Flying VFR into IMC - a top KILLER of pilots - My close call!
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- čas přidán 27. 01. 2014
- POV - FLYING - Watch in HD!
This is by far the hardest flying video I've had to make.
It was a very difficult story to tell about a pivotal flight from my more than 15 years of VFR flying experience. Luckily I had 2 GoPros along for the ride.
I tried to tell the story in a thorough yet engaging way; thus, it was the most work I've put into editing one of these; (~20 hours!) so I hope you enjoy it!
I am sharing so that others can learn from my close call, and avoid falling into the trap of "get-home-itis".
How did a safe and conscientious pilot such as myself get into this situation?
This "should have" been a routine flight, but the lesson here is that there is no such thing as a "routine flight".
Many variables contributed to the chain of events that lead to this flight going the way it did.
I try to explore them all and share the lessons I learned in doing so.
Thankfully, the outcome was good.
This flight inspired me to finally start IFR training which I'd been considering doing for years.
I still plan to fly privately for fun, and don't intend to do much "actual" IFR flying...
(I'll do my best to maintain IFR currency and practice, but I won't be shooting approaches to minimums on a regular basis).
DISCLAIMER: I am a "weekend warrior" private pilot, I fly for fun with no intentions of going commercial. I have had my PPL for over 15 years, but still consider each flight a learning experience - I generally take detailed notes after each flight to remind myself what went well or what I could do to improve.... Having the GoPro cameras to record flights like this is invaluable. I find these self analysis videos very helpful in my constant quest to improve, and am happy to share.Feed back is invited; however, please keep it positive
I'm here because of kobe..
I want closure therefore I wanna make sense of this. Thanks for the info.
So sorry about the Kobe crash.
Yes, unfortunately it will likely turn out to be what this video explores. The report will probably end up calling it inadvertent IMC, and loss of spatial orientation resulting in loss of control.
For those that are coming here trying to understand what happened - an aviation expert friend of mine did a great write up and has linked to an analysis video with more info:
facebook.com/dan.gryder/posts/10157955156959866
Ditto
Kobe’s pilot took a chance.
Sometimes u eat the bear
Sometimes the bear eats u
Him Bike that’s how most IFR to IMC accidents happen. The Pilot feels rushed and takes a chance at the weather clearing up. Almost everytime the weather gets worse. It’s sad everytime someone dies due to weather. They are always 100% preventable just by waiting for it to clear :/
@@FlightChops That write up definitely helps explain things and why he would suddenly turn left and head down. Not a pilot, but I can definitely see how SD played a role. I lived in upstate NY near the Canadian border for many years and had my fair share of being caught in a lake effect snow squall while driving from Buffalo to Syracuse. The whiteout conditions make you lose all spatial orientation of where you are on the road and it feels like you are starting to spin even though you know you aren't - it's a very scary sensation. I would have to just follow the dim tail lights on the semis ahead of me and pray that they weren't veering off and taking me with them.
You maybe saved a life by having the humility to post this and give honest reflection.
This sort of video saves lives, I have a lot of respect for you putting this up - excellent work.
Tim Davies Thanks Tim! It was a great learning experience, and I'm happy to share it!
concur, very brave to post and totally open. Lesson learned
i also think that this video saves lives i did same situation on purpos but with my instructor just to see how an 180 in real IFR (it was verry bumpy ) would be. And then i went for IFR and from experience i can say even if you mainly fly VFR it is an backup and makes your other flying less stressful ,.. super video thx
yes God bless ty
My professional opinion is that an additional part of the PPL should include being able to control the plane in IMC and the checkride should add the following: Recognize the emergency, maintain control under the hood for at least 15 minutes while simulated radar vectors to VFR conditions are given. Or (~2030 when most planes are GPS equipped) the checkride should include emergency, under the hood, and shoot a GPS approach.
As a 20yr flight instructor, I admire your humbleness, chain of decision making and reasoning, and most importantly the education derived from a difficult mission. In my years, I'd say most tire kickers would have embraced the ego boost upon completion rather than the true understanding and desire for continued education. Well done cap'n...
