Real Pilot Story: The Heat of the Moment
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- FREE DENSITY ALTITUDE POSTER large enough to prominently display at your airport, flying club, flight school, FBO, and backcountry strip (Please request up to 10 printed 18x24" posters): forms.office.c...
OR
DOWNLOAD YOUR OWN 11x17" PDF version that has fillable text fields so it can also be easily modified for use at your airport: www.aopa.org/-...
More resources on density altitude:
- NOAA's Density Altitude Calculator: www.weather.go...
- FAA's Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK): www.faa.gov/re...
- ASI's article on DA: www.aopa.org/t...
- Accident Case Study: High Aspirations: • Accident Case Study: H...
- Density Altitude: the triple H effect: • Density Altitude - The...
- Accident Case Study: Into Thin Air: • Accident Case Study: I...
Certificate for completion link: bit.ly/RPSHeat...
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Video made by: @sensensomething
#aopa #flywithaopa #aviation #pilot #flying #densityaltitude
It really hurts not hearing McSpadens distinct voice over these videos, Rest In Power ❤
Yes I know 😢 he will be greatly missed
Even worse that they are covering up the details of what happened including the video.
@@Watchdog_McCoy_5.7x28 what do you mean? You can research for yourself, I’m sure there’s a preliminary report from the NTSB
@@Watchdog_McCoy_5.7x28yeah must be aliens 🙄
Missing McSpadden. Pretty sure it wasn't his fault.
Thank you to these two lovely souls for sharing their story. Sharing these stories saves lives. Thank you to Pilot Zak for being a Good Samaritan.
Jon deserves credit for at least one action: he flew the plane into the crash and did not stall it. If you fly a plane into the tops of trees you’re giving yourself a chance that the fuselage impact at that point will slow you down sufficiently to make the ultimate crash survivable. That’s why Jon and his fiancée are alive. I hope they’re both happily married and still flying!
No judgement here, John. We all make mistakes. Some days they're small, but some days... I'm very happy that you and your fiancé lived through it and are on the road to normal again. Thanks very much for sharing your story and helping me fly safer. Like many AOPA members, I've heard the density altitude mantra many times, but it never hurts to hear critical reminders again. Fly safe, my friend.
Lots of respect and thanks to Jon and AOPA for bringing us all these valuable testimonials. In aviation what I do not know, do not understand or cannot do can in fact HURT me. Ignorance is not bliss. Listening to this story brings to mind the closest I ever came (consciously) to losing an airplane. It was decades ago flying a Cessna 207 off a grass runway on a island. It was a Part 135 (Non scheduled air taxi) flight and two "extra" passengers showed up. Fortunately, in my stupidity and inexperience, I did not hurt anybody that day.
I really appreciate that Mackenzie spoke to the need for mental healing after a trauma and the resources available to help. Thank you for highlighting that in this video.
First, I want to offer my thanks and respect to these folks for telling their story….especially John as PIC. I’m so happy you both made it and hopefully you are back up in the air. As a CFI, I would say that every single pilot has had high “pucker factor” takeoffs….situations where it is just by the slimmest of chance that you make it, or don’t. I live at a airport community with one 2500’ paved runway and one 1450’ grass runway, and regularly see people that buck the odds.
Thank you for sharing your story, and thanks to the ASI for producing the video. This is a story that all pilots should see and yes….there is no doubt that you will, over time, have helped someone avoid getting caught up in a situation like this.
I think it is very brave of you to share you’re story. Don’t get discouraged by people in the comments saying „this was a dumb takeoff“. We’re humans and we make mistakes. Even if we should have known better. Yes this was a bad one but I’m sure that listening to this story will make some people think twice before they take off in high density altitude situations.
Thanks and be well
and importantly what actions are they going to take -> know the max takeoff distance that will still yield 300 fpm+ climb rate is biggest one here. He had an abort point, but it was pretty much a guess.
