Should I fill out a NASA form?

[Fly_Chick]

...I say 4800 so I am legal. ...I didnt want to admit to being off by more than 200 though.

At what deviation from altitude does ATC "provide" a telephone number to call? 200'? 300'? Where can I find this in writing? I had one instructor in the past tell me that at 300' he could be violated.

Also - is there any truth to the twelve second sweep on the radar screen?

FlyJordan, if you send in a NASA form, I would focus on the part where we try to troubleshoot a problem and let the plane get away from us as opposed to the first rule of thumb, fly the plane.

I have pulled the circuit breaker for the landing gear in the Arrow many times on downwind at 1000' agl, and by the time we turn final (after getting a landing clearance) we are down to 600' and descending, and the pilot is letting the entire plane get ahead of him/her, thinking they have about 1 mile to troubleshoot and get the plane on the ground.

After this scenario (once we have departed the pattern and troubleshoot) I tactfully have the pilot come to the conclusion it is not an emergency situation. Fly the plane. We have plenty of fuel, we do not need to land immediately, and tower will not yell at us if we cancel our landing request and depart the pattern to troubleshoot a gear problem.

 

[Kream926]

ah men fly chick

i had an instructor who coined a phrase which i will never forgett

"pay the F_ _ ck attention"

as far as filing, i wouldnt. you can only file 5 i heard, and only use 1

 

[TonyC]

i had an instructor who coined a phrase which i will never forgett

"pay the F_ _ ck attention"

I cannot for the life of me imagine what 2 letters can be inserted in those blanks to form a word that fits the phrase.

as far as filing, i wouldnt. you can only file 5 i heard, and only use 1

You should visit the website and educate yourself. The information at the source is much more reliable (and accurate) than what you "heard."






.

 

[Fly_Chick]

Since I am on the subject...

I use a three second rule, if you look away from flying the plane (VFR - looking out the window; IFR - scanning) for more than three seconds, something is off.

This works 95% of the time. Meaning - 95% of the time something will be off if the pilot has looked away for three seconds or more. More than three seconds, it gets geometrically worse.

 

[pilotyip]

when in doubt, fill it out

 

[JimNtexas]

I'm not familar with the gear system in the Arrow, but in general it is not always a good idea to become Joe Test pilot if you suspect a gear problem.

As far as the NASA form goes, heck they don't even need a stamp! Like the other fellow said, don't confess to a crime on the title strip, just put something like "altitude question" or some such.

If you ask yourself if you ought to file one, then you ought to file one. I file one anytime anytime I experience the slightest issue with ATC.

 

[gern_blanston]

I'm not familar with the gear system in the Arrow, but in general it is not always a good idea to become Joe Test pilot if you suspect a gear problem.

As far as the NASA form goes, heck they don't even need a stamp! Like the other fellow said, don't confess to a crime on the title strip, just put something like "altitude question" or some such.

If you ask yourself if you ought to file one, then you ought to file one.

EXACTLY what he said. Word-for-word.

 

[Flechas]

I wouldn't give the feds more paperwork with my name on it. If ATC let it go, let it go. Had ATC told you to call them, then by all means, cover your ass. No need to fix it if it isn't broken.

 

[FlyJordan]

I think its anything +/- 200 is a violation. And I have heard that like if you screw up or something the controller will give you a number to call after you land and you can call them or whatever and explain the situation and plead your case or whatever. So you know what he knew at that time and they knew what you knew or whatever was going on, then you might be able to work it out. Its alot better than trying to talk about it on the radio, when you are busy and so are they and you are just holding up a freq. And its better than just a strict report for any wrong doing. But I don't think its that big of a deal, and I dont think I want to waste one of my NASA forms when I might actually need one down the road, you never know what is going to happen I guess. I still can't belive I lost 500 feet in a Arrow without even realizing it, its a big wake up call. I didn't even know anything about them till a few months ago and I was like oh thats neat, I have just never done anything like this before, so its a new experience for me. And I dont want to do anything that has a chance of screwing me getting airline job down the road. Anyway, I think I am just going to let it go, at the time I was just so pissed I let it happen, but now looking back I don't even really thing its an issue. They had my cell number on the flight plan form, but not my address, I figure if they wanted to make an issue about it they would have called or said something then. Thanks for the help guys and gals.

 

[GravityHater]

I release the pressure in the system and the gear falls and I get 3 green lights. Pull it back up

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Here is a rule I have for myself (I am not saying you did a thing wrong, and I try never to judge another) and it has worked well:
If I am having a gear problem, and at any point I get three green, I Leave It The Fukk Alone. Maybe gear lights flickering and gear motor cutting in and out is 'normal' for this model? I have no idea but it sounds kinda spooky to me.

Someone on FI.com once said if you notice an altitude deviation, flash the little fingers to the transponder off knob, get back where you belong quickly and then recycle when queried. I can't imagine doing this for more than a few seconds because of the possible loss in safety.