The little things

[Shiny Side Up]

I can never help but notice how many pilots, and especially student pilots, obsess about the little things.

Its a typical busy day. Its one of those in between moments where the airplanes are all on the ground. There's the bustle of the people leaving and putting stuff away, the people getting their airplanes ready. I can't help but wish that I was one of these preparing to go, but it is my lot in life to much of the time watch over them. Its too nice of a day not to be flying. One of the students has that look on his face as he approaches, he has a concern.

Normally I don't like that look, it means something is wrong. What could possibly have happened to turn this day upside down? For the sake of the story lets call the student "Joe".

"I was wondering if I could trade my airplane with Jim's airplane."

Now I should say here that all the airplanes the school has are largely identical aside from the details. There are a few with different sized fuel tanks, a couple which have GPS's installed in addition to their basic package. I can tell you specifics relating to the differing alphabet soups of registration letters. I can also tell you a lot of the history of each plane, when it was aquired by the school, how many hours are on the airframe and engine, and some even recall their original paint schemes, some of which one might find lingering evidence of by their differing seat colors and hidden inside the inspection panels.

"Why do you want to trade?"

"I don't like the seat in that one."

Upon further query there is nothing wrong with the seat, it is much like the others, it has the full range of adjustment like the others. Being one who is often concerned with the comfort of my own ass, I can appreciate his concern. I also however try to make a point that the airplanes are airplanes and I don't put up with these things. Time to nip it in the bud. I explain that there is indeed nothing wrong with the seat, and that the airplane is as serviceable as the next. It was his choice not to fly the airplane if that was his wish, but I would not replace it with another. He chose to fly, so I can only assume that the seat was not as much of an inconvinience as he would have liked to have made out.

I'm reminded of something my uncle once said to me when it comes to stuff like this. "When I married your aunt, we made a deal. I would worry about all the big things and she would worry about all the small things. Fortunately, nothing big has ever come up."

I can't help but notice how in the General aviation crowd how much attention is focused on what I would think are the small things.

"How was it up there today?"

"Well I got my groundspeed up to 124.3 Knots!"

I have this mental image of this pilot flying square patterns, peering intently at the display, hoping for that magic number to rise to a certain threshold to which promises apparently great joy. I've never experienced it, though Mooney owners are frequently telling me about it.

There is much negativity about the small things as well. I hate that color. That heading indicator is different! This seat is too hard. That ident button is different. Or my personal favorite: Those letters are tough to say! One would almost think that many don't enjoy what they're doing at all, they're really missing the big picture I think. Eyes out the window is a common mistake many pilots fail to do, it not only leads to bad flying but also they really miss out on what the biggest picture is they're missing.

Its a moving picture, a big one too.

Its nothing less than the sky itself.

Get out there and enjoy it, let go of the little things.

[iflyforpie]

Those letters are tough to say!

Most of the time during my PPL was in Mike Lima Yankee. Sooo much easier to say than Hotel Yankee Golf, Sierra Kilo Kilo, Sierra Foxtrot Charlie, Sierra Foxtrot Delta, Oscar November Foxtrot, and Quebec Delta Whiskey....

[GoinNowhereFast]

"Well I got my groundspeed up to 124.3 Knots!"

I gotta get me one of those GPSs that gives fractions of a knot. God forbid I go 124.4 and not know I was faster!

[cgartly]

Those letters are tough to say!

Most of the time during my PPL was in Mike Lima Yankee. Sooo much easier to say than Hotel Yankee Golf, Sierra Kilo Kilo, Sierra Foxtrot Charlie, Sierra Foxtrot Delta, Oscar November Foxtrot, and Quebec Delta Whiskey....

Well you don't have to worry about "Sierra Kilo Kilo" it's a pile of twisted aluminum, so is "Quebec Delta Whiskey", SFC & SFD thought must have been before my time.

[Dagwood]

I can never help but notice how many pilots, and especially student pilots, obsess about the little things.

One student I once flew with would not fly one of the aircraft at the school because the mixture control was not the vernier type, and the flap switch was the old style (3 positions; up-off-down). These small differences were too much for him to adapt to.

I knew he has a big truck licence, so I asked him how does he transition between a truck and his car when he drives. He said he doesn't drive trucks anymore. In fact, he only ever drives his own vehicle now...

