Ever terrified your CFI?

Volitation

Volitation

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Volitation
Vincent Carbonara’s 172 spin thread got me thinking..... Have you ever terrified your instructor?

My first, or second, or whatever it was lesson, and we’re gonna do my first stall. And I’m telling myself, “when it breaks, add power and lower the nose, add power and lower the nose....”

So here we go - power out, get a good death grip on the yoke, pull up to maintain altitude, a little more, a little more..... and there it goes.... Full power and immediately slam the yoke to the firewall!

Good times, and hilarity ensued.
 
Similar story: It's BFR time, and I was thinking about maybe getting my CFI one day, so I asked my BFR guy if I could try flying from the right seat. Had never done that before. We go up, it's time to do a stall. So when the stall breaks, muscle memory does exactly what I've done a hundred times before... "push the thing in my right hand full forward"...
Have never seen the windshield fill up with houses quite like that before...
CFI calmly says, "OK, let's not do that again."
 
When I was practicing turns around a point, I accidentally flew right over some industrial exhaust causing moderate+ turbulence. My instructors hands shot up on to the control stick for a moment.

I scared another CFI with a landing on a short field. We used the whole runway to slow down.

Another CFI was scared when I was below the PAPIs at night and the invisible trees were getting dangerously close before I took sufficiently abrupt action to get back on the glide path.
 
Not sure who terrified who, or if any actual "terror" was involved, but ...

During my checkride, I was looking for a landmark to demonstrate turns around a point. The DPE (renowned Arnold Ebneter) pulls power. We just lost the engine.

I trim for best glide angle, which in a C152 is just spinning the trim wheel back until it stops, then start looking around for a place to put it down. I choose a spot, but need to drop some altitude, so I start some S-turns, while I check fuel, ignition, etc.

We still have a long ways to come down, so I start a forward slip. I'm looking outside, and Arnold terminates the maneuver by applying full power. We are still trimmed for best glide angle, that is, the trim tab is pegged at nose up.

The engine roars to life. The nose violently pitches up reaching for the sky! The yoke slams back against my hand. I jam it forward to counteract the sudden pitchup.

Everything on the dash, as well as our butts pop up in the air then slam back down as we level off. I said something intelligent like, "Whoa!" Neither of us made any comment other than that. It was Arnold's doing, and I wonder whether it was part of the test to see how I react to something unexpected and off-the-wall. If so, I passed. Surprizingly, this episode did not unnerve me. We NEVER spoke of it.
 
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U heard about the instructor who was dive bombing another plane with their student in the left seat?
I guess it really happened and the other pilot never even spotted em. Despite the short distance from pilot to co-pilot window.
This story is one reason I keep my head outta the cockpit while vfr flying. Never thought a guy would miss a plane pulling crazy maneuvers around it. Just doesn't seem possible to miss seeing a Plane that close while in the sky
 
When my students stop terrifying me, i shuffle them off to the DPE. Then the examiner, weather, and chance combine to terrify me, hoping for those stars to all align, until the checkride is passed or I am revealed as a fraud and dragged to the FSDO for tar and feathering and emergency revocations. :D

Then I get another student.
 
During training, we were practicing short/soft field take offs. My CFI instructs me, when you clear obstacles, take out the flaps, and pull on the yoke to keep from losing altitude.
I do a couple of patterns...all is well.
On the next take off, at the exact same time I take out flaps and pull back, he gets cute and pulls the throttle yelling 'Engine out!'
We sunk like a rock about 200 ft AGL. It felt like we were sliding backward with the tail heading for the runway. I shoved the throttle in, and he pushed the yoke forward. Both looked at each other and said 'holy sh**'.

On the debrief we bantered back and forth.

Him: I almost killed us.
Me: Well you saved us.
Him: You did the right thing shoving the throttle in.
Me: Not if it had been real. Nose forward was the only move.
Him: Let's not do that anymore.
Me: I'm going to change underwear.

We were both glad it happened once it was all over, because it was a learning experience..but it wasn't fun.
 
Terrified? No. But I definitely got his attention one time. :D

We were doing touch-n-goes at a nearby airport. Just after clean-up the flaps and starting the climb he pulls the power and says, "You lost your engine." I immediately shoved the yoke forward with my left hand and slapped the flaps down for full flaps. He was not expecting that. I think he was expecting more of a deer in the headlights moment. He did push full power and stopped the flaps and said your engine is back, and then took the flaps out as we were climbing again.

He asked if I thought we would have stopped on the runway; it's 5,760' long. I replied, "Yes, and if we didn't we'd be in the grass, which would be much better than in the pine trees." Off that end of the runway was many acres of pine trees. It was a very conscious decision on my part, just not the reaction he was expecting and a lot faster than he was expecting too.
 
RingLaserGyroSandwich said:
That post would also be appropriate in the thread, “Times when your idiot CFI almost killed you and he or she needs remedial training before bringing a student up again.”
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Probably so... but he was 22 at the time, and fresh. I was his first full time student, so I give him a Mulligan, and I knew he would never do it again lol.

