Absolutely superb all around, from your son trying to avoid diverting, you knowing his limits, and each of the Controllers really giving excellent, person centred service. They sounded very… soft, very kind. Fantastic
Controllers are trained in how tone of voice can impact interactions with pilots. Normally a calm and authoritative tone helps things move along at a good pace, but an urgent tone when things need to happen immediately or a calm and slow, but not patronizing, tone can be so helpful in ensuring pilots are confident without feeling under additional pressure. It's one of the best things about the job: the human element!
As someone who trains at Oxford, they're a great airfield for training, understanding and helpful controllers and brilliant all round airfield for helping students and experienced pilots alike! :)
Hi Jon, about a month ago I had an almost identical experience at Cranfield. I had arranged to take my 13-year-old grandson, George, for a trip to Duxford in a PA28. The weather, which had previously been forecast to be clear skies and calm, turned out to be anything but. Perfectly safe, but cloud at 3000ft, only moderate visibility and some turbulence. Not surprisingly George soon reported that he was not feeling well. I called Cranfield Approach, who we were working at the time, and advised them of my intentions to return to our base at Wellesbourne. This was accepted, together with an offer to make an unscheduled diversion to Cranfield if required, which I gratefully accepted. After landing, we were guided to the Business apron for parking, soon to be joined by the biggest red fire engine that you've ever seen. Well, if there's anything designed to rejuvinate a 13-year-old boy, it's got to be this. So, after a short period we were able to resume our return to Wellesbourne. Unfortunately, George became unwell again but we made a safe landing back at Wellesbourne. So my grateful thanks were expressed to all concerned, Cranfield ATC, their fire crew, and Wellesbourne AFIS, for a job well done.
@@152driver1 as a known victim of motion sickness could your passenger tolerate anti-travel sick pills? My brother used to suffer but he takes just 1 stugeron before a GA flight (as a passenger!) and he is now fine. I appreciate that one has to be careful of side effects such as drowsiness, even as a pax in a light ac, but it may be pref to feeling so rough!
@XPLAlN I couldn't agree more but the convoluted system of non homogeneous LARS service areas is really dull. America has that sorted. Mind you, I do admire the French's laid back approach, they couldn't be more helpful.
You handled that really well, including juggling flying the plane, navigating and managing the radios. I'd add that when you're under pressure, it's really easy not to catch the squawk or frequency the first time. You did an amazing job here, but I've learnt not to be afraid to grab a pen first and then ask them to say again 😊
As always with your content; great video. Controllers are always helpful when there is a situation where they are needed. From A/G operators through to large area controllers. I remember last year coming into Duxford with a sick passenger (she had not eaten any breakfast...always a mistake) and after taking off into glass smooth air the mid morning warm air turbulence caught up with us; I'm used to it, she wasn't. I told Duxford information that I had a sick passenger and I was straight in, no problem at all. We were even greeted by the airfield fire engine on arrival just in case first aid was required.
Great video again Jon. No matter how many aviation videos I watch, ATC always pull out the stops to assist a pilot facing issues whether aeroplane or human related.
Superb work by ATC. Huge thanks, Jon, for putting up a vid that shows how to deal well with unexpected events. This will help newbies so much! I find it a bit disconcerting to see lots of people posting their mistakes more often than anything! What we need are plenty of examples of good flying/RT/decisions/ to add to our store of 'what to do if...' . Keep up the good work ❤
If you want to watch a pilot that is a good example of good flying and decision making process than you need to watch Ryan on Missionary Bush Pilot. He says his checklist out loud and when approaching a landing strip on a hill top goes over weather, terrain, no go points, go arounds, everything before descending in to land. Well worth watching in my opinion.
