Door open

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asgcpa

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Has anyone ever had an instructor open a door on purpose while on ground just as you were on take off roll to show you that you can fly a plane with the door open?
 
My guess is that you are very near the end of your primary training when your instructor decided to make sure you can handle a distraction. Actually, it is quite possible for a door to pop open on takeoff if it was not properly latched, so it is not an unrealistic scenario. I've had that sort of distraction occur naturally on takeoff.

BTW, if he was holding the door outward, it will act as a rudder. Another fun thing to do in the air is to open both doors and steer using both doors as rudders--assuming doors on each side.

But, as to the question, I've had instructors and the DPE do other things to surprise me, but never opening the door on takeoff.
 
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Peggy, actually this was on a flight to build night hours so I can get a Canadian night rating. I hold both Transport Canada and FAA certificates, but TC requires more night and hood time to get the rating.
 
Yes. It is a lesson that saves lives due to "Primacy" and "Effect". Many CFIs consider this "mandatory" and practical.

"oh. that's happened before. We'll just land, close it, and proceed."
 
Never had an instructor open a door.

I've had doors open unintentionally a couple times.

I opened one deliberately in flight once.

I open them (and leave them open) before taking off regularly. That's how I got the picture for my Avatar.
 
Certainly it has happened. My instructor used to open the doors in flight as well (after enough of this foolishness, I answered by slipping the plane hard to his side). We even flew the plane hands off for a while by using the doors as the control surfaces.
 
Yes.

And aircraft have crashed, people died, because the pilot dropped the controls to fly a door.

Good lesson. Door opened? Fly plane, and, sheepishly admit to tower why, secure door, resume flight.

Oh yeah, sometimes, necessary step includes "buy chart to replace the one that blew out of the door at 2,000' AGL."

Or so I've heard... :rolleyes2:
 
Yep...pre-solo and on climb-out to the practice area. CFI popped the door on his side in the little 152. He said nothing as I just went around the pattern, landed. Asked him to close his door SECURELY :D and then took back off to go do our lesson.

FWIW...we frequently flew in the summer with the windows open, so that would have been a non-issue.

Distractions are a good thing to have in the curriculum!!

Mike
 
It depends on the plane, as some cannot be flown safely with the door open but in others it's no big deal, but I've had that done to me and as an instructor have done it to trainees many times. However, the first time I do it to a primary trainee, I don't do it by surprise. Also, I do not do it before starting the takeoff roll unless I'm looking to have them abort the takeoff upon discovery at low speed.
 
If you do that in an RV10 or a Cessna 162 THE DOOR RIPS OFF THE AIRPLANE.
 
He took a big chance doing that on takeoff... but maybe he wouldn't do that to a more novice pilot.
I got my intro to that in cruise flight when I had maybe 10 hours, with a brief discussion beforehand. It was educational, and fun.
I did have the dreaded "slapping seat belt" thing happen on takeoff not long after that (belt was secure, I just hadn't noticed the free end of the lap belt was extra long for some reason, and shut the door on it). What a racket! Scared the crap out of me.
But oil pressure and RPM looked good, so I continued, and in a few seconds realized what it was. Waited until I got to a safe altitude and cracked the door to pull it inside.
 
Not a demostration, but we did talk about it in the context of always fly the airplane.

During my long cross country, it happened to me in a Piper on takeoff from the first airport. For about half a second I considered trying to reach over and close it, but I remembered to fly the airplane first.

It doesn't have to be a demostration, just saying to ignore the door and fly the airplane should enough.
 
asgcpa said:
Has anyone ever had an instructor open a door on purpose while on ground just as you were on take off roll to show you that you can fly a plane with the door open?
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Yup. It is a good lesson, how'd it go for you?
 
Yep - but at only about 45 knots or so and in a Cherokee 180. I have a small amount of time in an SR20 of the vintage for which the doors were notorious for not getting closed and popping open at inconvenient times. So, with that background, my CFI and I had talked about it several times in advance and that it was no big deal... your standard "fly the plane" situation. So, when he did it during training, it was a non-event, thankfully. :)
 
Yup, Also had them say let's get going just skip the run up it sounds fine to see what I would do, I passed btw. Also had doors pop open on their own.
 
MikeELP said:
Distractions are a good thing to have in the curriculum!!

