Rituals

SoCal RV Flyer

SoCal RV Flyer

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SoCal RV Flyer
Before I leave the hangar after a flight, I have to align all the control surfaces to neutral so the aircraft "looks right." And then check that the master switch is off, about three times. :D

Just curious what other quirky things other pilots do.
 
Carl is the star. And by the way another ritual of mine.

Carl_s_Jr_-logo-AB726A166B-seeklogo.com.gif
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
And then check that the master switch is off, about three times.
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At work we have a securing checklist that's to be run if we're the ones to put the plane to bed overnight. The biggies on the checklist are the emergency lights to off and the batteries to off. If I miss either one, you can bet I'd get a less than pleasant phone call the next day. I've been doing this crap for awhile now, and I'm good about actually going through the checklist. But nonetheless, sometimes while walking up the jetbridge, I'll run back down to the flight deck and make sure I didn't miss something. I've never missed anything, but to this day I'll sometimes have that moment where I'm not *completely* sure I did it right and head back down.
 
Oddly, the ritual has nothing to do with the plane. I have to have a badge to get to the hangar, and I left it in the plane once. Soooooooooo, badge and hangar/airplane keys ARE IN MY HAND as I shut and lock the hangar door. You'd think I was launching a missile... BADGE: CHECK, KEYS: CHECK, DOOR: CLOSED, LOCK: ENGAGED.

Then I tug on the lock a bunch, 'cause those pesky locks won't stay locked unless they know you're watching. or something. Could just be OCD.
 
Check I have my keys and wallet, Pre flight, check my note book for anything comming due, weather, etc, even though we have next to no crime my city background causes me to check and recheck that I locked my hangar.
 
A holdover from my Air Force days.
I never finish my tea before a flight.
I leave some in the cup to come back to when I land.
I don't know about other branches of the service, but Air Force pilots (who will vehemently deny it) are a superstitious lot.
 
I always seem to triple check the fuel and oil cap(s) are tightened, my OCD comes alive during the preflight. :)
 
Sac Arrow said:
I often sacrifice a couple chickens on a short local flight, and a goat on a cross country.
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Goat, no. Lamb, yes. With a good dose of cumin and a mint chimichurri. Or in a burger.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Carl is the star. And by the way another ritual of mine.

Carl_s_Jr_-logo-AB726A166B-seeklogo.com.gif
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I like Carl's too. Back in '95 or so I was there at a Carl's in Costa Mesa, CA eating lunch, and an elderly man walks over and asks in a gruff voice, "How do ya like that burger?" I look up, and it's The Man, Carl Karcher. I guess he had a habit of visiting some of the outlets, even in his later years.
 
I always do one last walk around as part of me getting in the aircraft. If I get out, I do it again before getting back in. If anyone else briefly leaves the aircraft, I get out and do it again.
 
On the subject of the master switch, I always leave the tail beacon turned on, so that if I leave the master on, it will be apparent from the outside as I'm tying down the plane. Especially at night.
 
The two things I'm probably more OCD than the next guy about is fuel, and door locks. Fuel for obvious reasons, but the door lock thing is more of a car thing than an airplane thing, but I'm still conscious of it when I close the door of the aircraft. I will not close the door, even unlocked, unless I can physically feel the keys in my hand.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Carl is the star. And by the way another ritual of mine.

Carl_s_Jr_-logo-AB726A166B-seeklogo.com.gif
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I dunno. Ever since one of my bandmates in high school missed a performance because one of those totaled his car, it just hasn't been the same (no, I'm not kidding -- though that was the best damn excuse for missing something I've ever heard; truckers, secure your loads).
 
MAKG1 said:
I dunno. Ever since one of my bandmates in high school missed a performance because one of those totaled his car, it just hasn't been the same (no, I'm not kidding -- though that was the best damn excuse for missing something I've ever heard; truckers, secure your loads).
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I'd gladly help out with the cleanup effort, particularly with the boxes of frozen burger patties.
 
MAKG1 said:
I don't think you can eat a giant plastic star.

