and all that)

 

[bunk22]

Or maybe you just suck.

(smiles and all that)

That is an absolute possiblity

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

I stopped counting my bad flights. I just celebrate the good ones now.

 

[scoolbubba]

Easy... because I have this overwhelming need to correct my mistakes and get better. If I fuck it up in the jet, how can I correct it if I never get back in the jet. That coupled with the fact that I love what I do. I also happen to be one of those persistent bastards who is living as close to my childhood dream as I possibly can.

Precisely. I've never been so anxious to get back out there after having my ass handed to me in a flight (fly 5 at VP-30 anyone?). No one wants to remember the last bad one any longer than they need to learn from it.

 

[ChunksJR]

Everytime I rode the truck of shame, I had a good drive to think about it. Then if there was crew day...I'd walk down to write the downing MAF and sign for another aircraft

 

[xj220]

Precisely. I've never been so anxious to get back out there after having my ass handed to me in a flight (fly 5 at VP-30 anyone?). No one wants to remember the last bad one any longer than they need to learn from it.

It was Fly 6 for me, the co-pilot one. Yeah, it's the EASIEST flight (my ass). Still getting used to the P-3 radios and haven't done any navigation for the last 6 months or so and anything I do remember has been put on the back burner in favor of prop/electrical. Plus, I get stuck with the biggest stickler for an instructor (remember, it says record, not write all frequencies, headings, etc. on the co-pilot duties). I'm well behind the aircraft and keep falling further behind (should have studied more, a lot more). I'm missing things left and right and it's looking grim. Only thing that saved me is that I could land the plane halfway decent. Nice little homework of writing out the co-pilot duties five times over was a good cap.

 

[ACowboyinTexas]

^^^That sounds so much like the Intruder and Hornet RAG experiences I had....heheheheheheheheheheheheheh;-)

 

["The Brick"]

5 mistakes....

An instructor told me once that a 'good' pilot on average makes about 5 mistakes in the a/c per hour.....FIVE!!! That was all word of mouth, but he was the safety officer for the squadron so I believed it...