Dumb stuff I do to help learn

LoLPilot

LoLPilot

Line Up and Wait
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LoLPilot
What are some of the dumb or weird things you do to help you learn? For instance, when I was starting my PPL and learning the NATO alphabet, I'd read license plates using phonetic letters when I was driving by myself. Now I'm working on my instrument and if I have my GPS guiding me somewhere in my car I will do readbacks to it as if it were ATC.

"In two miles, take exit 28A to Route 67."

"Right exit two-eight-alpha to highway six-seven, Subaru."

I'm hoping that it helps me with ATC enroute communications, but in the interim I've noticed that I blow past places I'm trying to find less often! :biggrin:
 
Back when I was learning to fly my plane, when I reduced the throttle to 1700 rpm on the downwind before base, I'd sometimes forget to turn the fuel pump and landing light on. My instructor would say, "while you're there..." meaning, while your hand is right by the pump and light switch, why not just turn them on. It became a thing and although I don't say it now, I used to even when solo.
 
For the alphabet I made a spread sheet with vlookups to get them right.

Then anytime I was getting a reservation code or record locator I would type them in and read them back correctly.

To this day it drives me crazy to hear M like Mary, L like Larry, B like Barry.

Funny thing is Lisa is aware of my affliction, so she'll stop and ask before saying it wrong.

Ravioli - Changing the world, one person at a time!
 
Ravioli said:
For the alphabet I made a spread sheet with vlooups to get them right.

Then anytime I was getting a reservation code or record locator I would type them in and read them back correctly.

To this day it drives me crazy to hear M like Mary, like Larry, B like Barry.

Funny thing is Lisa is aware of my affliction, so she'll stop and ask before saying it wrong.

Ravioli - Changing the world, one person at a time!
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YASSSS. I caught myself getting annoyed with someone and thought man, I'm turning into one of THOSE guys. Same thing I was reading off part of my work email and I was like as in charlie-mike and then thought I probably sounded like a prick.
 
Ravioli said:
For the alphabet I made a spread sheet with vlookups to get them right.

Then anytime I was getting a reservation code or record locator I would type them in and read them back correctly.

To this day it drives me crazy to hear M like Mary, L like Larry, B like Barry.

Funny thing is Lisa is aware of my affliction, so she'll stop and ask before saying it wrong.

Ravioli - Changing the world, one person at a time!
Click to expand...

If we could only get the cops to use ATC phonetics....
 
I already knew the phonetic alphabet and it didn’t even occur to me until I was done training that none of my instructors or ground school even mentioned it. I guess they saw I knew it so never brought it up.

I did the signing license numbers and street signs thing when I was learning sign language.
 
LoLPilot said:
Same thing I was reading off part of my work email and I was like as in charlie-mike and then thought I probably sounded like a prick.
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I find that most people don't notice as long as you preface the first few letters e.g. "a as in Alfa, b as in Charlie" etc.

Now if you started using "tree Fife niner" then that would be a whole different story.
 
I've had mixed luck with dumbazzes who do not know what "niner" means and think it's "nine oh", as in "90". So after providing my 7-digit phone number, I hear "that's 8 digits". The reply "it was 7 but you weren't listening, you dips*it" is usually at the tip of my tongue but I never use it, I tend to be nice to idiots because it's just not their fault that their mother drank and smoked heavily after having sex with her cousin/brother/father. :)
 
To remember some aerodynamic concepts such as how you get into a spin, I've made up a physical dance that looks like I'm doing "I'm a little teacup" while having an epileptic fit and doing jazz hands.

But it works to remember how the stall progresses into a spin and then what you need to do to break the spin.
 
I used to talk to ATC or in the pattern while running. Pretty sure it wasn't out loud. Might have been confusing to other runners. Cherokee 1234 at south parking with Alpha, VFR to the Northwest..
 
AggieMike88 said:
To remember some aerodynamic concepts such as how you get into a spin, I've made up a physical dance that looks like I'm doing "I'm a little teacup" while having an epileptic fit and doing jazz hands.

But it works to remember how the stall progresses into a spin and then what you need to do to break the spin.
Click to expand...

This deserves a video
 
LoLPilot said:
What are some of the dumb or weird things you do to help you learn? For instance, when I was starting my PPL and learning the NATO alphabet, I'd read license plates using phonetic letters when I was driving by myself. Now I'm working on my instrument and if I have my GPS guiding me somewhere in my car I will do readbacks to it as if it were ATC.

"In two miles, take exit 28A to Route 67."

"Right exit two-eight-alpha to highway six-seven, Subaru."

I'm hoping that it helps me with ATC enroute communications, but in the interim I've noticed that I blow past places I'm trying to find less often!
Click to expand...
I figured out a system for me. When I am trying to memorize a procedure or need to talk through a difficult concept: while talking out the procedure, I balance a broom upside down in my hand. Or, best for me, play catch with a tennis ball while walking - and trying to recite my lines. Brain workout for sure!
 
LoLPilot said:
What are some of the dumb or weird things you do to help you learn? For instance, when I was starting my PPL and learning the NATO alphabet, I'd read license plates using phonetic letters when I was driving by myself.
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY how I learned the phonetic alphabet!

Now I'm working on my instrument and if I have my GPS guiding me somewhere in my car I will do readbacks to it as if it were ATC.

"In two miles, take exit 28A to Route 67."

"Right exit two-eight-alpha to highway six-seven, Subaru."

