things you do as a pilot

Tantalum

Tantalum

Final Approach
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San_Diego_Pilot
in your daily life that non-pilots probably don't do or would find strange.

Wasn't sure if I'm the only one that has done this...

*give the e-brake handle a gentle tug rolling out of my driveway to make sure it works

*wrote a checklist for securing our boat (batt off, throttle closed, mooring lines secure, etc.)

*shut the propane off first then the grill knobs to off
 
I notice that it makes me OCD.
 
Ryanb said:
I notice that it makes me OCD.
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Yeah I'm hopelessly OCD. I check the master off about a hundred times before locking the plane and still peak back from the gate to check the beacon isn't on when I leave (the checklist has off leave the beacon on always)
 
- notice aircraft in the sky regardless of how high up or how far away they are and always stare at departures when driving by the airport doing some other errand
- get bored at parties because unless it's about aviation it's not worth hearing
- listen to ATC live at least once a day for half an hour
- set cruise control in the car and occassionally freak out because I don't see the A/P status line above the speedometer
- stop myself from splitting the center line in the car (landing) from time to time
- mute the TV until local weather comes on in order to see if flying in the morning might be good
- bring up SkyVector.com once a day and do a bunch of flight plans just for grins
- watch flights on YouTube
- read and comment here during the day (and all the other aviation stuff emailed to me)
 
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I use the phonetic alphabet a lot when I'm on the phone. Making travel plans I use airport identifiers whether or not I'm flying or taking a car.
 
asicer said:
I use the phonetic alphabet a lot when I'm on the phone
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I've done that too.. someone will say to me "P as in 'pickle' and I'll come back with 'yes, P as in PaPa'"

asicer said:
Making travel plans I use airport identifiers whether or not I'm flying or taking a car.
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I forget what travel booking site I was on, but it wouldn't accept the ICAO identifiers. PBI wasn't recognized as Palm Beach international... it was very upsetting to me
 
kayoh190 said:
This.
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Probably true... I won't argue with that :) but I bet you can't honestly say you've never done any of the things that others have mentioned on this thread
 
asicer said:
I use the phonetic alphabet a lot when I'm on the phone. Making travel plans I use airport identifiers whether or not I'm flying or taking a car.
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That, and checklists for lots of things.

I'm also OCD about maintenance on pretty much anything and do pre-trip inspections on vehicles. But the latter is also a CDL habit.

I had one lady to whom I gave a ride in my car ask me if I was a pilot. I was a bit taken aback and asked her why she asked. She said it was my energy management, like letting the car decelerate on its own before using the brakes. I'd never really noticed it before she mentioned it.

Rich
 
Tantalum said:
Probably true... I won't argue with that :) but I bet you can't honestly say you've never done any of the things that others have mentioned on this thread
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Heh - don't get me wrong, I enjoy flying as much as the next guy. And yeah, I've been known to do a dorky pilot thing here and there. But I try to keep a healthy balance, too. Some (well, one) of the posts here strikes me as a *little* too far on the unhealthy side for my taste. ;)
 
Okay, I am so glad I'm not the only one who does these things...
RJM62 said:
I'm also OCD about maintenance on pretty much anything and do pre-trip inspections on vehicles.
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I keep a paper logbook for the FJ Cruiser that has the date, mileage, items replaced/worked on, comments, etc. that sits in the glove box. Part of me thinks the maintenance is why in 7 years I've not had anything fail on me in that car. If driving more further north than LA (from San Diego), which is about 120 miles give or take, I'll do a quick inspection of belts, tire press, oil level, etc. I'm not sure if that's a pilot or OCD thing, or maybe I'm OCD because I'm a pilot? Is this like a chicken or egg thing?

RJM62 said:
She said it was my energy management, like letting the car decelerate on its own before using the brakes. I'd never really noticed it before she mentioned it.
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When I had a manual I did a ton of coasting in neutral and still do whatever I can to minimize brake use. Despite a heavy SUV with a lift and mud tires on it I still average about 19 on the highway, when many folks with a setup similar to mine get 16-18 (at least based on what I've read). I owe that to the energy management
 
Before I was a non-pilot, I was never OCD about thread duplication.
 
kayoh190 said:
Heh - don't get me wrong, I enjoy flying as much as the next guy. And yeah, I've been known to do a dorky pilot thing here and there. But I try to keep a healthy balance, too. Some (well, one) of the posts here strikes me as a *little* too far on the unhealthy side for my taste. ;)
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What?!?! I haven't even posted yet!
 
I have an aviation man cave but there isn't anything that I do from flying that carries over into my personal life. In the military there were some phrases & acronyms that would carry over to off duty but I've flushed that long ago.
 
All people that don't know me would never know I am a pilot by looking in my house.

I have even stopped wearing the beanie with a propeller on top.....


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Tantalum said:
The other day when someone read back my credit card number to me I was extremely tempted to say "read back correct" - that took a lot of self-control
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"Say again" and using the ICAO Alphabet is something I usually do but not "read back correct":). I do use "affirmative" on a rare occasion.

I turn on my handheld while working in the hangar.

Cheers
 
Notice the ones saying to get out more are the professionals vs us mere mortals that don't get in the sky much.
 
-- 60 speed limit board reminds me to rotate with more right rudder
-- 45 speed limit board gets me antsy since I don't hear the stall horn
-- often I find myself talking to myself at public places because I am rehearsing talking to "ATC"
-- from my house to my work is a perfect rectangular pattern, I make ATC calls before every turns - that's how my radio calls are good
-- I glance over car instruments every so often, way more than I used to do. I don't remember ever looking at gauges (other than speedometer) in the car before, now I do
-- I tempted not to trust the fuel gauge in my car and have recently gotten into a habit of comparing how much fuel burn my car is telling me and how much gas I actually put in
-- I pretty much notice every plane flying when I go for a run and have stumbled upon stuff in the process
-- I have to tell anyone who is with me which runway the plane is shooting for.
-- I tend to tell people ..hey see there is a plane.. some people get annoyed depending on how many plane flew over our head that day
-- I can spell my full name and address phonetically without thinking and I am very tempted to do that every time I call a bank
 
RJM62 said:
I had one lady to whom I gave a ride in my car ask me if I was a pilot. I was a bit taken aback and asked her why she asked. She said it was my energy management, like letting the car decelerate on its own before using the brakes. I'd never really noticed it before she mentioned it.
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At least she didn't ask you about the Gatorade bottle in your car.
 
I look at breasts.... and I'm a pilot. But mainly the breasts thing.
 
Things I do as a Pilot? Put on pants two legs at a time, leap tall buildings in a single bound, fly faster than a slow beebee, drive straddling the centerline, shout clear before starting a car, am continually frustrated that I can't find Pitot and static ports on vehicles and that red nav lights are on both sides. You know, made up things of that nature.
 
X3 Skier said:
"Say again" and using the ICAO Alphabet is something I usually do but not "read back correct":). I do use "affirmative" on a rare occasion.
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It's sometimes a struggle for me not to use "tree fife niner" on the phone.
 
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