Agreed , it took a lot of courage to share this for others . That's a great quality in a person to emulate.
I like these videos because they have a happy ending. They allow us to meet the pilots and it helps us understand what we might also do to survive if we ever encountered danger ourselves.
No judgement here. Just grateful that this cautionary tale ends with the two of you alive and walking.
Hey man, nothing but respect for someone who learns from a mistake and has the guts to share in order to help the rest of us. Think of it this way - not only did you and your fiancé survive, but as a result of your situation, you’re helping other people survive by making good choices. Great job.
Many flat land pilots spend very little time thinking about density altitude. I didn't until I took off with mixture full rich from a 2500 elevation airport (that's not HIGH right? wrong...) on a 96 degree day full loaded with my son in the plane. I nearly killed us both. Such a helpless feeling when the plane won't climb and there is a hill (or trees) filling the windscreen. Even after I "learned" this lesson 20 years ago, this past summer I almost repeated this mistake. Fortunately I caught myself on the roll and aborted. DA is a sneaky killer.
Thanks for sharing your story. It helps all of us.
As a pilot, I can easily imagine making these same mistakes, that is not accounting for density altitude and remembering just the right take off configuration. Well done, Jon, Mackenzie and Zak for making your account so personal and moving! I'm sure you've made many, many pilots more aware of these dangers, and I for one am going to be much more careful when I encounter similar situations. It was great to see both of you walking normally down the runway! It may take awhile for the PTSD to diminish but you've set a wonderful example for all of us. Simply knowing that is probably the best therapy.
Back a few years ago, I witnessed almost the exact same thing happen at Mansfield Municipal Airport, Mansfield, MA, at an annual fly-in event. It was an unusually hot, humid late September Saturday, and a pilot came in to pick up a couple of friends for a day of golf. With 4 adult men and all their golf gear in the plane (I'm not sure what kind of plane, but it was a small 4-seater), they tried to take off but struggled to get off the ground. You could hear the plane wasn't very happy, and it took him forever to get airborne. He had enough altitude to clear the trees at the end of the runway, but we believe he wasn't confident with his situation. He called in a mayday, and started to turn back. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough airspeed, so when he banked left the plane stalled and nosed straight into the ground. The pilot and the front seat passenger were killed on impact, the back seat passengers survived but were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Very sad. I'm glad Jon and MacKenzie are well and they survived their harrowing ordeal!
I think as they both admitted, they definitely had a get home attitude because they were excited to tell everyone the news. So it was rushed and not thought/planned out properly. Every pilot knows about this dangerous attitude, yet it happens time and time again.
You can't judge someone for it really, you don't know what circumstance would make you make a bad decision until you're in that situation. The LED signs are a good idea, force the pilot to think about something they may have overlooked.
I think a very important aspect of their story is that when we hear about pilots developing a "get-there-itis" mindset, it's usually down to negative influences such as work or financial pressures. Here we have a situation where the reason they wanted to get back was because of one of the happiest pieces of news one can deliver in a human sense. One reason I feel they deserve to be commended for sharing their story is because it provides a concrete example of how nature and physics cannot be overcome even if the desire to do so comes out of the best reasons and intentions.
He checked the manual, it said "go to flaps 20 if desired" (or something similar). I don't fault him for not going all the way to the DA/weight tables in the POH. In hindsight, he should have. But the fact that he checked the POH and set the flaps shows that he was being careful and knew he would need more lift.
Great points ❤
@turricanedtc3764 that's so true, I don't know but maybe airport's should have some kind of scheme for space and hotels where you don't have to pay right away or something for example if you prove it would be unsafe you get a discount or for free.
@mrpc5971 makes it all the sadder a lot, most of the pilots I've heard of who die this way or get away with it by emergency landings etc are mostly the most sensible, safe and by the book people 🤷♀️ simply a bad day or certain factors and made the wrong decision 😕
Thank you so much for telling your story. You will never know how many lives you have saved by doing so.