Cpt Jbud -What he said. Not an instructor, though.
Nobody is as lucky as Lindy or yourself, you may be saving lives if pilots learn to prevent "get there - itis"
My instructor often talked about the accident chain. You have to break the chain to not become another statistic. I love to fly, but I don't hesitate to cancel a flight if something isn't right, especially weather. I have always considered weather to be the biggest threat of all.
I am an airline pilot, I am a Captain on a B-767 for a major cargo airline flying internationally. I will tell you what I do at every opportunity, because my life, my crew and my aircraft depend on it. I fly instrument approaches EVERY chance I get, even in VFR conditions, down to 200 feet before I look at the runway. Being CURRENT in instrument flying is different then being PROFICIENT in instrument flying. Practice, practice, practice is the key! Anyone can fly a visual approach, but not everyone can fly an ILS down to minimums and land, if they are not PROFICIENT. You MUST practice! My guess would be Kobe's pilot was a current instrument pilot, but he was not a proficient instrument pilot.
b767greg Funny I started out fueling airplanes working as an avionics technician flying Beech 18’s and ended up as a captain flyingDC-8’s many years ago. Now I have been flying Barbie jets for about 19 years. But I do remember a bunch of screw ups. And seen many accidents that had fatalities. If you watch air disasters on the Smithsonian channel. Watch nuts and bolts. The Emery Freighter that crashed in Sacramento Mather field. I grounded that airplane the night before because of the window that was delaminated. Ended up crashing because of a cotter pin missing on the stabilizer in the back elevator and jammed the elevator,tor and the crew passed away as they crashed into an auto auction yard. Somebody was watching over me upstairs that day. Now living on an air park with a Cessna 206 and powered paraglider you have to be extra careful and not complacent. Be safe keep it sunny side up.
@@paragliderpete Good point. Remember: "...oh, it's just an O ring..." ?
Thx for the input...I am very curious about the pilot of that horrific crash & u may have hit it on the nose there. Thx
I totally agree with this pilot. I don't know everything about special VFR clearance, but I'm pretty sure you still have to pay attention to the VFR Cloud distance. Fog is a type of cloud and they were in the fog prior to the crash.
@@paragliderpete OMG Beech 18 is definitely one of my favorites. That is a real workhorse. 2 x 450 hp P&W radials.
Loud
Once, when I only had about 100hrs in my log book, I got caught up in some building clouds heading back to Orlando from Gainesville in a VFR-only 152 and asked the ATC for a descent down to clear WX. He was busy, and said "I'll get you a new altitude in a minute", but never did. I called him up, told him I was descending, hit the IDENT button, reduced power, trimmed for 500fpm downhill, and poked the nose through a hole... that immediately began to close up.
I lost sight of the ground for maybe 15-20 seconds - but they were the LONGEST 15-20 seconds of my life. I was laser focused on the attitude indicator, and kept it dead-nuts level while descending at a pretty good clip... But the whole time my brain was telling me that I was inverted, climbing, and slowing all at the same time. It was terrifying, and eye-opening.
I cleared the bottoms, and let out the breath I was holding. My passenger (now my wife) never had a clue how hard I was working the yoke. We landed, and I was signing up for an instrument course at the FBO that day.
I am a multi/commercial pilot now, rated in the Shorts 360 and Beech 1900 with a 07 JAN 2019 ATR-72 transition start date, and with more than one "bad day at the office" in my log book... But I will NEVER forget that flight, even 3,419.5 flight hours later.
