Rusty Pilot Confessions

[csdominey]

Just a note of self congratulation here - BFR signed off in the logbook today. First update since the initial checkride on 28 May 1979. Nice to be back.
And special thanks to the CFI's out there. What stories you must tell.

Cliff Dominey
Alvin Tx
RV8A N977CD (reserved)
Will get it finished someday.

[DonFromTX]

Sine I started this thread, thought I would do a followup, long sad story. I had completed over 17 hours of refresher training, but got a fancy sidestep answer whenever I asked for the promised (in writing) BFR. Still looking for success, I then bought an elsa RV12 to get my flight review (none available down here) and then on to flying my homebuilt. After months of trying to find a flight instructor without success (they all wanted NOTHING to do with that fancy glass panel) I decided to research some more like I should have done in the beginning. A letter to the FAA for the LODA of the instructor I had used without success, and found that his LODA did not even ALLOW HIM to do a flight review!
So, in review after spending about $80k ($70k for a BFR plane and $7k for instruction) and spending (wasting) 22 months trying to get qualified to fly my build, I just gave up. Yep, 50 years of flying, over 800 hrs accident and incident free, and fun with aviation, I found myself just whipped by the system, and sold both planes, the tools, and the hangar. I am 81 and there are those that will say good riddance, you should give it up anyway. As of this date, Air Force 1 has still not yet flown. Now get this: The instructor for the guy that bought the planes would not fly the ELSA either - until I flew with him and taught him about the Skyview and the RV12! Yep, same guy that would not give me a flight review comes to me for lessons!!
I feel the EAA and the FAA have allowed altered flying rules so that it is obviously discouraged, and very well designed to run people like me off, but the same can happen to anyone of any age. I probably sound a bit bitter, that is only because I am!!

[Tankerpilot75]

I appreciate your frustrations. I purchased an RV off a 81 year old gentleman four years ago who had decided to sell because he had a prop strike landing at AirVenture. He claimed an unexpected strong wind gust caused his prop strike.

I won’t say what caused the prop strike on his landing attempt at AirVenture because I wasn’t in the plane but I have now flown this RV over 200 hours and living in Oklahoma have landed it several times with crosswinds in excess of 20 mph and gusty. The aircraft handles these conditions quite well.

I’m 71 and hopefully will be able to fly 3 to 5 more years safely. However, the last thing I want to do is cause an accident because my skills are not up to the task. I especially do not want to cause injury or death.

We all become “too old” to safely act as PIC at some point. I honestly believe flying as PIC beyond age 75 is risky. I’m already feeling my skills weakening and reaction time slowing down. It’s just a fact of life!

The CFI you hired should have spoken up sooner and not allowed you to spend the money on flight instruction that you did if there was any question in his mind as to whether you could safely fly an airplane and pass a BFR. It shouldn’t have taken him 17 hours of instruction to figure that out either. He obviously wasn’t worthy of his CFI designation.

Four years ago I returned to flying after a 22+ year layoff. My insurance company required a minimum of 20 hours dual with an instructor and successfully passing a BFR. When I bought my RV and got owners insurance it again required an additional two hours instruction with an experienced RV CFI (totally insufficient given my recent return to flying). My prior flying experience included a 20 year USAF career with over 3,500 hours, two type ratings, an ATP multi-engine with commercial privileges, and single engine land. Of course instrument rating is part of the ATP licensing.

I will tell you that the required 20 hours and BFR allowed me to fly but I was still dangerous! Honestly, I only now consider myself “proficient” and realize that I’ll never ever be the pilot I once was. Experience is worth a lot and helps us when difficult situations occur. However, it isn’t worth a penny if our skills or judgement has deteriorated due to age.

Like I said in the first sentence: “I appreciate your frustrations” but flying at 81 as PIC (which a BFR says you can do) is not only risky for yourself but also to others. I’m just beginning to understand my own aging processes. Be angry - yes, but don’t blame someone for not wanting to risk his license so you can fly once again.