Real pilot stories are so informing
Thank you for sharing your story. No flak here - the strongest and most experienced thing you can do is admit your mistakes, learn from them, and help others do the same. We all make mistakes - what comes after and how you use the lesson is what defines who we are.
Density Altitude. That'll get you every time. Great job surviving it. Given the situation, you guys did great job getting out of a bad situation you'd gotten yourselves into. Like so many other pilots. At least you lived to talk about it and learn from your mistake! Well done!
We are all human and with that, we make mistakes. I have nothing but a deep respect for sharing your story. Thank you.
Glad you are both alive. Lessons learned for all of us watching. Thank you for sharing this event.
Anyone that gives him any sort of flak needs to re-evaluate themselves. I'm glad they survived to tell their story and I'm glad he learned from his mistake. Thank you, Jon, for sharing your experience.
This channel provides a very valuable service.
Getting comfortable loading as much as you want in a 210 is a bad habit. Always check weight and balance; never get used to anything. Follow the book. Complacency leads to more complacancey. Glad they lived to tell the tale for the benefit of all. God bless them.
I remember my first and hopefully only surprise with density altitude. In 30 minutes, the temperature raised so much that it seemed like density altitude went from 3000 to 6000 feet. Whether that is true or not, I can't confirm besides knowing that it was 6000' density altitude and we were going into slight rising terrain and it just felt like we weren't climbing fast enough but luckily everything turned out okay. I was still so upset at myself for even letting it get that close. I risked not only my life, but more importantly my wife's. I know now to never take density altitude for granted and am overly conservative now when it comes to flying high or hot.
You guys are alive and so happy for you. Don't be too hard on yourself, it happens to the best of us but the main thing is not only that we learn, but that we pass that lesson on for others to learn from so I commend you for doing this because you have definitely saved some lives already by having pilots questions there own personal minimums.
A great lesson for us all. Thank you.
They are lucky enough to "live and learn". Lets hope Jon takes aviation more seriously on the future.
That guy is a stud.
Glad you guys made it. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure this will help others that have suffered crash trauma.
I won't judge you man. You did the best you could. We all do that. I've made mistakes too. I remember to be grateful for everything. I'm alive. Many of my friends are not. We are the lucky ones. I wish you two many happy anniversaries!
Very well done video on a difficult subject, my appreciation and congratulations on the effort. I've been a CFI for 25 years and it makes me question if I have spent enough time on making my students understand density altitude. Not just the calculation of DA but its effect on the airplane. Another valuable lesson is teaching the result of retracting flaps prematurely on climb out. The DA demonstration might be more safely demonstrated in a simulator but the flap retraction exercise could be done in the airplane at a safe altitude.
Regardless, thanks for posting this, I hope you get back into the saddle and go flying again!
Really enjoyed hearing your heartfelt story, I can assure you that all of us make mistakes. I am so happy you survived the accident and will live to fly again. Congratulations on your engagement 🎉
So glad you guys survived. Thank you for sharing this it will undoubtedly save someone else’s life!
Full respect man - we all make mistakes - trying to help as a result is gods work
Always grateful to Pilots who share their mistakes, they save lives!
Good advice on PTSD
Major respect for sharing this to help others. I’m sure it takes a lot of guts to share something like this.
This is one of the best videos y'all have released. I am not a pilot but my 11 year old son wants to become one so I have been watching all the videos out there on the web along with reading everything from the basics of flight that I got from our local library and as many GA NTSB reports. This video right here is exactly what I am after. I want to learn from these mistakes. Thank you, Jon and Mackenzi, for going through this and releasing this. I hope that when the time comes and my son is ready to start lessons that I will be able to find a good flight school and a good instructor. I am a diesel tech so I will hopefully be able to take some lessons on preflight stuff so when my son makes it through I will at least be able to look at the extras and hopefully be able to catch an issue while it's on the ground.