Thanks so much for your post as well. I haven’t begun flight school yet but it’s on my list for Spring 2020. I’ve flown commercially both here in the US and Internationally to Europe a few times. Additionally I obtained my Skydiving license some years back and managed about 125 jumps. Small stuff to be sure however I’ve had the pleasure of jumping out of quite a few types of aircraft as well as flying in them. That said, an early instructor taught me it’s better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground. This came true for me 3 separate times, and I swore it was beyond my control but a short while later realized no it wasn’t. The last one was similar to yours, however under canopy and trying to find my way through a cloud bank to the LZ while a hell of a storm blew up. At approximately 3k feet it began to hail and I was lost in white. I quickly lost orientation both vertically and horizontally at one point swearing down was up, etc... I learned that day to set my personal minimums accordingly especially re airspeed at altitude (both jump and approach to airport) as well as visibility. This stuff is real and when you end up in these situations you understand pretty much instantly how people die. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Darrell Parkhill i’m a new pilot and you really helped my visualize this to see how it can happen. It sounds pretty surreal. In school i always remember asking myself how it’s possible to lose orientation.
Shorts 360. The Irish Concorde.
Bird strikes from the rear. LoL
Good story.
Any thoughts on the tragic kobe situation? what should the pilot have done? your analysis on his flight pattern and weather conditions?
specter290 the flight was on Sunday morning. There are or were many empty parking lots he could’ve landed and said it’s
Too foggy. They’d all be alive now.
He was rated for IFR but he was not authorized for IFR. He broke the rules.
I’m sure he flew in fog 100s of times
Fog in SoCal is like snow in Canada.
But this time the fog was way thick witnesses said.
After 6 years, your video remains timeless. We can only imagine but Kobe’s heli was in a ravine filled with mountain terrain with heavy fog probably saw nothing but white before impact. RIP 😞🙏
Thank you for sharing
Dorothy Smith at the speed of which they hit the ridge that’s almost a certainty
I like how you say “no flight is routine, always expect the unexpected”👍🏻
“I’d rather be on the ground wishing I was flying than flying and wishing I was on the ground”
RIP Kobe, Gigi, friends and pilot.
acgillespie stfu
@@acgillespie Kobe didn't rape children you moron.
Oren Ohana do you mean Jeffery or Andrew
Who is quoted saying that?
Patrick Farrell I’m sure he would rather be there for his daughters growing up than burning out fast on some hillside.
One of the things that impresses me about pilots (those I watch anyway) is their willingness to admit mistakes and their strong desire to learn from them. I applaud you for doing so as well. - Someone Who Wants to Learn to Fly
We say the day you get your licence is the day you begin to learn to fly! Every flight should teach you at least one thing new!
Get there itis!! On my last tower landing on my solo xcountry the wx brf showed a convective sigmet moving at 25mph to intercept my path to home base----i drew the clouds right on my sectional (pre- iPhone era) and calculated I could beat the storm--the owner of the aircraft was at the airport to watch me land...he wanted his airplane back he he..
Thanks again. The list is a good time, but the most important things in the UK, but the use the search 91 9999999 , I am not a 9999999990000 00 00 , 06 the
I totally agree with few exceptions most people are very honest about being scared by something or big mistakes they have made.
You never get to hear from the others for a reason....and it's rarely pretty!
As an airline guy, CFI for 37 years. FWIW, looks like to me you did a whole lot of things not only “right” - but also did them “well”. When you took your check ride for the PPL, your examiner probably told you “…this (the PPL) is your license to learn..”. We don’t always get the forecast weather, nor the weather we want. Your’s is a great story of Risk Management. Well done, Sir.
You had 2 miles of visibility and it still looked terrifying, now imagine trying to fly in fog so bad you “couldn’t see across the street”... damn man
@Beautiful Greece - The danger of it is that it can happen when the pilot isn't ready.
@tea marks right I'm saying
20year experience and yo ass knew u knew dam well you shouldn't of been flying with them people asking for permission to fly in such a condition knowing possible risks u put all of them
Even the Most Seasoned Pilot can fall victim to "Get There Itis"... I've seen it happen too many times to scoff at...
Speaking from personal experience: Once you reach the Decision Threshold and make that final decision that places you into "Get There Itis" decisions begin to make you act. And sometimes you don't walk away.
Edit: Or worse yet, I walked away and someone I loved did not.....