@@catherinekilgour2563 I'll take a look, thanks! I've found that just thinking about how I'd brief departure and arrival if I was multicrew has resulted in basic SOP that I do say aloud to myself. Of course in an emergency the very first thing to bear in mind is the favourite Aviate, Communicate, Navigate. First and foremost, fly the aircraft and if things are going wrong run checklists and make a plan! Then, if time, use ATC to either get 'help', be that vectors, wx, a hand off, whatever wd be useful, or tell them your intentions. The more I think about it the more I want to see Good Examples to put into the 'useful info' in the aviation file in my brain. It's one thing reading about what to do with an alternator failure or forced landing, quite another handling one! Seeing someone going through it and handling it well really helps the procedures sink in.
Good job, Fly the aircraft... think you gave attention to your priority which has to be fly the aircraft so really good job. Little man was also calm and he considered options for you too so great team effort.
Another thing I noticed is that Brize gave an early hand off to Oxford which gave you more time and allowed Oxford to control you whilst still within their zone. I suspect Oxford was relatively quiet that day as they wouldn’t have imposed radio silence but, as another “Commenter” mentioned it might have cost some of their students quite a bit of money at £12 per minute sitting in their DA42s orbiting or stationary on a taxiway!!
Good advice Jon for Bertie to look out the window. We get our sense of which way is up from our visual sensory system Getting conflicting information from our vestibular apparatus (ie ear) can cause airsickness. Glad Bertie did not decorate your aircraft 😅😅😅
I don't think you should be so self-critical of how you looked after your son during the diversion. Your natural instincts as a parent would have meant any spare cognitive capacity would have gone into checking on and reassuring him as the situation allowed. If you didn't, that's because you were too busy flying the aircraft in a completely unprepared diversion. You can check on him as much as you like, but it won't do him (or you) any favours if you end up flying the aircraft unsafely or even making a simple navigation error that delays your arrival.
We can see you were in your infancy and not the usual slick Jon we are used to. It just goes to prove a minor upset to your otherwise eventful trip starts to line up the holes in the cheese. I regularly pick up my Great Nephew from Blackbush to Cambridge. He’s 12 and sufferers from airsickness. But to be fair, he often travels with me IMC so never the best of vistas. I always carry sick bags and I’ve learned that getting one ready occasionally stops him from throwing up. However, the last time he came up, he announced his sickness at a very short final, chundering in the flair. Thank goodness for sick bags.
I had a passenger get so airsick she was puking up all the way back (headwind on return) took about 25 minutes felt like a lifetime ……… cockpit stunk of sick 🤢 I’m so glad I always carry a sick bag in my kneeboard otherwise it would have looked like something of the movie “the thing”, even on final approach she was wrenching up on the way down you’d be amazed how distracting it can be. But I thought to myself she’ll live fly the plane lol 😂 cutthroat attitude I know ………
Sad to say this was the 1st video I didn't enjoy, for multiple reasons, many people get air-sickness, but if the airsick person isn't flying the plane, its clearly not a life-threatening situation, ATC (unaware if they are dealing with something potentially more serious eg a ruptured appendix, something cardiac etc HAVE to respond this way, but its not exactly fair on them or to all of the oxford students who are paying serious money to sit on the tarmac and taking up RAF resources also for something so minor as feeling airsick (30 mins before the flight is due to end anyway), a more logical response may have been to have the passenger sitting in front looking out the window. Jon's attempt to conflate the situation to an alternator failure also doesnt' make sense either as these two situations are very different. The video also almost appears like an encourgement to contact ATC with regards to such issues, which also doesnt' seem very fair, as Jon doesnt' work for ATC, or appear to have any awareness of the continuous pressure that they are under (I'm pretty sure that if he had this insight he would never have posted this). It also teaches the kid nothing about problem-solving, how to prevent such issues in future, understanding what your body needs and how to manage it going forward, respect and awarenes of the needs and workloads of others around you or the ability endure a little (non-life-threatening) discomfort for a few minutes from time to time. Had the identical video been made about a 50 year old passsenger with sweating, chest pain and breathlessness it would have made sense but I was just cringing throughout this.