I hope the two of you were able to get back into flying after this.
That was a really pretty plane, love the color scheme. Glad they were ok!
a very lovely couple.... so fortunate. Great sympathy to McSpaddens as well.
A courageous and helpful video. Well done for sharing your experience. I hope that you continue flying and live long and happy.
Excellent video as usual. Good job guys and thank you for the courage to share it.
Thank God they survived - fair play to the rescuers / did a great job!! 🙏
Thanks for sharing your experience… it has the power to makes us all safer pilots
Thank you for sharing this story, it can be easy to dismiss DA in the real world. I pledge to writing DA on my flights moving forward.
Thank you for sharing your story, I'm glad to hear it from you directly instead of hearing about it from Blancolirio or Day Gryder!!
Thanks for sharing your story. Glad everybody is okay. ❤
Excellent video and thank you to this couple for sharing their story so frankly and honestly. These testimonials help all of us become better pilots.
I really liked the discussion at the end about the technology being introduced at the field. This is an excellent response to the situation.
Thank you for having the courage to share your story so that we all can learn from your experience and hopefully become safer pilots ourselves. I'm so happy you and your fiancé ended up okay. Any pilot who gets judgmental or tells you he hasn't ever made an error is a pilot with whom I would never fly. Experience is what you get after you need it. Anyone who is ignorant enough to believe in their own infallibility obviously has none.
Fantastic video - so well made. And bravery from the participants too.
Thanks a million for this story. There are so many DA accidents that don't end this well. Congratulations on your marriage and happy flying!
I noticed the dolly zoom to depict how close the trees were
great knowledge. thanks for sharing
I’m so glad you made this video! Tons of pilots have been lost due to density altitude and your story will save lives. It’s an easy piece of the puzzle to overlook. Is your beautiful airplane restorable? So sorry this happened.
Very cool that the airport is taking steps to help pilots avoid this and to also make 911 calls available in the future. Very proactive!
Thanks for sharing. Extremely happy everyone was ok. I’m a low time pilot with a C170. The 2 things that scare me are density altitude and winds above 15.
Jon, no judgement here! Thanks for sharing.
Weight and balance being the main factor here, DA also a secondary but just an underpowered plane with two larger people. Glad they are alive ♥️🤙🏼
That Cessna 170 was beautiful.
This is an excellent video and thank you to these brave people for sharing their story. We are all but weak and frail and if ALL of us could be a little better at owning our mistakes and learning from them, the world would not be such a F***ed up place!
as a private pilot with relatively low hours (even though i have had my certificate a while) living in the southwest , i always respect DA. the northern part of the state has some higher elevations at a lot of places and it can get very hot. i have seen some crazy DA in the summertime . i just learned a few things from the beginning i guess. i fly a Cherokee 180 by myself usually, and at times it does not climb like you would think. saving grace around where i am at , we have long strips. i have done stuff flying that i probably should not have, just try to learn from those mistakes and move on.
this video is a reminder to all pilots. i am very glad that everyone lived to tell, that doesn't always happen.
A big thanks to everyone involved in getting this video here and seen. If it had to happen, I'm so happy it ended this way! And if you saved just 1 other life, it was very well worth it!! May you have a long happy life together. Peace... --gary
Sounds like a scary event, but at least you both survived. And think of the memorable story youre able to tell for the rest of your lives. 😊
Anyone who has walked away from a crash and hasn’t share their experience, lessons learned and applied their learned outcome isn’t a professional pilot.
Accidents happen and they become teaching moments.
PTSD is a real deal and covering it up for fear of losing one’s medical is very common.
Thanks for sharing and all the best in your marriage.
Very very useful video. Thanks for stepping up.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Very helpful story.
Flew heavy with 3 passangers in my 182 a lot this summer, and I am pretty sure I would've made the same mistake as you John, facing DA.
Your story helps me rethink carefully flying in hot weather fully loaded. Thank you for sharing!