Each to his own, I guess

[LousyFisherman]

Well of course I stress over the small things. You try going camping in a 150! Those little things really eat in to your useful load

[Bushav8er]

Well of course I stress over the small things. You try going camping in a 150! Those little things really eat in to your useful load

Sleeping bag, fishing rod and pack cook stove...whats the problem?

[LousyFisherman]

Sleeping bad, fishing rod and pack cook stove...whats the problem?

add in a tent, beer and a female. Oh you may want some extra clothes and cooking gear too. A saw is often handy, camp chairs are nice to have, Some food to go with the fish, or if you're like me, food in case you don't catch any fish

Leave the stove, unnecessary, unneeded and unwanted.

Total camping gear for 4 days is 140 lbs. The woman is 100, I'm 180, leaving 90 lbs for fuel. And with those weights I have to put 20 lbs under the woman's feet (or ass) to maintain a proper CofG. Granted, I am camping more luxuriously (a cooler, a small chainsaw) than when I used to backpack but trust me, the little things add up.

And I don't like sleeping bad that's why I bring a memory foam mat (12 lbs) and sleeping bags for the 2 of us.

LF

[AMM]

Heres a pic of me on my last camping trip:

[Bushav8er]

Sleeping bad, fishing rod and pack cook stove...whats the problem?

add in a tent, beer and a female. Oh you may want some extra clothes and cooking gear too. A saw is often handy, camp chairs are nice to have, Some food to go with the fish, or if you're like me, food in case you don't catch any fish

Leave the stove, unnecessary, unneeded and unwanted.

Total camping gear for 4 days is 140 lbs. The woman is 100, I'm 180, leaving 90 lbs for fuel. And with those weights I have to put 20 lbs under the woman's feet (or ass) to maintain a proper CofG. Granted, I am camping more luxuriously (a cooler, a small chainsaw) than when I used to backpack but trust me, the little things add up.

And I don't like sleeping bad that's why I bring a memory foam mat (12 lbs) and sleeping bags for the 2 of us.

LF

LOL. Ok, leave the stove and the camp chairs...with the chainsaw you can make some, ahh a female, drop one sleeping bag and you'll be sleeping good ...sounds like you'll get it all in alright.

Have fun.

[niss]

What's a vernier mixture knob?

[slam525i]

Niss: Vernier ones you can twist like a screw to adjust. (They usually have a button, which when pressed, lets you make large adjustments)

I do have to admit though, I much prefer the position lever flap switches to the up-neutral-down type. Takes less time and the flap position indicators usually lie in old worn trainers.

[iflyforpie]

What's a vernier mixture knob?

Ahhh ancient Pipers. I remember starting out on a Cherokee SIX and the mixture knob was small, chrome-plated, and located right next to the identical looking cabin heat knob. First thing I did was unscrew the knob, bead blast it, and paint it red.

Of course (and in keeping with the little things), we would always try to fly the newer SIX with the throttle quadrant instead of the lawnmower controls...

I do have to admit though, I much prefer the position lever flap switches to the up-neutral-down type. Takes less time and the flap position indicators usually lie in old worn trainers.

I used to as well until I realized that I didn't really use the position selection and that they can definitely lie as well. Put an Aeropro inclinometer on the flaps after being zeroed to flaps up and you might be surprised at what the selected positions actually are. I sure was. Transit time is identical in each, all things being equal...

My flaps are either up (always accurate) down (always accurate) or set to match the max down deflection of the aileron for takeoff (again, always accurate except for Robertson STOL setups).

[niss]

What's a vernier mixture knob?

Ahhh ancient Pipers. I remember starting out on a Cherokee SIX and the mixture knob was small, chrome-plated, and located right next to the identical looking cabin heat knob. First thing I did was unscrew the knob, bead blast it, and paint it red.

Yeah I was thinking about doing the same thing, all though, it has been a while since I pulled the mixture in the downwind.

Pfffftttt......and the have the audacity to tell me my airplane isn't 'classic'.

[iflyforpie]

I'll call your 140 a classic if you call my 240 a classic...

[Old Dog Flying]

Niss: CF-UBC was a classic when I first flew it in 1971!!!!!!!! And it only took 40 gallons of stripper to get the 6 layers of paint off of it.

Barney

[slam525i]

And it only took 40 gallons of stripper to get the 6 layers of paint off of it.

How much did that affect the empty weight?

[jump154]

And it only took 40 gallons of stripper to get the 6 layers of paint off of it.

40 gallons of stripper. Was that 1 x 40 gallon stripper or 2 x 20 gallon strippers?