The Baddest in America its easy to say that, but when thats ur income and you want to keep your very important customers happy you will do what you have to. I think having the helicopter circle for that amount of time threw the pilot off...If the tower didn’t make them wait so long they would be alive today
I'm a private pilot with about 450 hours. I passed my instrument written test, and have about 30 hours of instrument training. For me, the difference between flying VFR vis a vis the control of the airplane vs IFR , is like the difference between throwing a bullet and firing a bullet. But having JUST IFR training, never mind the rating, upped my skills by orders of magnitudes. Well worth it.
More pilots should share their experiences Flying in inclement Weather Conditions.
It will be a Great learning tool for aspiring Pilots and Students
Not all of them make it to be able too...
In the aftermath of Kobe and his daughter and fellow passengers and pilot, this video helps me understand. Thanks for making this video. Your work should show other pilots the problem of VFR into instrument flying.
Watching this on the heels of Kobe Bryant’s death this video gives a lot of insight
Flying is hours or boredom, broken by moments of sheer terror. Thanks for posting.
Good self analysis. As an airlines cpt with more than 15000 hours on Airbus, great respect !
When you said " the 180" my heart sank. I think this is what the helicopter pilot tried to do....glad it worked out for you two.
In the aftermath of Kobe accident, this video is very relevant. Think that IMC conditions what they had.
I think with Kobe's thing, there might be a situation with "get-there-itis" as well. Plus pilot over confidence.
Better Than You I agree. Knowing the latest info from NTSB, you may think that pilot was looking the Sheriff helipad (only one mile behind them, they flew very close by) . If you are having hundreds of millions, so why did you not keep the standards like two pilots which would have greatly helped piloting this big copter in visual. Looks that pilot went to emergency instrument flying and came up up to 2200 feet but then lost control for reason or another, also mechanical failure is not excluded when you apply full escape power. So lot of if’s here.
Jukka O. Parviainen I’m convinced either kobe was being demanding or the Pilot was an idiot. The copter was noted at going over 100 knots at the time of the crash in imc conditions. I’m over it
Jeffrey Williams He just lost it in 2400 feet ie 1500 feet above ground. 2400 is sea level so MLS. Kobe could demand 180 and he started to make it but he did not trust his instruments anymore, he was making hillybilly hollywood stunt escape. Adding to that in his psyche was also a fact that his climb to IMC conditions was unauthorised so he would get consequences anyway. He was thinking himself to be too good and never out of luck. He should stay VFR and if can’t stay then turn back so 180.
You have humility.
So you don't afraid to admit your mistakes and question your own judgement.
What makes you a better pilot every flight.
Your an inspiration!
Love your videos!
Keep it coming!
And stay safe!!!
I’m also here after learning Kobe’s pilot was flying in the exact same conditions and in VFR
Learning a lot. Even after Kobe’s death, I’m still learning from him .
Good on you for swallowing you pride and posting this. You just saved some lives.
I wish it would have saved 9 more lives 😭
This is frightening! RIP Kobe, Gianna and the remainder of the victims of (most likely) VFR into IMC
TJD Music kobe crash was so preventable. See what happens when you are cocky
I am a 50+ year professional aviator, and now i lecture on General Aviation Safety of Flight. This is a Great Learning and Training video. These two pilots did everything a pilot can do to prepare for a flight. The checked the weather hourly and forecasts, for departure, destination and en-route airports. Notams and pireps for icing. They did not have an Instrument licenses which would probably, would not have changed this flight. The first mistake they made was "Scud Running", many pilots have made this error to a bad outcome. The learning point is watching the flight instruments in the video. As the pilot is talking and getting nervous about the weather, his altitude control is not good and he is rolling the aircraft left and right, very typical when a person gets nervous. As he is approaching the airport he says that is the airport was more than 6 miles away he would have turned back? I dont think he would have, he had already broken his personal minimums; but continued on. This is how we learn and some of us just run out of Luck, which these guys did not!