This story hit hard. It begs the question: well do I bring a thermometer and barometer to a Backcountry airport? We take AWOS for granted sometimes. This will undoubtedly change the way I teach my students not just about DA but also tech reliance. Thanks for sharing
Taking along a small device might be invaluable. They're pretty inexpensive nowadays, the kestrel 2500 (for $150) gives you temp, barometer, and wind speed and is easy to use.
Uhhhh there's an OAT probe in your airplane and an altimeter and presumably you know the field elevation where you've landed, if its an airstrip? You literally have all the information you need... Set 29.92inHg on the altimeter > read pressure altitude. Look at OAT gauge > read temperature. If you're a huge nerd you could do mathematics from there to get your DA, or you could be lazy like the rest of us and go to your POH and use whatever graphical chart or table they have in there to figure it out. You could probably skip the pressure altitude part (substitute the field elevation) and still get a reasonably good idea of what you're dealing with: barometric changes will affect DA, but it's a much smaller effect than the temperature has (pressure might account for +/- one or two hundred feet DA, temperature can be thousands of feet).
I feel like it might be worth adding a segment to the end of the video (or linking to another video?) reminding people how to determine DA. There are people in the comments here saying, "What am I supposed to do, bring my own weather station when I go to a backcountry strip?" Seems like some educational content would not go amiss.
I thought Alaska was dangerous enough with short runways and frequent rain-induced fog, but the DA is almost always low. Flying in Arizona with high Density Altitude and frequent moderate turbulence gives a new respect for obstructions. Covering this remote airport with wi-fi was a good safety move. Most valuable new lesson for me is 11:30. All their loose camping gear buried them inside the plane, so it was the first thing to remove to rescue them. I'll start using that cargo net for sure, now.
Looks like they were above max caring capacity for the plane... Without the gear
Loved the story and it’s a learning for me as well. But one take away for me is, whenever there’s a realization that “I’m not going to make it” there Must be before that throttle goes forward a total commitment to fly the plane straight and level. Do not turn. Going straight ahead at as slow and controlled as possible has a much better outcome. Unless of course it’s a solid rock wall. But if trees or rising terrain I’d bet on a better outcome then a slow at stall turn.
not to be insensitive but I'm still stuck on the fact that the plane was at the interior shop for 9 months. The most aviation thing I've ever heard!
Great share ..like many others im sure. I very nearly became a victom of D.A. many years ago . So close that it haunts me every time . A lesson ill never forget and a lesson most people dont survive . The worst thing is we all know better . G.a. needs better training.
I would LOVE to see the REAL W&B on this take off.....
Bingo!
You won't. We'll make a video talking about density altitude and flap setting instead.
@@alk672 and proposals and get-homeitis. 👌
The Cessna 170 has a useful load of almost 1000 lbs. They made at least one flight without refueling. This plane can easily carry both of them and a lot of camping gear, especially with partial tanks. Even with full fuel, the 170B model has a max payload of 728 lbs! Weight alone was not the main factor in this accident. I'll bet they were not over gross weight nor out out CG. This accident was purely DA.
You know what's hilarious I'm a 52-year-old guy that just was amazed that I weigh 425 lb because I thought I weighed about 360 and I am sitting here thinking of cracking jokes about their weight
This is one of those cases where "I don't have too much fuel unless I'm on fire" doesn't apply.
Thank you for sharing your story honestly. I think it helps the rest of us evaluate our own behaviors honestly.
I learned to be more cognizant of flap retraction speed minimums and stall speeds at each setting, and to be wary of the order in which information is presented in the POH and the need to be thoroughly familiar with it.