[grubbat]

Don,
Sorry you had to do what you did. It?s a shame sometimes that in life, you bend over backwards for folks all the time and then the one time you need a favor or a little help, all you hear is crickets. However, at least you had the fortitude to hear the crickets and not jump in the plane and train yourself with possibly dire consequences. I tried over 3 months to get duel time in a RV-3. I finally gave up and after lots of taxiing and tail up tail down attempts, test pilot I became. Everybody is just so busy including me and trying to work schedules, plane maintenance, perfect weather, and so forth is just discouraging.

I trust that you will find some part of aviation enjoyable during this segment of your life. No one gets out of this world alive and if we are truely blessed, we will all walk in your footsteps one day and look back at the wonderful life we?ve had experiencing the joy of flying and then be able to look ahead for the joys of life that are sure to come.

[Tankerpilot75]

Originally Posted by grubbat

Don,

?I trust that you will find some part of aviation enjoyable during this segment of your life. No one gets out of this world alive and if we are truely blessed, we will all walk in your footsteps one day and look back at the wonderful life we?ve had experiencing the joy of flying and then be able to look ahead for the joys of life that are sure to come?.

Ditto!

Remember, your aviation friends feel your pain and frustrations. If we?re lucky we?ll finish our aviation dream far richer for the experience and joy that it brought us!

[DonFromTX]

thanks for the kind comments folks, sympathy is appreciated. I knew all my life I would either get too old to fly or die first, so I can live with that, unwillingly of course.
It would have been a lot easier if just one CFI had the basic honesty to have given a flight review (which you cannot fail) and jotted in my logbook that "this old geezer has no business in the air, and should not be allowed on airport property".
Throughout this whole episode the common thread seems to be greed for money. Nobody ever suggested any course other than one that would result in increased revenue to him. Aviation used to not be that way.

[kentlik]

Originally Posted by Mel

When flight reviews first came on the scene, I think that some CFIs might have "pencil-whipped" a few for friends that they regularly flew with.

But I think in today's world of class "B" airspace, transponders, etc. a CFI would have to be almost an idiot to do a "Parker P51" sign off on anything.

And if you don't recognize the "Parker P51" sign off, you are quite young!

I am quite young...

[Mel]

Originally Posted by kentlik

I am quite young...

Way back when black pepper and dirt were fairly new inventions, the Parker Pen company came out with a new pen called the Parker P51. It was very popular among aviators.
Pencil whipping an inspection or endorsement became known as a "Parker P51 sign off".
Certainly you are old enough to recognize the term "pencil whipping".

[kbalch]

Originally Posted by kentlik

I am quite young...

As in the bragging idiot claims to have "P-51" time in his logbook and his cynical friend says "Yeah, right - Parker 51".

For those who aren't fountain pen guys, much of the competition between companies revolved around ink filling systems and nib development. The Parker 51's almost entirely covered nib was meant to minimize ink-stained fingers. Here's a quick pic of a Parker 51 in all its glory:

[flyinhood]

I'm sorry for the OPs experience.

I CFI part time and I can attest that long flight reviews are a toughy. I have flown with experienced aviators where in the end we made an agreement where they could continue to fly but with me only. This way they could stay in the air and their flight review sign off was not required.

We would do dawn patrols, short cross countries, or just local stuff so they can still enjoy flying.

Being a CFI is not a money maker. Our insurance isn't cheap and if something ever happens, the first thought you have is "what could I have done different". Being a young CFI with nothing to loose is one thing. An adult who stays in the game to help friends can be a tough line to walk.

In a perfect world everyone we fly with would be prepared, receptive, and excel during training. Unfortunately it isn't always that way and you find yourself asking "why you're doing these reviews in the first place". Not fun.

The real tough part comes when you are asking yourself if a couple more hours should get them up to speed or to call it and have a tough conversation.