Do You Fly Like You Drive?

rachelk.tailwinds

rachelk.tailwinds

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Nov 23, 2014
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Rachel
For example:

If you clip apexes on the road, do you round out the corners in your patterns?

If you drive your car like the accelerator pedal is an on/off switch, do you taxi like that, too?

If you have a habit of tailgating, do you deliberately try to get your wingtip as close to the next guy's in the run-up area?

Both hands on the wheel? Both hands on the yoke?

If you drive a standard transmission, do you fly a tailwheel or a constant-speed prop?
 
My car has a really crappy climb rate. No matter how hard I pull on the steering wheel, it won't leave the ground. And the pedals don't turn it worth a damn.
 
Honestly, no. No more than I confuse a bicycle with pickup truck. My mind isn't thinking driving, it's thinking flying. Same with riding a motorcycle vs. bicycling. I have no issues with switching between right hand and left hand braking.
 
MAKG1 said:
My car has a really crappy climb rate. No matter how hard I pull on the steering wheel, it won't leave the ground. And the pedals don't turn it worth a damn.
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Yikes. Time to trade that one in, bud.
 
rachelk.tailwinds said:
For example:

If you clip apexes on the road, do you round out the corners in your patterns?
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Yes.

If you drive your car like the accelerator pedal is an on/off switch, do you taxi like that, too?
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No.

If you have a habit of tailgating, do you deliberately try to get your wingtip as close to the next guy's in the run-up area?
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Kind of. I don't waste space.

Both hands on the wheel? Both hands on the yoke?
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No. No.

If you drive a standard transmission, do you fly a tailwheel or a constant-speed prop?
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...

My mindset in regards to flying gets transferred to my driving. Not the other way around. Driving is serious business, as surprising as that may seem to some.
 
Do you mean do I fly with my cellphone in one hand and and a big gulp in the other and move the yoke with my knees? Why, yes I do. :lol:
 
I fly very conservatively. I drive as if every vehicle is a sports car.
 
I fly sensibly. My car has 3x the hp of the 172 I fly, and has way better handling
 
In terms of energy management, very much so. I honestly don't remember the last time I needed a brake job.

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
In terms of energy management, very much so. I honestly don't remember the last time I needed a brake job.
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Heh, brakes and tires are part of my entertainment budget.
 
In both flying and driving, when someone is in front of me, I make "Pew Pew Pew" noises and try and shoot them out of my way.

Whilst training, it was not uncommon to be in my car and hear me practice radio calls:
"Denton Texas, Mistubishi Outlander entering left on ramp for Interstate 35"

And then of course "Switching to guns. Pew Pew Pew"
 
Bill Jennings said:
Heh, brakes and tires are part of my entertainment budget.
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Not me. I rarely use them other than to come to a full stop when I've already let the car bleed off its speed by itself. The last mechanic who inspected my car couldn't believe they were the brakes that came on it. I've put about 15,000 miles on them since I bought the car, and they still look new.

Rich
 
Can't even begin to compare my flying compared to my driving skills,habits.
 
I raced cars in my younger years, dirt and paved. 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1 mile and a few times on 2 mile tracks.

Even though I have been out of the drivers seat for about 18 years, I still have friends that won't get in a car that I am driving.

I am totally opposite in a plane.
 
Apexes and round patterns: Yep.
Jackrabbitting: Not so much. Brakes lasted 11 years on the car, 8 on the truck.
Tailgating: Only in the car/truck
Only one hand on the wheel, unless I'm taking a corner in the car at over 125. one hand on the yoke no matter the situation.
I have a standard and automatic and I fly a retract constant speed.
 
Not typically. In my car I normally only have one hand on the wheel. I can't stand to drive with both hands. However, while flying I use both hands on takeoff, climb out and some crosswind landings. The design of our yoke leads to needing two hand leverage for strong crosswinds.
 
I wish both my car and my plane had an afterburner and a 20mm canon. No need for Sidewinders or AMRAAMs.

