Auto pilot disconnect is not mic push to talk.

RalphInCA

RalphInCA

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RalphInCA
Just what the title says.

Do not be an idiot, like I was the other day, and depart an airport thinking you are communicating to the world, when you are actually using the auto pilot disconnect switch instead of the microphone push to talk switch.

I did not actually discover my error until I had departed and I tried to contact ATC. I was wondering why they did not hear me and respond, and discovered my stupid idiotic dumb unforgivable mistake.
 
Mine makes a raucous beeping noise when you push it. Even the CWS gives a little blip when you push it.
 
I think there was a similar thread recently.

My AP and PTT switches are very close to each other and I occasionally press the wrong one. (I'm thinking of changing my stick grip so I can put the switches on different fingers)

Meanwhile, what works for me is to pay attention to the sidetone I'm getting. If I 'don't sound right' it's usually because I pressed the wrong button. Then I say @#$#, push the correct button and keep on flying.
 
Go easy on yourself... nothing unforgivable about it and I thought it was pretty funny!

Hey, I went missed twice during back-to-back ILS approaches into Santa Barbara one evening. As I descended into the clouds the panel lighting became too dim to see. I finally diverted to a VFR airport where I discovered after landing that I had my sunglasses on.
 
I think I did that a time or two when getting used to flying a friend's Cardinal a decade or so back. I suspect this is a VERY common error and relatively harmless, nothing to get down on yourself for.
 
colojo said:
Go easy on yourself... nothing unforgivable about it and I thought it was pretty funny!

Hey, I went missed twice during back-to-back ILS approaches into Santa Barbara one evening. As I descended into the clouds the panel lighting became too dim to see. I finally diverted to a VFR airport where I discovered after landing that I had my sunglasses on.
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:rofl:
 
Don't be too hard on yourself--it happens. Twice I've been at the run up area at uncontrolled fields getting a clearance over the phone (Bluetooth thru my headset) and realized for my side of the coversation I was keying the PTT and broadcasting over CTAF. Luckily both times there was no other traffic at either airport.
 
I think just about everybody has done it. Luckily, most probably don't do it at a towered field on video like myself... (At 14:23)
 
Doesn't take long to realize your mistake,when atc calls you to confirm a transmission . Fly the plane first communicate second.
 
azure said:
I think I did that a time or two when getting used to flying a friend's Cardinal a decade or so back. I suspect this is a VERY common error and relatively harmless, nothing to get down on yourself for.
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Yep, it happens. The FAA inspector on my MEI ride did this too.
 
I've done this. If you rent, it's particularly bad, since each plane is often different.

They should be made to feel different. Flaps switch feels like flaps. Gear switch feels like a wheel. The three engine controls all feel different. Wonder if we can standardize on a feel for the PTT and the A/P disconnect?

EDIT: Thought: PTT should be broad and round. You hold it for a long time, relatively, so it should be obvious and comfortable to hold. A/P disconnect is a very momentary action and rarer. It should be small and pointy, though with a larger beveled bezel so that you can find it easily. CWS is for steering, right? So it should have concentric circles. What do you guys think?
 
Did it my very first flight as well.
 
Rented an arrow for many years which had electric trim. Moved to a new town and decided to get a checkout in the local school's Arrow which didnt have electric trim but had the PTT in the same spot as electric trim would be on the yoke. Snapped that PTT right in half before the crosswind turn. Great first impression.
 
I've done this in my Cherokee before. Caught it very quickly, but it's got to be a super common mistake when the switches are similar like in my plane. And I bet it's more likely to happen when you're under pressure, right when comms can be most important. That's something to think about.
 
Mine doesn't make the beeping noise unless you are actually disconnecting an engaged autopilot. Otherwise it's silent. Mine is down kind of on the side of the yoke with the PTT at the index finger position and electric trim up on top. You'd probably only make that mistake if you were new to the plane... and still it's forgiveable. ;)
 
tsts4 said:
Don't be too hard on yourself--it happens. Twice I've been at the run up area at uncontrolled fields getting a clearance over the phone (Bluetooth thru my headset) and realized for my side of the coversation I was keying the PTT and broadcasting over CTAF. Luckily both times there was no other traffic at either airport.
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Was that you?
 