Chops, was some of the turn coordinator movements due to the crosswind or do you think it was mainly due to your nervousness? Great teaching video!
I’m here after trying to learn about VFR/IMC conditions after reading some pilot reddit discussions about the helicopter crash Kobe Bryant and others had yesterday . Thanks for this video RIP Mamba
How about this....IMC almost in any point risks icing. There isnt one fucking helo that can fly into knowen icing so there arnt many strictly helo pilots that fly and log actual instrument time....it other words helos mostly suck. They are for 2 things, either your are flying into a shitty situation like to resuce somebody or for your pax to go shoot people....or you are a pax in a shitty situation where you are getting ate by natives or you need to get to a medical center....there are really any good helo rides in a perfect world.
@@dhardy6654 Especially icing of the pitot tube which indicates airspeed, and the wings causing turbulence in the laminar flow over the wing and reducing lift or increasing stall potential. But the real killer is relying on the senses using VFR in IMC; that is why you must rely on IFR in IMC and trust the horizontal indicator and altimeter vs. what you see outside. However, if the airspeed is wrong well; just remember what the usual throttle amount is and try to keep the range consistent. Use VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) to locate the airport and call ATC. Vector for a landing and try to slowly descend until the ground is visible and ground speed can be gauged. ATC can report actual wind speed and direction to help gauge what the actual airspeed is. Not something for the faint of heart.
@@brendanwood1540 and you are a piece of shit IFR pilot....what you tried to explain is garbage.
@@brendanwood1540 how about you just call it an HSI like everybody else.
@@brendanwood1540 here next time....provided you have fuel, just do a 180 and get out of the weather and land some place else? When you say real killer? That part takes about 15 seconds to a minute and its all over. Id also tell you....include the turn and bank coordinator....keep that ball on the bottom. If you watch this gay canadian guy that ball was all over the place....thats just embarrassing.
I learned in leaps and bounds in a short 15 awesome minutes. You sir are a brave man. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing this , I am a fire rescue chopper pilot and even at over 10,000 plus hours we still need to remind ourselves stop the process before we get stuck . Thank you again .
Thanks for your service!
At 65, I have just begun lessons and having a FANTASTIC time.....but constantly learning.....your video just confirms you never stop even after your many hours.....great video, thank you so much for your honesty and humility in reviewing your situation......great respect from Nottingham England!
This is one of the finest aviation videos I've ever seen. Thank you so much for making it.
Big pat on the back to you for posting and going through everything in detail. It's very helpful. You'll surely help other pilots (like me) think more clearly and make better decisions. I know most pilots would never have shared. I truly appreciate.
It is amazing how much you have improved in quality and content. Now in 2019 you videos are super pro. Even as you are learning this video is still good.
Hell of an A.A.R(after action report). Thank you. You've shown guts and character in sharing your experiences and thoughts with all of us.
I imagine that's what happened to Kennedy and he was flying just a little short distance to The Vineyards
James Morrison now Kobe, rather not show up somewhere than be dead
Love your honesty and self preservation instincts. You’re already far ahead of many IFR pilots I know in terms of good ADM. Thx for the great video production and sharing. You’re making pilots better w each video thank you.
Hey Bud, Thanks for your courage to post this. It is a quality video that teaches across disciplines. I appreciate your humility and ability, and willingness, to share your lessons learned.
Just a thank you for being humble, but technically competent as well. Your video was very informative.
No flight is routine says it all.
Your upfront and honest flying is a refreshing training lesson. Thank you!
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing. It's clear you were fortunate to know the area so well and could navigate by landmarks. The message here is that pilot's get into trouble usually by a series of small steps and not one big misstep.
Monitored situation. Stayed calm. Had a back-up plan. Well executed landing. LESSON(S) LEARNED!
Brilliant to see this and how quickly the weather can change and the forecasts can be wrong. A great lesson for us without having to go through this ourselves. Great video!
I really appreciate you taking the time on this video. We need to see the good, the bad and the ugly!