Based only on what was presented in the video, I have to say that I don't love the way the POH presented that information regarding flap usage. The ambiguous "if desired" has always bothered me in various POHs. The cross reference to related information was buried in the instruction regarding flap retraction (7), when it had critical information for the use of 20 degrees of flaps (1). The cross reference should (also) have appeared in section (1), perhaps even with a better warning.
as the partner of a pilot you can help with imputs about weights or other concerns instead of
"oh he always sorts out things so ill do/say nothing"
So many incorrect comments about the weight capacity of the airplane, The Cessna 170 has a useful load of almost 1000 lbs! They made at least one flight without refueling. This plane can easily carry both of them and a lot of camping gear, especially with partial tanks. Even with full fuel, the 170B model has a max payload of 728 lbs! Weight alone wan not the main factor in this accident.
Goes to show, that behind every dry, factual, straightforward accident investigation report, there are tons of hidden traumas, not only for the victims themselves, but also among the bystanders/first helpers, family members.... John was right, a lot of people will judge him. Doesn't matter now. What matters however, is how many other people his story will motivate to pull back the throttle, taxi back to the stand, cutoff the mixture and turn off the magnetos, in order to wait for better and safer takeoff conditions.
It's good Jon brought this to our attention and it is appreciated. That said I don't think Jon made much if any attempt to be safe. He said he made an error, NO he made numerous errors that led to this needless crash. Besides not weighing his camping gear and themselves, he didn't even secure his cargo, which hindered he and his fiance from being quickly extricated from the aircraft. Any pilot who plans and executes so poorly shouldn't be flying at all. I have had friends die flying over the years that made fewer errors, Jon was LUCKY and nothing else. Some people should never fly especially ones that can't plan and anticipate "the what ifs" much better.
The lesson here isn’t density altitude, its weight and balance on the face of it. The wife even said in the beginning, “Why am I bringing all this crap?!?” Paraphrased.😂
Nobody even attempted to do W&B. That should have been the first and the last thing in this video.
Would a cargo net behind the front seats be a sensible option in this situation? It would be pretty awful to survive the initial crash only to get hurt or trapped by gear falling forward from the back of the cabin.
Maybe some diet for the two? 145 hp on a fixed pitch prop means barely 90/100 on take off...
You never hear about rescuer trauma.
Every single pilot makes mistakes. And most are lucky that nothing this bad happens.
It looks like they stalled and dropped out of the sky. If that is true, In that situation is it better to keep the nose down to prevent a stall and plow through the tree line? I don't mean to Monday morning quarterback but I'm an aspiring pilot trying to learn. In any event he did the right thing in this situation as they both survived.
Actually, according to the NTSB and the look of the aircraft after the crash, he did stall. "The pilot’s inadequate takeoff performance planning that resulted in a climb gradient too low to clear trees on departure, and his failure to maintain aircraft control that resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain."
They are lucky to be alive. Another thing which is surprising, after nine months getting the interior re-done, they didn't install shoulder harnesses, according to the report: "Restraint Used: Lap only".
I admire all three interviewees for the courage to talk about this extremely traumatic event to help us avoid doing the same thing. Smart and experienced people make mistakes. It's helpful for all of us to get a regular reminder of this fact. Thanks for this excellent video!
You are correct. Better to fly the plane into the trees at the lowest possible airspeed than to stall and it and drop a wing.
No judgement. Next time ensure w&b well inside limits, calculate density altitude, safe climb speed and plan flaps schedule. Say it to yourself when you align like it's a prayer and follow your mantra, never improvise in the middle of a failed TO&C And use your second chance well, many don't have the opportunity.
Don't get mad, that airplane with 145 HP was made back when most pilots was the size of Zak. Taking off towards a mountain looks bad to me. I say no more.
At the end of Zak's portion, he mentioned a weather station project, is there more information available about that?
FYI there's a typo on the density altitude poster, "Standard Temperature at This Aiport:" -> "aiport"
They also misspelled "Hospital" towards the end of the video
As long as you don't kill someone on the ground.
From what I've seen, the pilots who judge have a rather higher probability of making their own smoking hole one day.