Each of us is unique. With that comes the reality that we each experience illness - even of a temporary nature - to different degrees. I think your comment about the level of discomfort perhaps doesn’t take account of this, nor of Jon’s particular experience as a father to his son. I’m sure you’d agree that, across his range of videos, Jon demonstrates a sensible, cautious approach to flying. He is the first person to criticise himself for poor decision making. If anything, he is often rebuked here for being overly critical of himself. This flight was an example of Jon doing his best, weighing up his options (even if some of that was unspoken) and taking what he felt to be the most appropriate course of action. I’m grateful to him for sharing his experience, and to you for sharing your views. Respectfully, though, I disagree with your assessment.
lol dude he literally tells ATC his passenger is air sick, no more no less, ATC makes the call what to do. Can’t believe you’d watch a father caring for his son and that’s your first thought!
Absolutely superb all around, from your son trying to avoid diverting, you knowing his limits, and each of the Controllers really giving excellent, person centred service. They sounded very… soft, very kind.
Fantastic
High five for Bertie too. Told you he didn't feel too well before it became a crisis. A good point for passenger briefing - sooner rather than later.
Yes. With newbies I always tell them that.
Controllers are trained in how tone of voice can impact interactions with pilots. Normally a calm and authoritative tone helps things move along at a good pace, but an urgent tone when things need to happen immediately or a calm and slow, but not patronizing, tone can be so helpful in ensuring pilots are confident without feeling under additional pressure. It's one of the best things about the job: the human element!
Most get it right on that point thankfully.
I think we as pilots should not be afraid of asking for ATC assistance. Well done both the ATC and the pilot!
As someone who trains at Oxford, they're a great airfield for training, understanding and helpful controllers and brilliant all round airfield for helping students and experienced pilots alike! :)
those controllers were so empathetic. lovely. good job as a dad and as a pilot.
This makes me proud, colleagues in radar and tower doing their fine work like real pro's! Rgds ESNX AFIS/TWR
Hi Jon, about a month ago I had an almost identical experience at Cranfield. I had arranged to take my 13-year-old grandson, George, for a trip to Duxford in a PA28. The weather, which had previously been forecast to be clear skies and calm, turned out to be anything but. Perfectly safe, but cloud at 3000ft, only moderate visibility and some turbulence. Not surprisingly George soon reported that he was not feeling well.
I called Cranfield Approach, who we were working at the time, and advised them of my intentions to return to our base at Wellesbourne.
This was accepted, together with an offer to make an unscheduled diversion to Cranfield if required, which I gratefully accepted.
After landing, we were guided to the Business apron for parking, soon to be joined by the biggest red fire engine that you've ever seen. Well, if there's anything designed to rejuvinate a 13-year-old boy, it's got to be this. So, after a short period we were able to resume our return to Wellesbourne. Unfortunately, George became unwell again but we made a safe landing back at Wellesbourne.
So my grateful thanks were expressed to all concerned, Cranfield ATC, their fire crew, and Wellesbourne AFIS, for a job well done.
@@152driver1 as a known victim of motion sickness could your passenger tolerate anti-travel sick pills? My brother used to suffer but he takes just 1 stugeron before a GA flight (as a passenger!) and he is now fine. I appreciate that one has to be careful of side effects such as drowsiness, even as a pax in a light ac, but it may be pref to feeling so rough!
The professionalism on both sides is amazing. Love aviation!
I consider British ATC to be the best in the world. Calm professionalism.
@XPLAlN I couldn't agree more but the convoluted system of non homogeneous LARS service areas is really dull. America has that sorted. Mind you, I do admire the French's laid back approach, they couldn't be more helpful.
@@peanuts2105 agreed, and by best ATC I mean the controllers not the system per se. To my mind the US ATC system is superior for the GA pilot.
@XPLAlN Heathrow Director is a masterclass in professionalism and calmness. JFK, is the pits.
You handled that really well, including juggling flying the plane, navigating and managing the radios.