Really appreciate the dash cam. This video is educational to anyone curious about out-of-window visibility and the gauges on the dash. Considering how fast the weather can get crappy here in the PNW, learning IMC skills is a must. And then trusting your gauges too, another conversation worth having. Hats off to you for a great landing after dealing with 2M visibility.
Thanks for sharing your experience. You are now a better pilot, I'll guarantee you'll know what to do next time. We learn from our mistakes and mistakes from others so we can become better pilots. Hope by now you have your Instrument ticket and that you are actually flying IFR, because it will built your confidence greatly. There is nothing more satisfying than been in the clouds IFR and arriving on short final to be welcome by runway lights. That's when you know you did everything right. Practice makes perfection. Wish you the best of luck and safe flight.
Really a sobering video Steve. Nicely done. The Reddit conversation also interesting. What do you do your fantastic animations with?
Nick Murray Thanks Nick - truth be told I am a it of a hack with the animations as it is not really my skill set - I've been doing them all with cheats and work arounds in Final Cut Pro (which is my editing software) - there are better ways to do them, but being a "one man band" I don't tend to jump around between programs when I am editing. Adobe After Effects is generally what guys use to do that sort of stuff... I am working toward getting some sponsors to help with budgets so I can outsource the animations when I need them; I have a very talented graphic artist friend, but I don't want to ask him to do them for free.
I just saw this episode, been watching your latest ones, my feet were shaking too when you got to that part, you're a good man for doing this work, saves lives is correct. "pray for a tough instructor to stay inside you" thanks man, you have another Idaho fan.
Well done!! Your honesty is refreshing, and this is exactly what is needed for pilots to get IMC training in their sights... I tip my hat to you... glad to hear & see your safe..... You are a pilot I would fly with...
You told the story well, kudos! Narrative is important.
Thanks for sharing. As a pilot in training, I find real world vids very informative.
Hi
Reev Jax ATC appreciates it I'm sure. They have a lot of paperwork to do a pop-up IFR apparently.
Man thank you for living ! We need you ! Of course we need everyone hopefully but your story will probably save many people !
Your honesty can save lives and it is much appreciated.
Also probably getting ready to change the shirts too. Great flying with a cool head and not a bit of panic. Love your videos. Keep them coming. I can't fly anymore but stay flying through videos like these.
Really great job on the video. Not just in the detailed production, but the honestly behind it. It really illustrates how innocently folks get into trouble. Nice work! Good luck on your IFR training. You'll be a much better pilot for it.
As someone looking at learning to fly, these videos are such good info for just how quickly things can get life-threatening. VFR into IMC, icing, proximity to storms, feeling rushed: soberingly deadly and frighteningly easy situations to get into all of them. Thank you for posting, and with great detailed analysis as well.
Thanks for having the guts to post this. I'm glad you're getting IFR training and you you've finished. Highly recommended!
Your honesty will save lives .
Wow, thanks for sharing this eye opening flight experience..had me on the edge of my jump seat!
Thank you for sharing this experience with us along with your decision making process throughout, thank you for being candid and honest about a situation any of us could find ourselves in! Glad you made it save and sound!
Glad you made it, the video and the flight...
Kudos for posting this for others!
Just to drive through these squalls is terrifying glad you made it safely, after years of it l finally said no more and stayed home till clear, thanks good video.
Tales like this are important to fess up to and tell. I scared myself once with night flying most likely tainted by early symptoms of hypoxia (was only around 6,000, but again, it was night and home elevation is around 750'). Had an uneventful night X-C but the fuel pump was down at home base so I had to refuel at an airport 10 miles away. I'd made the hop between the two plenty of times, but for whatever reason, when I should have been over the top of the home field, I realized I was far off to the southwest - I'd disoriented myself a full 90 degrees despite being between the huge city lights of Chicago and Milwaukee. I stayed calm and used the GPS to get my bearings (hadn't even had it on since I 'knew my way') and confidence back and landed uneventfully. As it turned out, that was my last flight nearly 11 years ago (I'm working on getting my medical and a BFR to get current again). I didn't stop because of that flight explicitly, but it was a good sign that the recent birth of my child and other aspects of life meant I wasn't flying enough to stay sharp, especially at night, and flying/currency just sort of drifted away.