Mike
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Co-pilot side on 090 seemed to open every time I was at 400AGL (not on purpose by Jim). Also opened on first solo after instructor jumped out - no big deal in a 152. You and Jim throw so many "emergencies" that when they actually happen post PPL training things just kick in smoothly.

For you CFI's out there, your students will still hear "your voice" when the actual problem occurs even years after training. My most recent was an alternator that came apart due to a sheared bolt resulting in the belt turning on a frozen/out of position pulley ... at night, with light smoke entering the cockpit ... my battery also was lost about 30 seconds later. Shed all electrical, etc. and can still hear my original instructor's voice saying, "Well, the airport is right there, stay over the road until assured landing and don't touch the master .... boy it was nice that it failed near the field". Just like he simulated them:lol:
 
Never had an instructor open one, but have had it happen most recently in a 172. Made the whole flight, landed and when I turned left to exit the runway the right door swung open. Don't ask me how that one happened.
 
Pilot side door opened on my checkride. I chuckled and asked my DPE if that was a planned distraction on his part. He said ".... I'M WAY OVER HERE!" and made me steep turn to the right to "avoid falling out".
 
Thanks. It went well. After i landed safely I told him if he ever did that again I would push him out. But the side slip idea sounds good....lol
 
I might have mentioned something about not unnecessarily mucking about with the airframe of my airplane to my CFI. Actually, a window did pop open on my first solo. I was dumb enough to try and close it when the words "fly the airplane" began occupying my thoughts. Good thing too, my airspeed was decaying.
 
steingar said:
I might have mentioned something about not unnecessarily mucking about with the airframe of my airplane to my CFI. Actually, a window did pop open on my first solo. I was dumb enough to try and close it when the words "fly the airplane" began occupying my thoughts. Good thing too, my airspeed was decaying.
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I flew all three landings on my first solo with the cargo door hanging open. I didn't have a clue until I parked afterward. It sure flies exactly the same....

My instructor didn't see it either, as it was on the opposite side of the aircraft as I taxied by.
 
I give a flight review to a fellow who purposely keeps his door open for every takeoff and opens it again for every landing.
 
Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
When I get to altitude, and get the plane trimmed, I just reach over and close the door.
 
I once flew a cross country flight of a few hundred nautical miles with the oil door open....

I had no idea until I watched the video later.
 
rottydaddy said:
He took a big chance doing that on takeoff... but maybe he wouldn't do that to a more novice pilot.
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Yeah, that is the part I don't understand. Could get ugly quick if the student freaks out. Also, if the door pops open on the takeoff roll while you are still on the ground you should abort (unless it is some special circumstance with a really short runway).
 
Shepherd said:
Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
When I get to altitude, and get the plane trimmed, I just reach over and close the door.
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Can depend on the airplane. Some aircraft are easier to close the door in flight than others. Some will have specific instructions in the POH for closing the door inflight, often will direct you to slow below a specified speed before attempting to close.
 
SCCutler said:
And aircraft have crashed, people died, because the pilot dropped the controls to fly a door.

Good lesson. Door opened? Fly plane, and, sheepishly admit to tower why, secure door, resume flight.
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This.

I've had a CFI open the door on me - It was a checkout in a complex airplane, in the pattern, and he wanted to be sure I'd still get the gear down.

I've also had several doors pop open on me - And Spike's right, this is something that kills people all too often. The 182, I got it closed in flight. Two others, I didn't. Most recent one was the baggage door being improperly latched on the Mooney - It was closed but came open on the takeoff roll. I aborted as soon as the noise wasn't normal, and good thing - I think that one would have ripped off if I'd flown it that way.



(If you're easily offended, please avert your eyes from the following joke. :rolleyes:)

What's the difference between a Cessna and a Jehovah's Witness?

You can shut the door on a Jehovah's Witness. :D :rofl:
 
MikeELP said:
You sure about that, Dan?? :D:wink2:

Mike
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Well, there were a couple of times I was HOPING it would open so I could transmit, "Instructor Away! 4500 and below all traffic remain north of the field!" :lol:
 
Wally Olsen used to open the door and jam something in the hinge to keep it open while he munched on a big sandwich and then fell asleep. You had to wake him on final during touch and go's.

Wally was an aviation institution and many now retiring airline pilots owe their early training to him.
 
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