I suppose you could try. I'd like to watch that.
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Oh I see, you mean the actual star, not a supply truck. That ranks right up there with getting T-boned by the Wienermobile.
 
Not really a ritual so much, as a superstition... it involves a necklace.

Backstory - I stayed at a hotel close by the airport the night before my checkride... airport is over an hour from home and I just wanted to minimize anything Murphy's Law could do to sabotage things. Murphy and I aren't exactly the best of friends.

The morning of my checkride, I went downstairs to print out some things in the lobby. There was a security guard sitting in a nearby chair... big guy... it looked like he was sleeping. Right as I sat down, he stirred and I heard him say, "Why are you here?"

I was confused and wasn't sure if he was talking to me at first, but there was no one else around.

So, I told him that I was a student pilot about to go take my checkride and that I was, basically, a nervous wreck. At this, he opened his eyes and, still not so much as glancing my way, gets up from his chair, walks into a small nearby room and closes the door. I thought, Well that was bizarre and kinda rude. But whatever.

A few minutes later, he comes out of the room and sits back down in the chair. In his hands he has a dark crystal, some wire, a chord and pliers. I tried to mind my own business and go about printing off what I needed, but I couldn't help glancing over at him from time to time and watching what he was doing...
he was making a necklace.

When he was done, he cupped it in his hands, blew on it and - with his eyes cast down to the ground, still not looking my way - hands it to me and said, "For good luck."

Murphy threw me some solid wind conditions, but I managed to nail every maneuver and landing, so much so that my DPE - a pilot of many decades and with tens of thousands of hours - said my crosswind landings were the best he'd ever seen.

I went back to the hotel a few days later to thank the guy. When I walked in, neither the security guard nor the chair he had been sitting in were there. The entire exchange had been so bizarre that I didn't want to ask the desk lady if he was around because I was afraid she was going to say something like, "Security Guard? We don't have a Security Guard..."

:eek:

Anyway, I have to have the necklace with me on all my flights now. I'm really not sure I'd be able to go up without it.

necklace2m.jpg
 
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Once everything is secured, and its time to leave the airport, I always pat the nose of the airplane, and thank it for a great flight and keeping me safe.
 
Mistake Not... said:
Then I tug on the lock a bunch, 'cause those pesky locks won't stay locked unless they know you're watching. or something. Could just be OCD.
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HA! Love this one - me too...

Also check the master switch 63,000 times because it does the same.
 
I kayaked the Grand Canyon back in time a bit. 16 day trip. There is a rock right before the biggest rapid, Snaggletooth. Youre supposed to paddle around the rock one time. Two of us kayakers didn't (one was me). We both flipped in
Snaggletooth. (neither swam though, we both rolled up).

We had a flood in Colorado in 2013. We got 13 inches of rain in 5 days culminating on Friday the 13th we got flooded by a 1000 year flood event.
 
Dang, don't you guys fly with your s/other?

Ride it hard and put it up wet. Pitot cover on, then hurry and get in the truck, no time for post-flight or other nonsense - homehomehome.
Gotta come back to the plane next free time to see to details, rituals, patting of spinner.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Dang, don't you guys fly with your s/other?

Ride it hard and put it up wet. Pitot cover on, then hurry and get in the truck, no time for post-flight or other nonsense - homehomehome.
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Wait, are you talking about flying or your s/other?


:)
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
Before I leave the hangar after a flight, I have to align all the control surfaces to neutral so the aircraft "looks right." And then check that the master switch is off, about three times. :D

Just curious what other quirky things other pilots do.
Click to expand...
 
Sac Arrow said:
On the subject of the master switch, I always leave the tail beacon turned on, so that if I leave the master on, it will be apparent from the outside as I'm tying down the plane. Especially at night.
Click to expand...
Likewise. Guess what led me to do that.
 
not really, other than telling my self not to rush or overlook anything. no rushing.
 
Zeldman said:
I always, always put on clean underwear on days I will fly. Well, almost always....
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That's great and all, but some of us were, actual, commandos... in both senses of the word....
 
After the aircraft is buttoned up, I reflect on the flight, usually saying several times: "THAT WAS GREAT!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!!!"
 
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