Glad you made it out of this learning/teaching moment!
Appreciate your humility, definitely a learning experience that may save lives.
Wow, this helps a lot to understand a bit more about the situation Kobe and the others were possibly going through. Even these conditions were frightening. R.I.P. Mamba.
Thank you for posting. Good stuff. And good conversation/exercise/demonstration on personal minimums.
As a surgeon, and a pilot, I know I can teach anyone to operate or fly but cannot teach them when NOT to...clinical or aviation judgment to avoid mistakes comes not from skill or talent, but from experience, and wisdom--which of course come from making mistakes....correction, LEARNING from making those mistakes. I have strayed into conditions even as an IFR pilot, UNPREPARED (with charts/tools/readiness), and scrambling to put things together during the crisis only adds to the tension and distractions. What you have done is a constant reassessment, review, communication with tower, and attempted to validate what you were seeing with what might be ahead, correlating with what you know might be behind--plotting exits, developing alternatives, and continuously thinking ahead--that's how every flight should be no matter the weather or conditions. Well done!
Thank you for being honest enough in your flying experience to share this. I hope a lot of other pilots take advantage of the information you've given here.
Great video! Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
One of my safety outs is the "I think I can" rule. When the chance of success gets down to I think I can make it, I find a better option.
Brings back memories from a Lake Erie weather effect. Great video. I once had a situation ( being a young student with 24 hours) develop while flying my three leg solo. It was winter. I was in a Cessna 150. The flight originated at Elyria, Ohio, then to Columbus then Findley, Ohio and back to Elyria. While enroot, I realized that one of my notes had been left at the airport. The weather to the north was not as it was to supposed to have been. Fortunately, Mansfield and Elyria were equipped with VOR. I kept climbing until I had a signal. I over flew Mansfield and then followed the needle straight back to Elyria's VOR.
Speaking as a II/MEI, my advise to everyone getting their PPL is to immediately start working on that instrument rating. Your safest flying is "in the system."
*Yes; yes; yes;*
Getting an instrument rating , and keeping current , is a very wise decision. It’s great that you shared this video , so others can learn from it. Well done.
Total respect for the education and trying to save others from difficult or fatal situations. Thank you.
That is an awesome video ! It should be shown to every VFR student.
Great learning video, thankyou.
It might be tough to share your mistakes, but it might save another pilot's life!
So well done to you!
Thanks for taking the time to put this video together. It does demonstrate just how easy it is for a VFR pilot to get into a situation that's hard to handle on what should be a short, easy flight.
I love that this one still resonates after so many years since publishing it.
Mate, sharing this was a very wise decision. Probably the best video ever because of your clear explanation and honesty Well done mate, so glad you landed (very smoothly too) safely.
I'm an instrument pilot with 2k hours but feel your pain. Absolutely great video and narration. Thank you for the effort put into this production. A similar experience pushed me in 2004 to get my instrument rating. I chose a 10 day immersion course and have used my rating a lot through the years. An instrument rating will not make all flights possible but certainly improves the odds. Again, thank you for the video and experience.
Even the Greats will miss a free throw from time to time.
RIP ALL
Wow! I am so thankful you made this video. I came to the US two weeks after you uploaded this. 7 yrs later I've learned English to comprehend what you're saying and now working on my private. Thanks to you I know how important it is to share a story as difficult to admit as it could be, for the greater good of helping others learn from our mistakes. Wonderful video.
Really amazing story you've got! Glad this video was helpful to you!
Please report back about how your training is going.
