Have u ever scrapped a flight because of a “feeling”?

WannFly said:
Cut out early from work today to go fly. Weather is awesome with clear and a million and calm winds, well, 7 kts, but that’s calm here.
While doing preflight a voice inside the head kept telling me not to take off today. Closed the hangar door and came home. Had a good night sleep, not tired or stressed. Looking at the sky and thinking why I didn’t fly. Can’t think of a logical reason.

This ever happened to ya’ll?


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Yes.

Always trust your gut and don't look back.
 
Happens to me sometimes too. I'm not ashamed, and I don't care if anyone approves. I don't ignore my gut. If something doesn't feel right, I figure it's probably for a reason, even if I can't put my finger on it.
 
Zeldman said:
I had a weird dream once about flying. In my dream I was flying a C-425 on amphibs. We were heading towards a tall antenna with guy wires on all sides. I tried turning but one of the floats hits a guy wire, and that was where I woke up.

Note to self...... don't fly a C-425 on amphibs.....especially near tall antennas with lots of guy wires.
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A C425 float plane! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

That's some dream Zeldman!
 
What I think sometimes explains these actions, is our subconscious mind knows there is "something wrong". Our conscious mind doesn't know what it is but our conscious mind picks up the signal from the subconscious that "something is wrong". This causes us to feel uneasy about the action we are about to take. We should listen to this and try and figure out what the problem is. Or figure out if it is just unnecessary worry.
 
I have that weird feeling almost every single time I fly. It always comes over me on the 1 hour drive to the airport. And since I only fly in good weather (clear/nearly clear, no storms in area, good forecast, winds <20), for me it's not weather related. In my case, I think it's the thought that every flight has some inherent danger and it could be my last. I don't think that it's a fear of flying or messing up, or whatever. I think that it's guilt and fear of leaving my kids without a father, and putting my wife/kids in a financial spot since they fully depend on me. I have a couple of life insurance policies so they would be ok, but that feeling still creeps up. But once I get in the plane and the engine starts, that stuff goes on the back burner and the game face comes on. No time to be distracted.
 
I've done it a time or two. Mostly rule of three type stuff. I haven't scrubbed one in several years though (for that reason).

I went to get night current last week (before the time change so I don't have to stay up past my bedtime). The only plane that was available was the Archer I've only flown once. I spent a good while on the pre-flight. I spent some time getting all set up in the cockpit, finding the lights, avionics master, fuel pump, etc. I almost bagged it because I'm not familiar with the plane and in the dark it's harder find stuff. But I went and did my three laps with taxi backs. And all was well. But it was that uncomfortable feeling that maybe this is a bad idea.
 
Sort of - Took off one beautiful winter morning and did about an hour round trip. I was working for a pt135 company at the time and had a feeling it was gonna get foggy and told them I was going to wait an hour before I went back out. My Assistant Chief Pilot blew a gasket and called me all sorts of names and then took my flight. Half an hour later the field was less than 1/4 with freezing fog. The fog didn't clear for a couple days, and he spent two nights on the floor of a village school.

I took this picture that morning. Red Sky in the morning, pilot take warning!

(he did later apologize hat in hand)
 

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I showed up at the airport one winter Sunday, and the last pilot had left the vent window open (on a Cherokee) and had not covered the plane. There was a coating of snow on the front seats from the squall that came through the night before. What's the big deal just brush it off and go fly? Nope, I was ****ed enough that another club member (read: co-owner) would be that careless; what else had he missed? I scrubbed that flight, and steamed all the way home...
 
Skip Miller said:
I showed up at the airport one winter Sunday, and the last pilot had left the vent window open (on a Cherokee) and had not covered the plane. There was a coating of snow on the front seats from the squall that came through the night before. What's the big deal just brush it off and go fly? Nope, I was ****ed enough that another club member (read: co-owner) would be that careless; what else had he missed? I scrubbed that flight, and steamed all the way home...
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The steam woulda melted the snow...
 
Not to get all psychology on ya, but the impact of being scared is cumulative, like radiation exposure. Mr. subconscious may have been telling you enough is enough, at least for that day, or for a little while. Watch Gregory Peck trying to get in a B-17 near the end of Twelve O'Clock High (extreme example, but illustrative) - that stuff is real. . .