It really helped drive home the need to react quickly and correctly in those first few hundred feet. A real danger zone.
 
Very early on as a student I tried to adjust the seat in a c150 while in a cruise climb. I was holding on to the yoke at the time and the aircraft pitched up abruptly. Scared the heck out of my instructor that had no idea why we pitched up. A good lesson that seats should only be adjusted on the ground and never in the air.
 
Brad Smith said:
Very early on as a student I tried to adjust the seat in a c150 while in a cruise climb. I was holding on to the yoke at the time and the aircraft pitched up abruptly. Scared the heck out of my instructor that had no idea why we pitched up. A good lesson that seats should only be adjusted on the ground and never in the air.
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Never is a long time. I’d say the lesson should be hoe to safely adjust your seat in the air.
 
Twice for my primary instructor. Once while practicing landings pre-solo. I don't remember exactly what I did close to the runway but I DO remember him grabbing the yoke and shouting (something he rarely did in the airplane) "You scare the hell out of me when you do that!"

The second was practicing MCA flight after busting it on my initial check ride. In those days MCA was that: ride the stall buffet, stall horn solidly on. I was turning to a new heading and not coordinated. Stalled and started incipient spin. Right wing dropped (felt like vertical, probably was not), windshield filled up with green and I recovered it without his intervention. Startled me for sure. We had lunch together afterwords and he told me I'd sure startled & scared him with that spin starting.

As far as I know, I haven't scared any of my many instrument instructors. (Or they're not sharing...)

John
 
I have never terrified an instructor (to my knowledge, they seemed to have maintained their cool). I was once at the airport when Margy's instructor was doing a stage check for another instructor's students. Now the club trains in 172s. Most students training well below gross (just themselves and the instructor) in the 172, but you know as soon as they get their license that they'll grab three buddies and fly the thing at gross. The instructor in question always has them fly once or twice at gross to see what it is like. So, Buzz has me and Margy sit in the back seat as human ballast.

The student decides to try to demonstrate a departure stall ten feet above the runway on takeoff (no points for literality). I feel the nose going way up and grab on to Margy. This is when I heard what I term the "CFI death scream," which is the sound they make when they are imminent fear of death. As Buzz is pushing hard against the students attempt to bring the yoke back further he yells "If you drop this thing on its tail, we're all gonna die."

The guy who gave me my checkride had broken his back a year or two earlier when an applicant crashed short of the runway. He was sitting on his hands hoping that she would recover from the bad approach path as he didn't want to take the controls and bust her. Unfortunately, he waited a bit too long.
 
Yep, early in training we were doing pattern work. Turning base to final my CFI told me to reduce power, so I grabbed the red knob and pulled it all the way back! I instantly knew I screwed up and at the same time my instructor is yelling NOOOOO while his hand is shoving my hand forward over the red knob. Good times!
 
simtech said:
Yep, early in training we were doing pattern work. Turning base to final my CFI told me to reduce power, so I grabbed the red knob and pulled it all the way back! I instantly knew I screwed up and at the same time my instructor is yelling NOOOOO while his hand is shoving my hand forward over the red knob. Good times!
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I’ve heard of people pretending to be students and then doing stuff like this to the instructor as a hobby!
 
simtech said:
Yep, early in training we were doing pattern work. Turning base to final my CFI told me to reduce power, so I grabbed the red knob and pulled it all the way back! I instantly knew I screwed up and at the same time my instructor is yelling NOOOOO while his hand is shoving my hand forward over the red knob. Good times!
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Learning complex, it took a while for me to get it through my head there were two knobs over there on the other side of the throttle......
 
No, not personally, at least not terrified, I've kept them on their toes at times. The most "terrified" story I've heard, was from my original CFI, he came to a lesson a little shook up. He taught for another school that was flying "traumahawks" as he called them (I learned in a Skipper). He told me his student put the plane into a spin in the pattern. Luckily he saved it.
 
PaulS said:
No, not personally, at least not terrified, I've kept them on their toes at times. The most "terrified" story I've heard, was from my original CFI, he came to a lesson a little shook up. He taught for another school that was flying "traumahawks" as he called them (I learned in a Skipper). He told me his student put the plane into a spin in the pattern. Luckily he saved it.
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I taught in Tomahawks. They spin very well. They unspin just as well but it takes about half a turn more than say a C-150.

In answer to they OP's question: It has always been my belief that most flight students have as their primary goal - finding a new way to scare the instructor.

The toughest moment I had was when a very fit student who was quite a bit bigger than I was landing. We were at a picturesque little airport (6B6) and rather than land on the runway he seemed determined to land on the row of airplanes parked on tiedowns along the right side of the runway. Then he froze. It took quite a bit to unfreeze him so we could go around. I think I hit him. Should have just covered his eyes before hitting him. Oh well.
 
Arnold said:
I taught in Tomahawks. They spin very well. They unspin just as well but it takes about half a turn more than say a C-150.

In answer to they OP's question: It has always been my belief that most flight students have as their primary goal - finding a new way to scare the instructor.

