Flying is amazing. But there's a huge problem that pilots don't often talk about. Get 10% Off Flying Eyes with Coupon Code NOEL: flyingeyesoptics.com/eyewear/...
I have lost more than one close friend through aviation. Skilled, seasoned professionals… Flying is fun but so unforgiving of the smallest of errors. I had a catastrophic engine failure two years ago.. wrote off the plane. Grateful to be here still.
simple solution for you part time lovers, hire a flight instructor more often than just for currency training. They are professionals that are always interested in building more time and experience. Also, for long trips and over nights you shouldn't need to provide any more than lodgings and meals.
I know more than one person who have had forced landings and walked away as well. I know one person who has crashed 7 planes, another who has crashed 12. Both are older guys who had careers in higher risk aviation jobs like banner towing and crop dusting, but just like car crashes, most are survivable.
Thanks for showing the Columbia memorial. The pilot was a high school friend, William "Willie" McCool. He was on his first NASA mission and was so excited to be doing the thing he loved most.
It also reminds you to live and treat others as it’s the last time you live. It’s makes life exhilarating. From an old soldier that has seen many not wake up
I flew a White House press charter into there with Pan Am for President George H. W. Bush. I am retired now with 23,000 hours. I have had a perfect record, but with many close calls. I am sometimes amazed that I am still alive. I also believe I have used up all my luck, so I don't fly anymore. I can relate to what you are saying. I have lost count of the number of colleagues I have lost when they were flying small airplanes of all types on their days off. Some dream of retiring and flying their own small plane. Not me...
There's an old episode of Star Trek: Next Generation where, obviously many years in the future from now, Picard and the crew are looking back at aviation in our current times (I can't remember the context). Picard and the crew note "can you believe those people used to fly around with just a single, primitive combustion engine powering, a basic fan at the front??". It drove home just how must faith we place in these extremely simple, almost redundancy-free machines that take us high into the air.
I certainly know how you feel Noel. I work on the line at my local airport and a friend of mine was going on a flight a couple of weeks ago. I told him to please park the aircraft in a different location when he returned. He unfortunately got into a flat spin and was unable to recover. I was crushed when I heard the news. It’s made me realize to always be kind to people because you never know if you’ll never be able to speak to them again.
Everything we do in life has a risk involved. It’s just part of life that we can’t avoid (unless you wrap yourself up in bubble-wrap and stay home). Although we all appreciate you taking those risks for the viewers benefit, it is pretty obvious that you love flying and would still be doing it even without the RUclips channel. Probably everyone knows someone who has been in a car crash, but we will all continue to drive our wacky speed machines down the highway at 70mph. Ahhh, humans! You have to love their spirit! - I hope you and Rachel and your entire family have the best Christmas ever, and the happiest (and safest) of New Years! ✈
@@PRH123 While I agree with the sentiment of your statement, you should quote correct satistics/numbers. In 2022 in the U.S., there were approximately 42,800 people killed in traffic crashes in 2022 (figures from 2023 are not publicly available yet). Regardless of the numbers, if it's nearly 43k or "only" 35k people dying on our roadways, it's still too many, especially when so many could be avoided if people didn't se their phones or other PEDs while driving.
@@johnshannon9 indeed…. if an approach was taken with vehicular driving licenses similar to the approach taken to an ATP certification, for example, surely 95% of accidents could be eliminated…
If you follow people on the internet, it's going to make it seem like everyone is dying. I have spent my entire adult life in aviation on a professional level as a mechanic and pilot. I've personally known 2 people who have died in airplane crashes. I also know 2 people who have died from tree branches falling on them one was a friend from the aviation community and the other I knew from riding motorcycles. You can chose how you live, but you don't always get to choose how you die. It's going to happen to all of us, you might as well do what you love while you can.
Granted, some tragedies you can't prepare for and no amount of preparation would've made a difference. Too many people will take unnecessary risks which they aren't prepared for. I think those are the stories important to highlight, because there is something you can learn from. Yes, live your life, but don't take unnecessary risks when those risks could've been mitigated, especially when children and a spouse are relying on you.
