(December 23, 2016 at 1:45 am)Whateverist Wrote: Hello and welcome. C_L (or the nick I came up with that didn't catch on, Cath-y) has been a great forum participant. (As you know) she is funny, open and generous. It is rare that we get a theist of any stripe through here that doesn't want to convert us or justify themselves. She obviously has it bad for you, you lucky guy.
Got any close calls to share that won't get your post redacted?
Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments. They mean a lot coming from a perfect stranger - you have no reason to go around blowing any smoke. It really is a small, uh, miracle (is that word kosher here?) that two people can become so wonderfully enmeshed.
As for close calls. Well, the argument could be made that each flight in my current job as an AF flight instructor is composed of a long series of close calls. Student pilots generally try to kill their instructors, especially when learning how to land. As a result, we instructors grow a bit numb, and the experiences that would scar most pedestrians for life become mundane, leaving only the most heinous events to make the cut for being told over a beer (or three) at the bar. Having said all that, it's ironic that my worst experience as an AF instructor was mostly self-inflicted.
We were RTB on a formation flight. My student and my wingman's had both flown well, and everything about the flight was very routine. Back at base, there were several other aircraft flying in the landing pattern practicing various skills (most of them obviously pertaining to landing). To help accommodate a large number of fast moving aircraft in a congested airspace, there are a litany of rules and procedures all players need to know by heart. One of those rules states that a formation flight has the right of way (one aircraft is easier to maneuver than two or more). As our students approached the pattern entry point, it became apparent to my wingman and I that an aircraft (one that happened to be flown by a solo student pilot) was not going to yield. We were therefore forced to "breakout" as a formation - climb 500' above pattern altitude to establish vertical deconfliction, then circle back to the entry point and try to enter the pattern again. Unfortunately, while we were circling back, that very same solo student also decided to breakout, which isn't a bad thing of itself, but he circled the wrong way. So there we were, my wingman and I, flying "beak to beak" toward a lost and confused solo student with a closure rate approaching 500mph. We started issuing "advisories" (strong-worded instructions) to said wayward student, while chattering back and forth between ourselves on a separate frequency. The student became further confused, and the situation further devolved into three aircraft (one of them scared, two of them fuming) flying in a circle over the pattern entry point. It seemed not unlike the battle of Britian. I took the lead, and we made our way into the pattern, with the solo student following suit.
After doffing our flight gear, I walked by the operations supervisor's desk, where I saw a teary-eyed 20-something trying to explain why he had been "shot down" (told to land). I felt awful. Yes, that student royally screwed up, but we've all been there. Fortunately, however, most of us haven't been yelled at/about over the radio for all to hear whenever we made a mistake. A new pilot suffering a lack of confidence can be just as dangerous as an experienced one suffering a bad temper.