I'm hoping that it helps me with ATC enroute communications, but in the interim I've noticed that I blow past places I'm trying to find less often! :biggrin:
Click to expand...

I also thought it was fun to make up fake clearances for other things. "Geese, flight of 200, cleared to the south as filed, climb and maintain 500, squawk loudly" :rofl:

asicer said:
I find that most people don't notice as long as you preface the first few letters e.g. "a as in Alfa, b as in Charlie" etc.
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B as in... Wait, what???

Nub_Pilot said:
I assume the "b as in Charlie" really throws them off.
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Maybe he's having a beer. B as in Barley pop. :D
 
A long time ago, one of my instructors (who was an old school airline pilot) called out "lights, camera, action" just before we pulled onto the runway. That meant, wing tip strobes on, transponder from standby to ALT and that we were ready to depart.

I have used this same saying for over 25 years both personally and professionally.
 
upstateny said:
I've posted it before, but for the emergency squawk codes I use -

"Hi, Jack.
Can't talk right now.
I'm on fire."
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Seven five, taken alive
Seven seven, going to heaven.
 
For the old ADF written questions, folks might remember the formula is:

Relative Bearing + Magnetic Heading = Magnetic Bearing

RB + MH = MB​
Or the way a ground instructor presented it....

Rubber Boots + Muddy Hole = Muddy Boots​
 
AggieMike88 said:
For the old ADF written questions, folks might remember the formula is:

Relative Bearing + Magnetic Heading = Magnetic Bearing

RB + MH = MB​
Or the way a ground instructor presented it....
Rubber Boots + Muddy Hole = Muddy Boots​
Click to expand...

Yeah I think the ADF is hard. My instructor and I went up to do an NDB approach and it made sense when doing it but I have an awful time with the questions.
 
AggieMike88 said:
To remember some aerodynamic concepts such as how you get into a spin, I've made up a physical dance that looks like I'm doing "I'm a little teacup" while having an epileptic fit and doing jazz hands.

But it works to remember how the stall progresses into a spin and then what you need to do to break the spin.
Click to expand...
Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a kid?
 
upstateny said:
I've posted it before, but for the emergency squawk codes I use -

"Hi, Jack.
Can't talk right now.
I'm on fire."
Click to expand...

Did you make that open up? I like it.

When I was learning electronics (before we had internet) I had to memorize the resistor band color code they use for the ohms value. I made up my own, “big, bad Roy got blues, very good whistler” for black, brown, red orange, yellow (ROY), green, blue, violet, gray, white... (for 0-9), much later found out there were already ones made up. I liked mine.

Other things I do, when I am trying to get to sleep, laying in bed eyes closed, I go through checklists.
Sometimes it helps, and I drill it in, and get to sleep...other times I get stuck on one and have to get up again for a while and try to sleep again.

The weird thing, most, but not all, checklist points are starting to make a lot of sense. I see patterns that weren’t apparent to me but probably obvious to experienced pilots. Like most times if not all that I change the mixture/throttle the checklist has me checking the engine instruments. That starts me thinking that way..change an engine setting, check all is well.

It’s starting to feel good, getting them more solid. It’s been so long since a flight booking got as far as being possible to fly (weather, lack of instructor, Aerodrome closed for drone testing..) I’m looking to blow away my CFI next flight and even getting cocky that I ought not go through the checklists too fast. Of course, when I’m in the pilot seat, just watch as it all leaves my brain and I’m back to “umm...let’s see, get out the old checklist”.

I do as the OP too...spell out things in my head with phonetic alphabet, license plates, etc.
 
Half Fast said:
Aviation needs its own set of Schoolhouse Rock videos. Somebody give MzeroA @SixPapaCharlie a call.
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FTFY

And we already know Bryan has some musical talent. At least he's hinted at it on a few occasions...


At least the recent "Acronym Song" from Captain Roger Victor made a decent stab at what you're proposing.
 
A little rhyme I used in my first few flight lessons and teach it to first timers is:

Too much sky,
Nose is high
Too much ground,
Nose is down

It helped me a lot in the beginning and seems to help first timers.

A tip my pilot cousin gave me is when scanning the instruments to scan from right to left. His reasoning was we read from left to right and scanning from right to left is unnatural and it causes us to go slower and actually read the instruments instead of breezing past them.
 
RonP said:
A little rhyme I used in my first few flight lessons and teach it to first timers is:

Too much sky,
Nose is high
Too much ground,
Nose is down

It helped me a lot in the beginning and seems to help first timers.

A tip my pilot cousin gave me is when scanning the instruments to scan from right to left. His reasoning was we read from left to right and scanning from right to left is unnatural and it causes us to go slower and actually read the instruments instead of breezing past them.
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That last was a little trick I learned before Spellcheck, that you proofread a paper bottom-up, right->left. It kind of amazed me that reading "normally" your brain corrects misspelled words in context (did I just misspell misspell?) on the fly. Reading this way forces you to identify the words.

I'm not sure this goes over to instrument "reading" but WTH...can try it.
 
AggieMike88 said:
FTFY

And we already know Bryan has some musical talent. At least he's hinted at it on a few occasions...


At least the recent "Acronym Song" from Captain Roger Victor made a decent stab at what you're proposing.
Click to expand...

Roger Victor's songs are amazing. I laughed way too hard at the Frosty the Lineman song.
 
My buddy (a pilot) was telling me a story about this one time he got pulled over.. I asked him "how fast were you going?" and his response was "I was indicating like 75, not even that fast" .. took us both a few seconds to realize what had just happened
 
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