Or, just accumulated intuition - lot's of small, hardly noticed (or not noticed consciously) clues that you shouldn't fly that day. Not a big deal.

I did hear a voice once (actual audio hallucination, but sounded like me) tell me break left, after a series of steep turns - the other airplane was a 182, the pilot had a Dave Clark headset, and a bald spot on the right main; that close. Really. But I don't think I was nuts, just my subconscious deciding I hadn't cleared the area well, been turning the direction too many times, for too long. Or, maybe just a little nuts. . .?
 
Do the pros cancel for a bad feeling, or maybe they just don't get them?

"AA452 has been canceled, the pilot has a bad feeling about this one"
Not being a smart azz, just wondering about the differences here.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Do the pros cancel for a bad feeling, or maybe they just don't get them?

"AA452 has been canceled, the pilot has a bad feeling about this one"
Not being a smart azz, just wondering about the differences here.
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Good question. I wasn't going to get in this discussion, but since you asked. My experience is a little different and probably not really going to be the answer you were looking for.

My experience here is about flying in Alaska. Flying in Alaska is different, very different. Well, at least northern, northwest and western Alaska is. VFR at 1000 and 1 mile is normal. So is 500 overcast and 2 miles. Special VFR several times in one day can be normal. Usually icing is reported something like 15 miles out on the 180 radial, so what we do is go out on the 160 radial until we can get around the icing and complete the trip.

Flying in white out conditions is normal. A white out doesn't mean it is snowing, it is a condition where the ground is covered with snow, and the sky is pretty much completely overcast, and the sun is at a low angle to the ground so the light goes flat and depth perception can go away. There may still be 10 miles visibility, but with the flat light all features just blend into a white condition.

Ice happens. Even if not forecasted. Trace ice is not noticed, at least not very much. Knowing how to get out of ice and still get to the destination is helpful.

I don't expect private pilots to be able to do what I did or even understand it. In fact I considered a private pilot from the lower 48 to be the worst passenger in the plane. They thought they knew it all.

I considered someone that has flown the area for 2 years as a FNG. The boss would know when the weather was crap to ask me first. If I didn't go then no one else should go.

I got in the plane several times with fear in my stomach. I times I landed and was shaking so bad I had to hold on to the plane to stand up. But I was a bush pilot, and completing the mission was important to me, to all the bush pilots. The local eskimos have more time riding in planes more than I have in flight time. They learn the good pilots real quick. Nothing was more satisfying than to complete a difficult flight and have an old eskimo come up to me and say, "Good pilot".

When I got into the Navajo and into the IFR system, life got easier. All I worried about then was ice and "0" visibility. But that is another story I'll save for a rainy day.

I can't imagine an airline pilot in the lower 48 cancelling for any reason except for maybe the airplane being on fire.....:lol::lol:
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Do the pros cancel for a bad feeling, or maybe they just don't get them?

"AA452 has been canceled, the pilot has a bad feeling about this one"
Not being a smart azz, just wondering about the differences here.
Click to expand...
Lol!!! Was just going to post something similar

No.
 
WannFly said:
Cut out early from work today to go fly. Weather is awesome with clear and a million and calm winds, well, 7 kts, but that’s calm here.
While doing preflight a voice inside the head kept telling me not to take off today. Closed the hangar door and came home. Had a good night sleep, not tired or stressed. Looking at the sky and thinking why I didn’t fly. Can’t think of a logical reason.

This ever happened to ya’ll?


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Heck yeah. Three days ago.
 
WannFly said:
Cut out early from work today to go fly. Weather is awesome with clear and a million and calm winds, well, 7 kts, but that’s calm here.
While doing preflight a voice inside the head kept telling me not to take off today. Closed the hangar door and came home. Had a good night sleep, not tired or stressed. Looking at the sky and thinking why I didn’t fly. Can’t think of a logical reason.

This ever happened to ya’ll?


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I did it once after I took off. I just wasn't feeling comfortable that day, so I turned around and put the plane away.
 
