Scudrunners

I taught myself IFR. What's the big fucking deal? I read a book,
wrote the test, did some flying, got a corporate pilot to sign me
off and did the flight test in my airplane.

What's the big fucking deal?

Try teaching yourself surface level aerobatics. Try teaching
yourself surface level formation aerobatics. Try teaching yourself
negative G surface level formation aerobatics.

With all due respect to the four bars, straight and level is a joke.

People think I'm pretty stupid and not much of a pilot compared
to them, and that's ok. But if I can do it, why can't everyone?

FIGJAM

For sure I.F.R. flying is about as easy as it gets in an airplane.

The flight schools make it out to be really difficult so they can scare people into learning to fly I.F.R. from their instructors who are right at the bottom of the knowledge pool.

For sure I.F.R. flying is about as easy as it gets in an airplane.

I guess that's why we liked the challenge of NDB approaches to 100'

For many years, NDB was the only approach to my home airport,
and I probably did hundreds - thousands? - of them. The NDB is
long gone now (as is the plate) but I'm pretty sure I could write it
out from memory.

ADF tracking is akin to rocket science, or so people would have
you believe. Damned few people could do it worth a hill of beans,
especially in the presence of (changing) wind which is what happens
as you descend during an approach.

One day, doing the NDB, I had 50 knots (yes, 50) of headwind in
cloud in the PT outbound. Calm on the ground.

Go to an FTU and ask them for an instrument instructor to teach
you ADF tracking.

My NDB approaches got so much better when I got a handheld GPS!
This really pissed off TC. They hated GPS.

Nobody remembers Ron Brown.

Anyways. Never understood the big deal about straight and level flight.

I taught myself to do this:



It's actually pretty easy. Aim at the ground, but don't hit it.


Hey John, I get it. I'm a pretty weak pilot. Where is your video of you
doing a 1/2 roll inverted immediately after takeoff, with a -4G push to
a 1/2 outside cuban-8 at the end of a 4000 foot runway?

Just two solo maneuvers at the surface. Easy as pie. If I can teach
myself to do it, anyone can. Or, get some dual on that from your local FTU.

Hi Colonel.

I don’t know what happened along the way for some mythical airline Captain to rent so much space in your head, but I hope you find peace. I do wear four bars on my shoulders, but only at work. I take them off at home. They’re not who I am, they just identify who is in charge. I flew with many four bar wearing pilots in my (so far) 30 year career. I fly with mostly 3 bar wearing pilots now. But the bars don’t define them. They’re just using the job as a means to do whatever they do for kicks. Some are very accomplished in a myriad of different fields. Some have lesser aerobatic skills than you. Some have more impressive aerobatic skills. Some want nothing to do with airplanes on their days off. Me, I jump off cliffs in a parachute when I’m off. You’re welcome to come join me. It is not particularly technical, but it gives me a sort of spiritual kick.

The big take away from my association with pilots over the years is: nobody cares. Not as much as we care ourselves about whatever it is we do. People are amazing the world over. The people that amaze me probably wouldn’t amaze you. They jump off cliffs in wingsuits and skim above the trees. One day, when I get the courage, I’ll do it myself. But nobody cares.

I think it’s great you feel so good about yourself. And it’s great you obviously get a boost from what you have done in life. The only thing I’d offer as advice is not to let airline Captains, four bars, rent space in your head. Whoever hurt you along the way was a one off. The rest of just don’t care.

Cheers Andrew.

I jump off cliffs in a parachute

Gosh, I don't know anyone that does that.



You'd have to be a real hero to demonstrate gravity. 32 foot per second squared.

I think it’s great you feel so good about yourself

No, no. You completely misunderstand. I was the shittiest pilot in Canada, compared
to you Four Bar guys. Accordingly, I feel terrible, all the time. Every day.

As said above, where is your video of you doing a 1/2 roll inverted immediately
after takeoff, with a -4G push to a 1/2 outside cuban-8 at the end of a 4000 foot runway?

If an incredibly shitty pilot like me can do it, why can't a superior pilot like you do it?

John? You're an expert at surface acro, right?

Andrew:

You're not a shit pilot; your skill level belies that. I don't know whether your insistence on repeating that phase is due to some internal doubt about your qualifications or whether you're just having us on.

Anyway, you're a person of contradictions: on the one hand, you have some good teaching ideas and techniques which you enumerated a few days ago. On the other hand, you denigrated such instruction by impressing upon the younger set that they should emulate you: you being self taught in instrument flying, IF R techniques, low-level aerobatics, flew dozens of aircraft with a self-checkout, etc.

About the video: I don't have any of me performing a 1/2 roll to inverted immediately after takeoff, with a -4G push to
a 1/2 outside cuban-8 at the end of a 4000 foot runway; however, I am a SHP and, like you, would have no problem executing such a manoeuvre given the right aircraft. Obviously, my RV doesn't have the required power to weight ratio or an inverted system, so what I'm proposing is that I come down there and borrow yours when this COVID thing is over. The Pitts seems a simple enough aircraft - just tube and fabric - so I'll just emulate yourself by just jumping in and going flying.


I suppose you pussies in the US are using parachutes...?

PS How did we get into parachuting? You're way ahead of me on that. I only did it once. From 200 feet. Don't need to do it again...

John: I agree I am a shit pilot, and a pretty stupid person compared to most Canadians.

I accept and embrace that rhetoric, which has been delivered to my doorstep for decades.

Given that the above is axiomatic, it is odd that I so effortlessly taught myself IFR and
surface level solo aerobatics. And surface level formation aerobatics. And surface
level negative G formation aerobatics. And checked myself out in a very long list of
very strange airplanes. I love doing surface acro during my first flight in a new type,
as I check myself out solo.

Given that I am clearly well below average in both intellect and flying ability compared
to the average Canadian, what's the problem with superior pilots to myself, doing the
above?

I see no flaw in my logic. This is pretty simple. Let's see your video of you doing surface
acro, which I find pretty effortless.

And, why does anyone need any instruction in instrument flight? Read a book.

Straight and level flight. Duh. That's really hard. Right, four bars?