If you don't hear yourself in your own headset, you are not transmitting.
At least that has been the set up for about every headset I've had.
 
colojo said:
Go easy on yourself... nothing unforgivable about it and I thought it was pretty funny!

Hey, I went missed twice during back-to-back ILS approaches into Santa Barbara one evening. As I descended into the clouds the panel lighting became too dim to see. I finally diverted to a VFR airport where I discovered after landing that I had my sunglasses on.
Click to expand...

Did something similar with NVGs once. I forgot to remove one of the lens caps. Was in the right seat flying formation and I kept saying "I can barely even see them...can hardly see a thing out of my left eye." Thought my left tube was failing. PIC told me to look at him. You hear a familiar "pop" as he pulls the lens cap off! :oops:
 
I flew a plane with a loose wire or something where the PTT disengaged the autopilot sometimes. And it was an older autopilot (KFC 200 I think) which had no audible disconnect notification except the quiet 'click' of it switching off. I checked the button I was pressing 3 or 4 times.
 
gasfiltered said:
Rented an arrow for many years which had electric trim. Moved to a new town and decided to get a checkout in the local school's Arrow which didnt have electric trim but had the PTT in the same spot as electric trim would be on the yoke. Snapped that PTT right in half before the crosswind turn. Great first impression.
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Now thats pretty funny.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Why would anyone disconnect an autopilot?
Y'all must have a deathwish.
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Actually, flying with the autopilot is a death wish at times.

The first time I engaged the auto pilot on the airplane I fly the dang thing took control and darn near ripped the control out of my hand trying to go almost 180° from the direction I was headed.

Seems the heading bug on the directional Gyro was set in a direction I was most definitely NOT headed.

Nowadays, I am very careful to check the heading bug on the directional gyro BEFORE I engage the auto pilot. Lessons learned…
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
I think just about everybody has done it. Luckily, most probably don't do it at a towered field on video like myself... (At 14:23)
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;)

Even though this is back from 2013, I see...

I noticed your takeoff brief doesn't include (paraphrasing your wording, ours is slightly different) "an anomaly above Vr with the gear still down"... which is the worst possible scenario in a light twin.

On our briefing it is briefed separately to show the difference between having the gear up and the drag tucked away, and the gear down... land straight ahead.

Probably go through the fence on a short runway, but you really don't have any other option. Especially at our altitude.

Flight attendant call button at 17:51? Hehe.

The rest of the flight looked veeeeery familiar.

Loved when he said, "Why don't you just hand fly it?" when the new to you autopilot became a distraction. ;)

I also got a kick out of him attempting to explain that being low on the glideslope was "playing with fire" because of the reduced performance of a single engine approach -- and in your head you were thinking he was talking about "playing with fire" by getting too close to busting the ride because of the deflection amount on the instrument. Heh. Shows how even a simple comment can mean different things when teaching. Fun to watch him work on how exactly to say things.

Will be fun to start figuring that stuff out for myself here soon, too. Making sure what was being communicated is such a big part of teaching.
 
I once had ATC tell me they thought my mike switch was sticking. I told them I noticed and fixed it. Indeed I just forgot to release it (was busy doing something else).
 
Or you could be the airline pilot at JFK that gives his whole welcome to New York / we know you have a choice in who you fly with speech on ground control frequency (check YouTube). We all have little brain farts every now and then :)
 
rocketflyer84 said:
Or you could be the airline pilot at JFK that gives his whole welcome to New York / we know you have a choice in who you fly with speech on ground control frequency (check YouTube). We all have little brain farts every now and then :)
Click to expand...

I love the applause and comments after those. Haha.
 
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