I'd add that when you're under pressure, it's really easy not to catch the squawk or frequency the first time. You did an amazing job here, but I've learnt not to be afraid to grab a pen first and then ask them to say again 😊
Glad you thanked the controllers, Jon, they looked after you 👌👍 Another great vid 👏🏻👏🏻
As always with your content; great video.
Controllers are always helpful when there is a situation where they are needed. From A/G operators through to large area controllers. I remember last year coming into Duxford with a sick passenger (she had not eaten any breakfast...always a mistake) and after taking off into glass smooth air the mid morning warm air turbulence caught up with us; I'm used to it, she wasn't. I told Duxford information that I had a sick passenger and I was straight in, no problem at all. We were even greeted by the airfield fire engine on arrival just in case first aid was required.
Great video again Jon. No matter how many aviation videos I watch, ATC always pull out the stops to assist a pilot facing issues whether aeroplane or human related.
Oxford provide an excellent service always!
Your performance was absolutely perfect Jon
Great video and as you say you only have to ask ATC they help so much
Teamwork most definitely makes the dream work. Great video and great support from the ATCs
British ATC - best in the world
Great debrief brill job from controllers
Superb work by ATC. Huge thanks, Jon, for putting up a vid that shows how to deal well with unexpected events. This will help newbies so much! I find it a bit disconcerting to see lots of people posting their mistakes more often than anything! What we need are plenty of examples of good flying/RT/decisions/ to add to our store of 'what to do if...' . Keep up the good work ❤
If you want to watch a pilot that is a good example of good flying and decision making process than you need to watch Ryan on Missionary Bush Pilot. He says his checklist out loud and when approaching a landing strip on a hill top goes over weather, terrain, no go points, go arounds, everything before descending in to land.
Well worth watching in my opinion.
@@catherinekilgour2563 I'll take a look, thanks! I've found that just thinking about how I'd brief departure and arrival if I was multicrew has resulted in basic SOP that I do say aloud to myself. Of course in an emergency the very first thing to bear in mind is the favourite Aviate, Communicate, Navigate. First and foremost, fly the aircraft and if things are going wrong run checklists and make a plan! Then, if time, use ATC to either get 'help', be that vectors, wx, a hand off, whatever wd be useful, or tell them your intentions. The more I think about it the more I want to see Good Examples to put into the 'useful info' in the aviation file in my brain. It's one thing reading about what to do with an alternator failure or forced landing, quite another handling one! Seeing someone going through it and handling it well really helps the procedures sink in.
Good job, Fly the aircraft... think you gave attention to your priority which has to be fly the aircraft so really good job. Little man was also calm and he considered options for you too so great team effort.
I think giving him a little assurance at some point would have been good. He was very young back then.
Being a PPL student half way my journey, I wish more people in our day to day lives were as ATC people ;)
well that was lovely.
Great video and great story in every respect! I really enjoyed that Jon, and very well handled my friend!! 😇👍
Thanks Dave.
Absolutely brilliant work from all involved
Well done Jon and little (not so little now), Bertie. I always have a diversion airfield in the back of my mind for eventualities
I think we all do - on long trips impossible to plan for every eventuality.
Heartwarming
Another thing I noticed is that Brize gave an early hand off to Oxford which gave you more time and allowed Oxford to control you whilst still within their zone.
I suspect Oxford was relatively quiet that day as they wouldn’t have imposed radio silence but, as another “Commenter” mentioned it might have cost some of their students quite a bit of money at £12 per minute sitting in their DA42s orbiting or stationary on a taxiway!!
You fid right thing landing as you needed to check him over to check it wasent sonething more serious glad he was okay
Good advice Jon for Bertie to look out the window. We get our sense of which way is up from our visual sensory system Getting conflicting information from our vestibular apparatus (ie ear) can cause airsickness.
Glad Bertie did not decorate your aircraft 😅😅😅
We did have one decoration on a flight some time before this, but not since thankfully. A few close calls though!