I applaud you for being brave enough to post this. We all need to tell stories of the stupid stuff we’ve done (and for pilots that admission is tough to do as we all have a bit of an ego whether we want to admit it or not). That turn downwind for 33 reminds me of the feeling of my first actual ils to minimums knowing that I was getting closer and closer to the ground but not seeing the airport. Man, that was a weird feeling. I kept saying, “trust your instruments”. I’m glad you got down safe.
Lesson learned from this vid: Whether it's flying a plane or doing anything in life, never go against your gut. We all have personal boundaries and standards and that one time we drop our guard and go against it, we always get screwed.
I learned a lot on that video. Memories of past close calls due to miscalculation of intelligence at the time brought that past nervous feeling to the presence. I like you bringing a "learning moment" public. Btw, great channel!
Thanks - the main theme of my channel is about sharing learning moments - Our pilot license is a license to learn - so I figure I might as well share the constant learning :)
I was subscribed to you but never really watched you vids. When I started watching , I couldn't stop. Thanks for motivating me
How mystic that you originally published this exactly 6 years ago. Thanks so much!
Im here for KOBE and his daughter 7 others its a horable crash we all need bitter understanding.......Thanks for presentation sir......
Great that you shared, quite a hairy experience and proves that the weather can change in a heart beat, when I qualified I immediately took my IMC so that I would always have that life saver in reserve.
Wow. Thank you for posting this. You had my feet shaking on virtual rudders. Good job. Great video.
I grew up along the shores of Lake Superior and lake effect snow was pretty common.
This is a great video and I appreciate you sharing this. So many people have too much pride to share, let alone admit their mistakes. You could save some lives. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this video with the community. Sometimes it can be really hard to share this kind of information with our peers. If a few pilots can recognize the risk factors based on this video, instead of having to experience it themselves, then you'll have done a very real public service and possibly saved a life.
A couple of the factors that you encountered here that are worth adding to our weather consideration beyond just ceiling and visibility might be: 1) Indistinct ceiling. You're not "in" or "out" of a cloud, the vis just keeps getting worse. 2) Deteriorating conditions. You knew weather was getting worse since your departure, that trend can (and often does) continue.
One final note. This was not "almost" flying VFR in to IMC. This is flying VFR in to IMC. If you're flying in weather that is below basic VFR minimums, then you are in IMC. Call it what it is and help us all be a little bit safer. Thanks again!
i've driven a car through milk-thick blinding fog. never again!!!
Same difference
Tatyana Melnikoff even that (driving through thick fog) is scary, imagine flying huh!?😿
Try that on a highway through the Pennsylvania mountains, with idiots passing you in the murk like you're standing still. Do you rear-end someone, or does someone rear-end you? Borrowing Nader's line, unsafe at any speed.
Yup same here..I've drove through fog scary
Same here...never again
Deep respect for your choice to post this. Thank you for sharing.
Vids of this type are HIGHLY educational. Thanks for sharing.
This low-hours new student pilot thanks you for posting. Nice job ... both the video production and the flying.
+Hank Brown Awesome! thanks, and I'm happy to share
I know this video was uploaded over a year ago, but I just wanted to say that you made the right call in uploading it. Who knows, your example of why to get some instrument training may just save a life someday. Especially, if someone is convinced to get the training and then needs to use it to get home safely. Thank you for sharing!
Astrogirl1usa Happy to share!
This video was really well done. Excellent detail.Great editing.
"Amat Victoria Curam " Victory loves Preparation ! Many have followed....few have landed to tell. Glad you shared this with us. This is a perfect example of Get-there-itis.
Really well put together and narrated. I got my license when I was 20 and my attitude was far too cavalier. I flew in weather conditions that were definitely not VFR many times. So stupid, but I'm still here :)
VFR in LA airspace with the air traffic, terrain, and weather was a disaster waiting to happen
Great job putting this video together! It was great to see visual representation of visibility from video, and placed on the map
Glad you did post it, but wish you hadn't waited a year! It just drives home that safety first really must be first, not first-except-for-convenience. This is one of the *most* instructive videos, thanks to your mea culpa, and explanations of just how quickly the best laid plans can go out the window. Well done.