Dumb mistakes.

E

evapilotaz

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Gilbert AZ. VFR All Year Baby
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Drone airspace abuser
When there ever be a flight I don't make dumb mistakes?

Lets talk about the last 2 flights shall we.

First a quick background on myself. About two months ago I became current again after a 10yr flying layoff so I consider myself relearning stuff again and a Low time pilot.

The flight before last about two weeks ago I had the wrong comm selected. I had comm 2 selected when I thought I was transmitting on comm1. I called up ground 3 times when I thought I was calling up tower. I looked at the comm select switch and it was on comm 2. :mad2: This was embarrassing especially since I had 3 airplanes waiting behind me. Ground control was a little irritated.

OK now the flight Yesterday.

I didn't get to rent my usual c172 because it was booked so I had to rent another one with similar tail numbers. The last 3 for each aircraft is X1D and X1E. Most of the time I fly X1E. At the time I kept saying X1E to the tower when I was flying X1D. Tower had to correct me a few times during my Touch and Goes and reminded me I was flying X1D. I had X1E imbedded in my mind. Embarrassing. :mad2:

Just wondering! Does my transponder report tail number to the tower radar?

Most of my mistakes have been with Radio communications. I just wish just once I didn't screw it up.


Just a little venting.
 
Sounds about normal to me.
 
Those are things everyone does.
I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
The thing is I have done the wrong comm selected twice in my flying career but ten years apart though. I think I learned the second time around.
 
I would hardly even call these mistakes in the grand scheme of things everyone will screw up at some point. Sounds like a normal day to me.
 
If those are all you have to vent about...I would say you are doing just fine after a 10 year hiatus. ;)
 
Can someone answer this for me.

Just wondering! Does my transponder report tail number to the tower radar?

The reason I ask is because I was calling tower requesting take off clearance with the wrong tail number and they corrected me. How do they know my tail number.
 
No. But I'm sure they were looking at you out their window where those huge numbers are easily readable.
 
evapilotaz said:
Can someone answer this for me.

Just wondering! Does my transponder report tail number to the tower radar?

The reason I ask is because I was calling tower requesting take off clearance with the wrong tail number and they corrected me. How do they know my tail number.
Click to expand...
You said that X1E was booked and you were flying X1D. Probably the controller knew, "Hey, I just sent X1E over to xxx a couple minutes ago. I'll bet this really is X1D, let me look out the window to make sure. Yep, I bet it's that guy that just got current again."
 
X1E was Parked at the FBO. X1D and X1E both fly a lot but one is orange/white and the other is Blue/white. You are most likely right though. The controller looked out the window and said "hey that is not X1E holding short of the runway ready for departure" and asked me to confirm my tail number.
 
I think the controller can tell orange as opposed to blue. First rule on the radio is know what comm your on,and be careful what you say. You might make sure your passenger isn't talking as you key the mic.
 
Thanks for the Advice Ron. Since getting current I haven't flown with Passengers. To date after not flying for 10 years I have 16 hours and 11 of those hours were dual with a CFI. I want to get some more hours before taking up passengers. I need to boost my confidence more.
 
frfly172 said:
I think the controller can tell orange as opposed to blue. First rule on the radio is know what comm your on,and be careful what you say. You might make sure your passenger isn't talking as you key the mic.
Click to expand...

Pretty much all intercoms are wired up to just cut the passenger off. Passenger won't be heard over the radio. I just transmit over top of passengers as needed.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Those are things everyone does.
I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Click to expand...

this^^

I still do the first one once in a while (as do pro pilots based on what I hear on the radio!) and used to do the 2nd one when I rented.
 
Gucci Pilot said:
If those are all you have to vent about...I would say you are doing just fine after a 10 year hiatus. ;)
Click to expand...


Indeed, you're fine, that's stuff even the pros will do on occasion, of course we'd never admit to it ;)
 
jesse said:
Pretty much all intercoms are wired up to just cut the passenger off. Passenger won't be heard over the radio. I just transmit over top of passengers as needed.
Click to expand...


I did not know that. What happens when the passenger is a CFI and is in charge of making radio calls and the student won't shut up? There is no way of reversing priority on the intercom?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Swampfox201 said:
I did not know that. What happens when the passenger is a CFI and is in charge of making radio calls and the student won't shut up? There is no way of reversing priority on the intercom?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Can't speak to other setups, but in the plane I fly (C172N) there are two PTT buttons. Push the pilot side and you hear what's being transmitted through the pilot's mic. Push the passenger side and you hear the passenger. Not sure there's even a way to hear both front seat people at the same time (unless someone is yelling in the background, I suppose).
 
Don't feel bad. I've been handed off on IFR flights, tuned the new freq and not pushed the flip flop button before calling the new controller on the old freq. oopsie . . . :nonod:

We all have brain farts from time to time, they just can't be passed off on a bad lunch quite as easily as the other kind.
 
evapilotaz said:
Can someone answer this for me.

Just wondering! Does my transponder report tail number to the tower radar?

The reason I ask is because I was calling tower requesting take off clearance with the wrong tail number and they corrected me. How do they know my tail number.
Click to expand...

Umm, Tower can SEE you.
 
Hank S said:
Don't feel bad. I've been handed off on IFR flights, tuned the new freq and not pushed the flip flop button before calling the new controller on the old freq. oopsie . . . :nonod:
Click to expand...

Replaced the Collins with Garmin in the 'kota after a couple hundred hours...took a few "oops" before I always remembered to push the button after tuning...

I did have the backward twist to store the old freq on the Collins down cold though...
 
James331 said:
Indeed, you're fine, that's stuff even the pros will do on occasion, of course we'd never admit to it ;)
Click to expand...
Yeah, one time I listened to the complete passenger briefing of a departing regional airline flight on the unicom freq :D There's so darn many buttons in these things that we're all bound to push the wrong button once in awhile :redface:
 
evapilotaz said:
The tower is a good distance from the departure end of the runway I was on.
Click to expand...

The tower does their job very well. They know that Delta is orange and Echo is blue. Once in a while however I have had tower clear me to land by saying Echo cleared to land when I was flying delta or the other way around. So don't beat yourself up the tower does it too.

Side note, when selecting the source for the comms, make sure to leave the toggle switches is the center and just dial between comms 1 and 2 by using the source dial on the left (make sure the "auto" toggle is in the correct position). Otherwise pilots/student pilots get the switchology crossed up and they are not broadcasting when they think they are or who they think they are broadcasting to.
 
A few months back I took a spin-training lesson in a Citabria. When making my
initial call to the KPAO tower on the way back I said to myself "say Citabria not
Skycatcher" My call......"Palo Alto Tower, Skycatcher......." Old habits die hard.
 
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