I've scrubbed a couple of flights. Usually due to a combination of things. Like not enough money in my wallet + not enough money in my bank account.

Kidding, but I have scrubbed once or twice for not feeling real well.

and yes... at least one of those was from staying up too late reading on PoA. :crazy:
 
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PPC1052 said:
I did it once after I took off. I just wasn't feeling comfortable that day, so I turned around and put the plane away.
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Interesting one. Never scrubbed once airborne unless there was some sort of failure. One failure was and EGT sensor so that was a really wimpy reason. It was a currency flight so I didn't think much about turning around and landing, just did it because things weren't perfect.
 
Zeldman said:
I can't imagine an airline pilot in the lower 48 cancelling for any reason except for maybe the airplane being on fire.....:lol::lol:
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Yup never have I cancelled a flight, but it was Flight Control's call anyway. Now I have refused a number of planes due to a maintenance issue, or what was deferred wasn't gonna cut it, like an AC pack deferred when temp was 90+. Caught static but they always gave me another jet in the end.

That's some crazy ass flying you flew up there Zeld, impressive.
 
Kritchlow said:
Lol!!! Was just going to post something similar
No.
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So often you hear, non-pro pilots ought to emulate pros.
Why not with this topic?
Are we a bunch of superstitious types?
Just sayin'.
 
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Ah, yeah, ah, yeah
I got this feelin' inside my bones
It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on
All through my city, all through my home
We're flyin' up, no ceilin', when we in our zone
 
CC268 said:
Ah, yeah, ah, yeah
I got this feelin' inside my bones
It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on
All through my city, all through my home
We're flyin' up, no ceilin', when we in our zone
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WTF...keep your day job CC! :yes:
 
I'm sure most of us have heard this, but it is so true. It's far better to be on the ground, wishing you were flying, than it is to be flying, wishing you were on the ground.
 
A lot of those feelings go away with more experience. Sometimes the feeling is more trepidation from not having flown in a while, sometimes it is based on conditions beyond what you have flown in before . Staying current year round and sometimes pushing yourself to try something new are important.

Yes, professional pilots do occasionally get the feeling something is not quite right. We just need to resolve the "it's not right" feeling before we push.
 
Clark1961 said:
Interesting one. Never scrubbed once airborne unless there was some sort of failure. One failure was and EGT sensor so that was a really wimpy reason. It was a currency flight so I didn't think much about turning around and landing, just did it because things weren't perfect.
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It was supposed to be one of my solo flights for my PP. The briefing with my instructor went really long. It was getting later in the day than I wanted. I felt rushed, and off my game. So, I just decided to put it away and get my head clear.
 
I was going to go fly on Wednesday, but I was tired and didn't feel on top of my game. So, I flew yesterday, instead. Talking to another club member after I landed he said he had been up on Wednesday and really got beat up by rough air. Yesterday wasn't exactly smooth, but...

Yeah, we all skip flying now and then when we find things just aren't adding up. I'm not making a bombing run to stop a bunch of troops from being overrun by the enemy, so if I skip a flight it isn't a big deal.
 
orange said:
I have that weird feeling almost every single time I fly. It always comes over me on the 1 hour drive to the airport. And since I only fly in good weather (clear/nearly clear, no storms in area, good forecast, winds <20), for me it's not weather related. In my case, I think it's the thought that every flight has some inherent danger and it could be my last. I don't think that it's a fear of flying or messing up, or whatever. I think that it's guilt and fear of leaving my kids without a father, and putting my wife/kids in a financial spot since they fully depend on me. I have a couple of life insurance policies so they would be ok, but that feeling still creeps up. But once I get in the plane and the engine starts, that stuff goes on the back burner and the game face comes on. No time to be distracted.
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This is a good thread...your thoughts mirror mine well
 
As an aside, and not directly related to feelings...

Both Wednesday and yesterday I contemplated flying up to our property near Knoxville.

Problem was, in spite of beautiful blue skies, forecast surface winds at KTYS were in the vicinity of 12G22. That might be fairly standard fare in a Cirrus or Bonanza, but I constantly have to remind myself that winds like that can be a real challenge in a Light Sport. Especially from the west over the trees and landing on 5/23 at Big T.
 