I don't think you should be so self-critical of how you looked after your son during the diversion. Your natural instincts as a parent would have meant any spare cognitive capacity would have gone into checking on and reassuring him as the situation allowed. If you didn't, that's because you were too busy flying the aircraft in a completely unprepared diversion. You can check on him as much as you like, but it won't do him (or you) any favours if you end up flying the aircraft unsafely or even making a simple navigation error that delays your arrival.
Came into the comments to say exactly this.
Superb
We can see you were in your infancy and not the usual slick Jon we are used to.
It just goes to prove a minor upset to your otherwise eventful trip starts to line up the holes in the cheese.
I regularly pick up my Great Nephew from Blackbush to Cambridge. He’s 12 and sufferers from airsickness. But to be fair, he often travels with me IMC so never the best of vistas. I always carry sick bags and I’ve learned that getting one ready occasionally stops him from throwing up. However, the last time he came up, he announced his sickness at a very short final, chundering in the flair.
Thank goodness for sick bags.
I had a passenger get so airsick she was puking up all the way back (headwind on return) took about 25 minutes felt like a lifetime ……… cockpit stunk of sick 🤢 I’m so glad I always carry a sick bag in my kneeboard otherwise it would have looked like something of the movie “the thing”, even on final approach she was wrenching up on the way down you’d be amazed how distracting it can be. But I thought to myself she’ll live fly the plane lol 😂 cutthroat attitude I know ………
I think that attitude kicks in. I do need to order some more sick bags actually - mine are pretty dog-eared through no use recently.
Another great vid, Jon. Thankfully Bertie recovered quickly. What was the issue with the DI? Did it get you home?
I think the DI came back to life but It was looked at. I can't remember what caused it in the end.
Couldn't you shut that draw? 😂
Sad to say this was the 1st video I didn't enjoy, for multiple reasons, many people get air-sickness, but if the airsick person isn't flying the plane, its clearly not a life-threatening situation, ATC (unaware if they are dealing with something potentially more serious eg a ruptured appendix, something cardiac etc HAVE to respond this way, but its not exactly fair on them or to all of the oxford students who are paying serious money to sit on the tarmac and taking up RAF resources also for something so minor as feeling airsick (30 mins before the flight is due to end anyway), a more logical response may have been to have the passenger sitting in front looking out the window. Jon's attempt to conflate the situation to an alternator failure also doesnt' make sense either as these two situations are very different. The video also almost appears like an encourgement to contact ATC with regards to such issues, which also doesnt' seem very fair, as Jon doesnt' work for ATC, or appear to have any awareness of the continuous pressure that they are under (I'm pretty sure that if he had this insight he would never have posted this). It also teaches the kid nothing about problem-solving, how to prevent such issues in future, understanding what your body needs and how to manage it going forward, respect and awarenes of the needs and workloads of others around you or the ability endure a little (non-life-threatening) discomfort for a few minutes from time to time. Had the identical video been made about a 50 year old passsenger with sweating, chest pain and breathlessness it would have made sense but I was just cringing throughout this.
Thank you for the comment.
Each of us is unique. With that comes the reality that we each experience illness - even of a temporary nature - to different degrees. I think your comment about the level of discomfort perhaps doesn’t take account of this, nor of Jon’s particular experience as a father to his son. I’m sure you’d agree that, across his range of videos, Jon demonstrates a sensible, cautious approach to flying. He is the first person to criticise himself for poor decision making. If anything, he is often rebuked here for being overly critical of himself. This flight was an example of Jon doing his best, weighing up his options (even if some of that was unspoken) and taking what he felt to be the most appropriate course of action. I’m grateful to him for sharing his experience, and to you for sharing your views. Respectfully, though, I disagree with your assessment.
lol dude he literally tells ATC his passenger is air sick, no more no less, ATC makes the call what to do.
Can’t believe you’d watch a father caring for his son and that’s your first thought!
Bad pilot. Fly the plane. Sick bags are for a reason, its not an emergency. I bet the child wasnt all that ill.
You’re all heart Ed.