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Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:06 pm
by aligee
Davef77 and DarrenL.Many thanks for posting and resurrecting Ever felt a plonker.When I first started the thread it was with the intention of highlighting that we are human and not infallible.Some of the responses I received did make me feel that I had made a bad decision in publicising my errors of the past.It is really heartwarming to find other pilots can admit to making errors and perhaps help others avoid the same ones.Keep the postings coming and don't feel ashamed of helping other pilots to fly safely.

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:16 am
by skydriller
Chocks, we dont have these at our aeroclub.

So, on arrival at Genova, parking up and unloading, I was asked by the nice handling man "so, you wanna di choks??" and after thinking, well, I AM paying handling, I said "sure!"....So off wizzed the guy in his mini-van on a mission for chocks!!! :bounce:

So we are waiting there by the mini-bus for the guy to return and after 10 mins he screeches to a halt and heaves out the LARGEST chocks I have ever seen :shock: Im guessing they were swiped off of the private 777 across the apron as there was no way they were going to be of any use to me in a spatted Robin DR400. :oops:

So we rapidly got into the mini-bus and departed the area tout de suite... :mrgreen:

Regards, SD..

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Fri Jul 06, 2018 12:10 pm
by kanga
I helped staff an Air Cadet camp at RAF St Mawgan, and was allowed to fly in for the week in our spatted Robin. RAF VAS similarly had no suitable chocks, being more used to Tornadoes or Nimrods, both of which were on the same VAS apron at times. There were also no tiedowns in the adjacent grass, and no hangar space as Tutors had flown in for the Camp weeks. And Cornwall can get quite windy..


But all was ok, and no landing nor parking fees charged :)

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Sat Jul 07, 2018 11:23 pm
by PeteSpencer
There's an obvious answer to this problem.....

Peter :wink:

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Sun Jul 08, 2018 12:22 pm
by Flintstone
A few years ago I was on a trip in the (then) new work machine which was a lot like the previous model but with enough differences to have us ask once in a while "Is that normal?".

We were flying an empty sector with plenty of time in hand so no pressure. I'd previously performed a walkround and my colleague headed off to do the same before we closed the door. When he got back I asked if he had removed the chocks (we were on a remote stand with no ground crew) and he said that he had. After engine start we were cleared to taxi but at idle thrust the aircraft remained where it was. A little more thrust, nothing. A little more, nada. As this was the first time we'd flown this aircraft with full tanks and we were parked on an upslope I simply added a little more thrust. As the engine spooled up there was a lurch and a thud as we taxied over the chocks on the nosewheel.

A year or so later with the same colleague we were on stand after delivering a load of passengers. He went outside to do a post-flight walkround while I finished off paperwork. When he came back I asked if we had chocks in, he said we had. I released the park brake then put it straight back on again as the aircraft started to roll forward.

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Sun Jul 08, 2018 3:24 pm
by skydriller
Flintstone wrote:A year or so later with the same colleague we were on stand after delivering a load of passengers. He went outside to do a post-flight walkround while I finished off paperwork. When he came back I asked if we had chocks in, he said we had. I released the park brake then put it straight back on again as the aircraft started to roll forward.


Wasnt Genova a week or so back was it? :wink:

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:15 pm
by Flintstone
skydriller wrote:
Flintstone wrote:A year or so later with the same colleague we were on stand after delivering a load of passengers. He went outside to do a post-flight walkround while I finished off paperwork. When he came back I asked if we had chocks in, he said we had. I released the park brake then put it straight back on again as the aircraft started to roll forward.


Wasnt Genova a week or so back was it? :wink:



It was you!!!! :D

:D Although I have been there a few times and it has its own......charm.

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:44 pm
by The Kissimmee Bum
Done the strapping in thing having primed the thing from the outside and pulled through a few blades. "Clear Prop"! press the starter, blades pass by and nada.

Forgotten to turn the mags on in the unoccupied rear cockpit :oops:

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:46 pm
by WelshRichy
Oh I feel like a plonker every day!

Aviation wise I do remember a time when I was a post-solo student, my instructor asked me to go out, pre-flight, start up and he'll join me once the engine was running.

So I meticulously went through my walk around, checking everything was in order, removing the tie down on the right, pitot cover on the left, tail tie down, I remember thinking today is going to be great day for flying. A dual check then some solo work.

Engine started, probably gave my instructor (our CFI) a lot of time to finish his morning coffee. He climbs in. A few minutes later I had received the ATIS and taxi clearance. Power back, release brakes, apply some power to move straight ahead before turning right towards the taxi way, only to find...

...we turned unaided to the left. Ah. Left wing tie down was still in situ!

Shut down. CFI jumps out. Unties the wing. Restarts the engine and off we go...

Even though the hangar was still in situ at Cardiff in '98 the aeroplane was parked in full view of the school and we had a few blushes when we returned.

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:25 am
by T6Harvard
My Instructor gleefully told me that, "Unless it's sh** or bust I'll let you make the mistakes and then you'll never do it again." :lol:

So far there's quite a lot I'll never do again :mrgreen: :roll:

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Fri Mar 11, 2022 9:47 am
by Full Metal Jackass
I think I can beat that....

I pulled the plane out, did my checks, started up, taxied over to the tanks and as I wanted both tanks filled, parked with the fuel station directly in front of me.

Refuelled, jumped in, started the engine.....

Reverse gear...... now where the f*** is reverse gear.....

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: Ever felt a plonker (3)

PostPosted:Fri Mar 11, 2022 10:12 am
by kanga
Full Metal Jackass wrote:..

Reverse gear...... now where the f*** is reverse gear.....

..


ah, the advantage of turboprops (and a few others*) with Beta, but even that has to be used carefully. ISTR hearing that a very early Skyvan on a sales tour was at a lakeside grass strip in Italy. The sales pilot wanted to demonstrate its STOL potential to a regional airline, so turned onto the runway then used Beta on the Astazous to back up to the very end of the runway at the lake edge. Unfortunately he had no marshaller and backed up a bit too far .. :roll:

[*the Beverley with Bristol Centaurus and Dowty propellers could use the latter to reverse. I heard that this facility was regularly used on desert strips in Aden]