The good news is that you can greatly reduce the risks involved by making good decisions. You just need to look at the root causes of GA accidents to realise that a very high percentage were totally avoidable. Any pilot that decides to push their own limitations or the limitations of their equipment has to accept the higher risk.
For myself, I believe that there is nothing trivial about doing this. It takes humility, dedication, and both confidence in and self-awareness of my own capacity for skill deterioration over time in the absence of systematic recurrent training and diligent maintenance of my recency of experience in all phases of flying. For me, this constitutes a mindset to the point of being a lifestyle. I offer this as my own perspective after completing two aviation university degrees, working for several years as a CFII, and after several thousand hours of commercial flying in light aircraft, principally in backcountry Alaska and on the glaciers of Denali; during which, I bent nothing.
I flew with a great Captain at my airline on a 4 day trip. Super friendly, great pilot, just a wonderful person. At the end of the trip I said, “Can’t wait to fly with you again!” He replied, “Looking forward to it.” A few days later I saw a company wide email that stated, “We just lost one of our pilots…” It was the Captain I just flew with. He was killed in an auto accident on his way home from the trip we just flew together on. That experience really changed my life. Pilots I’ve never met but fly with now, will talk about this Captain. He is really missed all around. Like you said, it’s a small community of pilots out there and we know quite a lot of them.
I am not a pilot but I think you brought up a good point of never get complacent and never stop learning. Being a expert is only temporary without that bit of advice.
Noel you reminded me of a college friend who passed away from a multi-engine uncontrolled spin into a crash. May God rest his soul. Prayers for the safety of our Airmen.
I worked as a traffic reporter in Dallas for ~25 years. I was airborne in a 182 (passenger only) for a few of those years. During my time at Metro Traffic, we had two helicopters crash. Fortunately there were no serious injuries in either crash, but I know one of those crashes was particularly nasty. It made me think long and hard about continuing to fly, and I did move back into the studio. Especially with the recent crash of WPVI's Chopper 6 in Philadelphia, I'm glad I did.
I briefly worked for Metro in Tucson. Flew around in a 172. Once had a young pilot who didn't properly do her walk around/checks and ran out of fuel. Landed on a golf course fairway. The plane was loaded on the back of a flatbed then taken back to the airport and flew the a couple days later. The pilot went back to school. I still have the picture from the newspaper of the plane sitting on the course and the pilot on the phone with her head in her hand. She eventually became a CFI a few years later. I bet she focused hard on checklists and walk arounds!
This is a long post, because your video touched on a lot of pertinent issues. TL;DR - A lot of GA accidents are preventable. The few that aren't are probably not worth worrying about, because at that point you might as well stop driving, spending time outdoors or doing any other activity besides locking yourself in an underground bunker. Go out and enjoy life, but learn from other people's mistakes, because you won't live long enough to repeat them yourself. If you want to be a safer pilot, don't fly by yourself. Fly with another pilot, or even a passenger with good aviation knowledge that is wiling to learn and help.