Okay, your gut is never wrong. You had been flying a lot that week and nice wx so probably just spooked yourself. Hopefully you've been up since otherwise we need to Mav back up there :)

@WannFly: Dumb question - do you have a list of personal minimums? Right before my checkride I was wondering if the DPE would go there (he didn't) but I did make one. I will admit that it is kind of nice to have that short list of criteria that need to be met. This would have been a good thing to have when your gut was saying no. You could have read off that list. Either you would have found your reason. Or the fact that everything was good according to the list might have relaxed your concerns.

On my first attempt to give a passenger a ride I had to abort. Completely sucked. They drove about 40min for that no-ride even. The winds were nice. But the just revised TAF forecast winds to really ramp up. I looked at that damn personal minimums list and could depart easily. But I when I ran it again for the return home the crosswind component would be nasty. I knew it would be nagging me the entire flight so I scrubbed - which I felt would lead to even more mistakes! My "almost 1st passenger" commented along the lines of "Wow, I'm impressed you would even have a list like that and felt so confident calling it." I then bought lunch...which was like 47x cheaper than the long flight we were going to do :)
 
Ken Whitson said:
It is a perversity of human nature that we can make the correct decision and still feel bad about ourselves and/or question our self-worth.
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Funny you should say that. In the world of fighter pilots, they call that the "debrief". :rolleyes::D
 
Sinistar said:
Okay, your gut is never wrong. You had been flying a lot that week and nice wx so probably just spooked yourself. Hopefully you've been up since otherwise we need to Mav back up there :)

@WannFly: Dumb question - do you have a list of personal minimums? Right before my checkride I was wondering if the DPE would go there (he didn't) but I did make one. I will admit that it is kind of nice to have that short list of criteria that need to be met. This would have been a good thing to have when your gut was saying no. You could have read off that list. Either you would have found your reason. Or the fact that everything was good according to the list might have relaxed your concerns.

On my first attempt to give a passenger a ride I had to abort. Completely sucked. They drove about 40min for that no-ride even. The winds were nice. But the just revised TAF forecast winds to really ramp up. I looked at that damn personal minimums list and could depart easily. But I when I ran it again for the return home the crosswind component would be nasty. I knew it would be nagging me the entire flight so I scrubbed - which I felt would lead to even more mistakes! My "almost 1st passenger" commented along the lines of "Wow, I'm impressed you would even have a list like that and felt so confident calling it." I then bought lunch...which was like 47x cheaper than the long flight we were going to do :)
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I do have a personal min list which is quite conservative, made it before my check ride and that day in question was way lower than what my personal minimums are.

Didn’t get a chance to fly since, but on my way to the airport in about 10 just to patter around and a couple of flights planned for the weekend


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I do the rule of 3's thing as well. I entertain my gut feelings and try to figure out what it is. Some days the universe decides to kick my butt. I sometimes dare it to kick harder out of frustration and it obliges me, to which I respond "I was being sarcastic!"

The drone job adds a new level of CRM for me. When your butt is on the ground safe and sound, it is harder to maintain that same mindset. I am 2.5 hours from home right now waiting on an appointment when winds are forecast to gust in the high 20s. If I don't do this job today, I will have to fly it later. The homeowner and contractor who will be there want it done now. My company wants to show that we can handle the influx of appointments and be flexible. I feel like I have to justify my paycheck with results to my employer as well as make the 5 hour round trip worth it to the company.

My life isn't in danger but I still have to have good ADM. I will probably end up cancelling this one based on winds in front of the contractor and homeowner which also puts pressure on me (come on man I need this done my home is leaking/i want to get this guys roof fixed so I can get paid/we don't want to wait for a reschedule/etc).

Knowing aircraft limitations is also pretty important. I am not sitting in the aircraft so the seat of the pants feel isn't there. The drone can handle 30mph+ with GPS hold but if you suddenly lose it, can you react fast enough to keep it under control? If winds are that high and you are right on the roof there are turbulent air pockets everywhere that pull you different ways which is hard to react to unless you are in the thing. Definitely a new kind of challenge.
 
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