The toughest moment I had was when a very fit student who was quite a bit bigger than I was landing. We were at a picturesque little airport (6B6) and rather than land on the runway he seemed determined to land on the row of airplanes parked on tiedowns along the right side of the runway. Then he froze. It took quite a bit to unfreeze him so we could go around. I think I hit him. Should have just covered his eyes before hitting him. Oh well.
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Minuteman, nice airport, it's going to be sold when the right buyer comes along. They've lengthened the runway. Cover his eyes, that's a good idea.
 
PaulS said:
Minuteman, nice airport, it's going to be sold when the right buyer comes along. They've lengthened the runway. Cover his eyes, that's a good idea.
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I saw it listed. Don and Nancy have been running that airport for a long time. . Dropped by for the first time in 30 years last spring, it was good to see them again. The old snack bar is a full fledged restaurant. Stayed to eat, excellent food.
 
Arnold said:
I saw it listed. Don and Nancy have been running that airport for a long time. . Dropped by for the first time in 30 years last spring, it was good to see them again. The old snack bar is a full fledged restaurant. Stayed to eat, excellent food.
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The food is fantastic, I hope he finds a good owner, I'm sure it's prime real estate.
 
Cowboy CFI I still fly with decides to teach me steep spiraling descent to a landing from above the airport. We usually try and get three full turns in by the time we descend to pattern altitude and then landing on the active. Except the last time... we did our three turns and came out a bit lower than anticipated and were in line with the taxiway. CFI says "Land the plane". He meant get it down on the taxiway. I assumed he meant get it to the runway..... almost ended in the median (?). Last time we tried that.
 
Don’t know about scarin the chit out of, but I’ve learned to ask ‘how do you feel about slips’ before doing one.
 
I don’t think I could scare ol Jack, with 25,000 hours plus, and most of it in GA he’s the guy you want flying with you if shtuff goes sideways... But i did pop open our eyeballs for a second..

I had 4 years away from flying and bought a cessna 140 to get back into it. I didn't have my TW so i hired him to fly out commercially with me and brought her home together. Now I had read to no end on em before hand and read what a real ice maker the c85 is and that many that fly them hit carb heat at cruise now and again. We hadn't been in this 73 year old new to us airplane 30 mins, so shes still unproven to us... well the mixture knob with an old stromberg carb is just another lil knob on the panel. All the sudden when i hit carb heat the engine lost a bunch of power... our eyes popped but i realized what i had done and corrected almost immediately.

he just smiles and chuckles and says, “bet ya wont mix those two knobs up again!”

then we just laughed like hell.. 130 hours later she’s thus far proven to be a solid ol bird...
 
ArnoldPalmer said:
Cowboy CFI I still fly with decides to teach me steep spiraling descent to a landing from above the airport. We usually try and get three full turns in by the time we descend to pattern altitude and then landing on the active. Except the last time... we did our three turns and came out a bit lower than anticipated and were in line with the taxiway. CFI says "Land the plane". He meant get it down on the taxiway. I assumed he meant get it to the runway..... almost ended in the median (?). Last time we tried that.
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Hence this thread... ;)
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/cfi-suggestion-communicate-and-clarify.124523/
 
Never in the air, my primary CFI had bazillion hours under his belt and have seen pretty much everything, until the said day....

I was learning to land, which took its own sweet time, one afternoon after a million touch and go, I finally landed on my own, time to roll out, I keep my fat foot on the right rudder (yah more right rudder is stuck on my head), I have about 1200 rpm or so, I am heading to the median , I am cherishing my landing and noticing but not processing that I am about to go off the runway.... that’s the only day I saw him turn pale, his voice changed to a little girl screaming .... I have controls ... I have controls. It was about 12 degrees outside and the dude was sweating
 
WannFly said:
I was learning to land, which took its own sweet time, one afternoon after a million touch and go, I finally landed on my own, time to roll out, I keep my fat foot on the right rudder (yah more right rudder is stuck on my head), I have about 1200 rpm or so, I am heading to the median , I am cherishing my landing and noticing but not processing that I am about to go off the runway...
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You were likely already thinking of the steps necessary for the takeoff phase and forgot to finish the landing. It is because of this very scenerio that I am a HUGE advocate of completely separating the landing phase from the takeoff phase during pre-solo training and will not allow pre-solo students to do touch-n-goes (go-arounds notwithstanding). If we have not been cleared for the option or a stop-n-go (assuming tower controlled airport), then a go-around is certain to follow.
 
I’ve had one or two scare the crap out of me. I think the closest I’ve come to really scaring one of them was the first time we landed at a local airport with a narrow, not terribly long runway with trees off both ends. We were in an old Cherokee. He landed it, since it was a narrow strip and I was pretty new. Then he told me to do a short field takeoff. Two notches of flaps. Ok, we’re airborne, climbing a couple hundred feet and about 3/4 of the way down the runway...

CFI: Positive rate, flaps...
Me: OK... as I dropped the Johnson bar to the floor. The sink rate was pretty impressive, as was the view of the trees.

We discussed later on the importance of taking the flaps out one notch at a time. Rookie mistake.
 
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