General Aviation gives you such a sense of freedom, it is hard to describe sometimes. Being able to pull off a 600 mile round trip in one day and still having the energy to meet friends for dinner and tell them all about it. Visiting places you'd probably ignore otherwise, since it's not worth getting a hotel there and spending two days on the road just for 2-3 hours of actual time at the place you're visiting. There is a sad problem with GA, though - a large proportion of the people that can afford it come from professions and environments where they're not willing to be told NO. They are the ones that tell others what to do and not do. A lot of them don't make the transition to flying (and the go /no-go decision making process) well. That's how planes get a bad rap. The V-tail doctor killer. Yes, the Bonanza is a fast plane that requires flying by the numbers, and it will bite you if you don't take it seriously. It will also crash in bad weather just like any other plane that shouldn't be there. But all those doctors had to be somewhere, they had a fast plane, they worked hard for it and nobody was going to tell them today isn't a good day to fly. A lot of people in a position of autority end up having an anti-authority attitude. These days Cirriuses (Ciri?) get a similar bad rap, and probably for a similar reason. At their price tag, not a lot of them end up being flown by humble people. And they do have some low speed flying characteristics that can bite you if you're not on top of your game. Even a good pilot can have a bad day and let his guard down if he doesn't fly often enough. You can't own a high performance plane (or a twin) and only fly 20-30 hours a year. That is a recipe for disaster on the day when you end up with a real emergency. If you're going to fly that amount of hours, maybe you should be playing it safe and fly a 172. There is post on Reddit, titled "Wait, so there's a 10% chance I'll be dead by the time I hit 10,000 hours flying GA?" The original poster deleted his account, but the replies are still there. One reply, by "nerdinabird", does a great breakdown of causes of death in GA. You can go read his reply there (paste r/flying/comments/165dyfh/comment/jygiujn/ after the website name if you can't find it), but here's the TL;DR: Hold My Beer: 29% Stupid: 33% Swiss Cheese: 17% Fate is the Hunter: 10%. There's some extra in there to make it up to 100% (suicides). The thing is, if you take this even a bit seriously (we'll touch on that in a bit) you can easily mitigate at least 65% of the risk. The 17% Swiss Cheese is where things get serious. This involves experience and/or good judgement. A lot of that comes (unfortunately) from someone else's bad judgement. Read as much as you can about all GA mishaps. Try to learn from them. Speculate, if you have to (just don't be DG, trash-talking every single accident on youtube, even if you don't have a clue). Try to put yourself in that position, with that set of variables, and see what you would have done differently. Some pilots, sadly, don't belong in the air. TNflygirl, for example. Any of her posted flight videos should've been enough to trigger a 709 checkride by the Friendly Aviation Administration. My sincere condoleances for the family, but she should've been firmly grounded a loong time ago. The Cherokee 180 she had before the Debonair? She wrecked it trying to turn and exit the runway too fast. Skidded into a ditch, collapsed the nose gear and trashed everything firewall-forward. Then she got into something 5 times less forgiving. One of the pilots I know is quite the accomplished individual. Flown a lot of stuff, used to fly aerobatics at OSH. He told me he refuses rides offered to him by almost all pilots. He needs to know you're a good pilot before he'll trust you with his life. That brings us to McSpadden's crash. He was a passenger in that plane. The owner was flying (most likely) with McSpadden planning to take the controls only during the photoshoot formation flying. That plane had just had an engine overhaul not too long ago (that's what I recall). I am surprised he even agreed to be on that flight, I would've waited until that engine had a few more hours on it. And we don't know how the other guy handled the engine failure. Most likely McSpadden recognized the fact that he was the owner and PIC and never intervened. The Texan crash at OSH was weird. I recall she had low hours in the T6, but looking at the ADS-B track it looks like a "Watch This" that went wrong. Or the plane had a structural failure. RUclips (and the "Look at me, see how good my life is!" mindset that some of the youtubers have) isn't helping. Everyone wants to feed "the algorithm", and that seems to happen by stiring up the pot. Put controversial stuff up there and have people fight in the comments. A lot of them act like they have tons of experience, until you find out (after the crash) how inexperienced they were. Case in point: Tango and Juliet. Fatal crash at night, after lading at some remote strip in the middle of nowhere. The tachometer had failed, they landed to make sure there was no major damage and oil loss in the engine (good call there), then decided to depart, at night (dark, no city lights and such), with an inop tach (and technically an unairworthy plane) to their destination. Come to find out, he was not night current, and had a total of 10.1 hours of night time. (N2506N if you want to look up the report) A lot of the people you know are (sadly) not good pilots. They're lucky pilots. Most of them have not practiced slow flight, stalls, or other things that can get you in trouble, since the day of their checkride. Simulated engine out landings are not a thing. Nor are any other in-flight emergency drills. Those skills are extremely perishable. I'd say you need to practice them every three months or so in order to maintain them. How many people do that? Even as a VFR-only