Glad you’re ok. But in reality drop the lbs. best advice I can give you. Since flying I went from 255-225. The extra useful is great.
Ok, I realize that I'll get yelled at, but the word that comes to mind here is "avoidable". I Witnessed a DA crash in front of me on final at Tahoe. Both of the Tahoe airports scare the heck out of me. I'm always thinking about how to lessen the risk there at both of the Tahoe airports.
So many take off errors in USA GA. THINK. Did he forget to use Vx Flaps ?
2 lessons: don't force it if the plane is struggling and we need newer better planes. GA has a huge problem with stagnation. These post WW2 era planes that plague GA often have poor climb because they are heavy. There was more of a winged tractor mindset back then and carbon fiber was a little scarce. Imagine if our cars were still designs from the 40s and 50s. Compared to a Tesla. We see glimpses of how much better it could be in LSAs that climb with ease and often have good glide ratios. Risen 915 has a glide ratio of 20, Cessna 170 is more like 7. About same power but cessna close to double weight. Risen has climb rate of 1970fpm vs 690. Almost triple the climb rate for the same power. It's literally life and death.
So join me in disdain for old planes so we can have amazing progress. There is similar opportunity for lower cost. It's not just about spending more.
I agree, but bad comparison.
@@kevin_6217 why? because it's a 2 seater? Gogetair is an LSA era 4 seater that also performs better, it's just that Risen is so well made with glider like aerodynamics discipline. It goes well over 400km/h at altitude. Double the speed of the Cessna. Which is a crazy margin.
It’s a beautiful classic plane. No matter how many modern planes are made, there will always be people who fly old taildraggers because they want to; not because they can’t afford anything better. The old planes aren’t going away.
But your point is well taken. I agree in principle.
@@lebojay I believe the complacent stagnation is because of a lack of awareness of just how bad the old planes are. Because of lack of options our community has been institutionalized. Conditioned to like exceedingly old planes. Bonanza is a 1945 design and Math Guthmiller bought it unironically. Not as a retro style choice but as the perceived best option. As a current plane. When it's closer to 100 years old.
Old airplanes are fine if kept in good flying condition, and flown with respect for their limitations. If the manual doesn't give limitations, do some testing in a safe environment.
I was kind of hoping there would be a note at the end on whether they got married but I guess that might have been a little cheesy. If I were them, after that experience I would have driven to the nearest courthouse and gotten hitched right then and there. Tomorrow is not promised.
There are a lot of comments that read “Density Altitude displays are awesome, we need one…”
Well, he had one in his cockpit, allegedly, but refused to use it. Pressure altitude can be read right off the Kollsman window. E6b does the rest to get you to DA. If you are fully loaded on a hot day and give a shit about your future spouse’s life, maybe that could take the 5 minutes of prep.
How can you say this after watching the video? He admits he was at fault and cleary cares a lot about her.
@@snorlax4021 the buddy who rescued him said “if he knew DA he wouldn’t take off”. Proving he was complacent and put her at risk. I’m simply pointing out that “DA indicator screens” aren’t a solution to complacency
@skydoc6578 Why not do some of those calculations then? Sounds like it was sunny and warm, which implies high pressure, but we'll be conservative and say 29.92. Then let's say it was a hot day. Maybe 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A quick Google search reveals that the field elevation is 800 feet. If the aircraft was below max gross and had its C of G in limits (as it probably was, considering that it was just two people and camping gear and less than full tanks in an aircraft with a ~1000 pound usefull load and most of the weight in the front two seats). What do you get for the expected takeoff performance? I suspect it isn't as cut and dried as you make out.
Listening to Jon's story, he sounds like a normally conscientious pilot who got caught out by some foreseeable and very human mistakes. That should be a warning to anyone humble enough to listen.
Lack of Self Discipline.
I’ve flown a 170 with continental o-300 for about 20 hours. It’s very underpowered. It’s an awesome airplane but with a crappy engine