Drive a stick and fly a TW.

Cheers
 
A long time ago I made a long 3-week cross-country. When I needed a ride, I used taxi's, hotel shuttles or asked the FBO for a lift. When I returned home I got in my car and found myself in the middle of the road, right over the center line. A few quick horn blasts from others reminded me real quickly I was in a car, not a plane.
 
JOhnH said:
A long time ago I made a long 3-week cross-country. When I needed a ride, I used taxi's, hotel shuttles or asked the FBO for a lift. When I returned home I got in my car and found myself in the middle of the road, right over the center line. A few quick horn blasts from others reminded me real quickly I was in a car, not a plane.
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I've never done that, but certainly the first couple days in Australia was a hair raising experience.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I've never done that, but certainly the first couple days in Australia was a hair raising experience.
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And the first couple coming back.

Both Auckland and Christchurch, NZ have "roundabouts" right outside the airport. Of course they turn the "wrong" way in NZ. Nice surprise after a 12+ hour flight.
 
Fly a Light Sport, drive a sports car !

Cheers
 
MAKG1 said:
And the first couple coming back.

Both Auckland and Christchurch, NZ have "roundabouts" right outside the airport. Of course they turn the "wrong" way in NZ. Nice surprise after a 12+ hour flight.
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You know, the funny thing is it's the roundabouts that are the hardest to get used to (for me anyway.) There is something about mentally computing the correct turnout for the desired direction of travel, then having to do it all in reverse that is particularly complicating.
 
I go plowing through the snow in my car and the airplane...
 
JOhnH said:
A long time ago I made a long 3-week cross-country. When I needed a ride, I used taxi's, hotel shuttles or asked the FBO for a lift. When I returned home I got in my car and found myself in the middle of the road, right over the center line. A few quick horn blasts from others reminded me real quickly I was in a car, not a plane.
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Kind of similarly, while in the military on deployments I would generally have to do quite a bit of on-base driving - on the airfield, on access roads to and from "tent city", etc. Generally no faster than 25 mph.

After a few months of topping out at 25 mph, get back home and everybody is going so fast! Even if you're expecting it, it's still amazing how all of a sudden 50 mph seems insanely fast.

That feeling does go away quickly though.
 
RussR said:
Whilst?

I don't think I've ever heard that term outside of a BBC documentary.

I'm quite sure I've never heard it in Texas.
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Hmmm. I seem to type it a lot.

I want to invent the word "Wherem", the passive of where.

From wherem did those kittens get the ballet slippers? hmmm?
Off to wherem do you think you are going dressed like that Blanch?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Hmmm. I seem to type it a lot.

I want to invent the word "Wherem", the passive of where.

From wherem did those kittens get the ballet slippers? hmmm?
Off to wherem do you think you are going dressed like that Blanch?
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"Hmm, look at dem mahtey fine womens in that there Bryan's wherem."
 
That's an interesting question. I fly conservatively but drive very aggressively. Those who know me and have driven with me are always surprised to hear that.
 
No, I don't fly like I drive. My car doesn't have gpss or alt hold.
 
bikert said:
That's an interesting question. I fly conservatively but drive very aggressively.
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Yep, that's me. Love a 5-speed transmission. Love my constant speed prop. And like all good planes, the wheels disappear while still over the runway.

I've driven with mostly one hand for most of my life. I just can't hang my elbow out the airplane window, that little bitty storm window is too small and way too far forward . . . :D Only use two hands on the yoke in rough turbulence.

After a long day flying, it's kind of strange to be shifting gears away from the airport, and sometimes I have to remind myself to stay right if the yellow line, it on top of it.
 
what similarity do a tailwheel/cs prop have with a standard?
 
DavidWhite said:
what similarity do a tailwheel/cs prop have with a standard?
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None at all... Tailwheels are like "The Pilot's Airplane," as a manual is a "Driver's Car." Then having a CSP is probably about as close to shifting gears as you can get in an airplane.
 
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