pilot, how many of them get a safety pilot on board and go practice simulated instrument flying after their checkride? That should also be on the recurrent training checklist, and not for 15 minutes every two years when they go for their flight review. Also, we've all had struggles during training, and close calls after. Don't keep them to yourselves. Share those bad experiences. Other people might learn from them and that might save their lives. And there's always the elephant in the room - cognitive decline. A lot of us are in denial about this, but it is real. Some do better than others, and you can't just have a blanket "you're over 65, you're out" approach. Most people aren't aware of their own decline and wil vehemently deny it if other people mention it. Don't know what the fix would be there, I definitely don't want to turn medical examinations into cognitive screenings. But I have a workaround. One of the reasons why airlines are so much safer than GA (besides multiple engines with much higher reliability, redundant systems and orders of magnitude better training, all of which we can't really have or afford) is the fact that they fly with two pilots. One might get distracted and let the airspeed drop, but the other one should catch it. Flying by yourself is not that much fun anyway. Take another pilot with you. Have him be your safety pilot. On paper, GA is as safe (or unsafe, depending on how you're looking at it) as riding a motorcycle. A lot of those risks are mitigable if you're willing to take it seriously (weather briefs, pre-flight briefs and inspections, don't act stupid). 100 people die every day in car crashes in the US. Yet we don't stop driving. There are other hobbies out there with worse safety records. Almost 2000 people die every day of heard disease. If aviation is your calling, go out and enjoy it. Take it seriously, and remember that the law of gravity can't be repealed. At the end of the day, though, aviation is very safe - nobody ever got stuck up there.
If you've made it to the end, congratulations! You probably have what it takes to be a safe pilot.
The main reason I gave up flying is that I could not afford to fly enough to maintain proficiency at the level I wanted. I felt the risk was too great. I had also met Richard McSpadden and was quite saddened by the accident that took his life. It can happen to anyone, no matter how experienced or proficient...
That is the main reason why I became a professional flyer. I worked full time on my jobs and full time in college but became a professional flyer with a wife who insisted I go into the job market before finishing college. As a CFII I gained plenty of experience that paid off later flying in west Michigan weather as a freight pilot there was still plenty of experience gained. Best advice for fair weather flyers is stay local and fly when the weather allows you to practice and travel safely in daylight only! Be safe and restrict yourself on top of the Federal Regulations
Same for me. I had my final check flight canceled twice (19 years ago) to weather but also had run out of money for flying at the same time. I decided I would give it up. Loved going through the training and can say I flew solo but I feared being a once a month wasn't the safest way to be a pilot.
Back in the 90's I was a Traffic Reporter in Atlanta. My pilots would always ask me if I wanted to take the controls. Well, DUH! It was the most fun I ever had. Almost 200 hours of flight time (both C172 & PA28) and 13, successful, take off and landings. And the entire time, the company I worked for as a reporter was paying the flight time for me (I didn't tell them I was flying). My pilots told me all I needed to do was the ground school and I'd have my license in no time. Unfortunately, I was doing this job to raise money for a down payment for a house as I was also getting married. Never did go to ground school, but my love of flying is still in my heart.
I'm a qualified PPL with IMC and night rating. I've held my licence for 30 years when reaching 2024. This year I've realised I like flying, but the "like" doesn't outweigh the risk I feel. I need to love it unconditionally to continue and I don't, hence I've hung up my wings. The love just isn't there anymore.
@@F50Aircraft you don't hand it in, you just stop using it and not renew your medical. 30 years is a long time. I've known a number of old people who prefer to give up flying on their terms and not suddenly when the doctor declares them unfit to fly
If I wrote down the names of all those friends and acquaintances whom I have lost in airplane crashes during the span of almost 54 years of flying and then spent only ten seconds thinking about each of them in turn consecutively, it would take me just over three minutes of reminiscing to cover the lot of them. The first was lost in a C-172 on a foggy Virginia mountainside in 1970; the last two were in a Falcon 20 into the trees just shy of the runway near Thomson, Georgia in October of 2021. In between there were aerobatic pilots, freighter pilots, commuter airline pilots, major airline pilots, private jet pilots, private Cessna and Piper pilots, ag pilots, and even a couple of military pilots. They all had one thing in particular in common: Before takeoff, none of them ever dreamed that their last flights would be their final ones. Most died suddenly without warning; however, a few were allotted enough time to realize that they were about to die; and then they did. Two of the crashes were caused by events beyond human control - seemingly, perfectly air worthy airplanes came apart in the air due to faulty designs or maintenance procedures; the rest of the guys and gals killed themselves for various reasons - it doesn't matter anymore what they were. The question now is: "Which ones of us who are left are going to follow them in untimely deaths through naivete, inattention or arrogance?
Im a very new private pilot. I just got my first Bi-annual flight review a couple of days ago. To say that humbled me would be an understatement. It is so easy to get complacent when you fly the same plane and just do the same local route a bunch. Aviation is a hobby that deserves a ton of respect, care, and self awareness. Thank you for reminding all us current and future pilots of this fact.
There is no real irony in being a widely acknowledged aviation safety expert and perishing behind the controls. Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, a KLM flight instructor and 747 pilot was also he who was recorded saying "We are now at takeoff," as he pushed the power levers forward on his 747 in Tenerife, becoming the proximal cause of the accident that represented the greatest loss of life so far in aviation history. At last count, I have lost 35 friends, colleagues, and loved ones to crashes in planes that they were flying. They range from former students that I simply adored and loved getting to introduce them to a life in the sky, to mentors who formed the ways that I approach my own life in the sky, to a singularly powerful and fabulous woman to whom I was engaged and thought I'd spend the rest of my life with, to arrogant putzes that I could barely stand to be around, to young fathers who will never see their children grow up. I miss them all and wish they were still with us... even the putzes. Being a pilot is about mastering a role as the human element in a highly dynamic and fault intolerant environment. After flying for nearly half a century (longer than I've been driving) and the equivalent of being continuously airborne for over four and a half months, I have come to the conclusion that dying behind the controls of an aircraft is not in any way "doing what you love." Piloting an aircraft in harmony with the airborne environment is what we love. Crashing is not that. Say what you like to make yourself feel better as a survivor, but if I die in a crash, know that I was not loving that last part, not one bit at all.
This. No one wants to die doing what they love. Unless it’s quick…knowing you’re going to die…the absolute fear you are able to process…no one wants to die doing what they love.
@@JM1701ABCD I've comforted myself by acknowledging that the utterly brilliant aviators that I've had the honor and pleasure to have known did not, in fact, die doing what they loved. They loved flying and they died crashing. The two are not independent, but they are distinct.
@@JM1701ABCDit's splitting semantic hairs really... nobody says person x wanted to die doing what they loved... they say person x was doing something they loved, when something happened, and they as a result died... That's not an assertion that person x enjoyed the dying bit, or was ok with it...
I lost my best friend to a plane crash. Unfortunately I was one of the first responders that was on scene. I use to fly with him for years. Needless to say it’s made me rethink a lot in life. I was present for his last moments and it nothing I would wish to happen to anyone.
My dad was in aviation medicine in the early 1960s, working for the RAE Farnborough , UK. His best friend flew accidentally VFR into IFR crossing the English Channel and flew into one of the famous white cliffs. My dad never really got over it. They knew that the impossible turn was a killer in 1914 and people still try to do it. You need to fly in conditions where you know you can cope with startling events like an engine failure. Dodgy weather / scud-running stacks the odds against you. Trying to get into a small, poorly lit runway in the dark stacks the odds against you. Being startled into pulling the stick back when the engine fails stacks the odds against you. Stalling an aircraft with a high wing loading when spatially disorientated stacks the odds against you. Running out of fuel stacks the odds against you. Make good decisions and don't get in over your head, because hitting the ground you didn't see, or while spinning wildly, or after an accelerated stall at low altitude - all of those will probably kill you.
I saw a documentary about the British pilots who tried to break the sound barrier in a prop plane. Now we know that that is not possible. I'm not sure of the numbers, but almost all of them died in the attempt except for a couple. They would take their fighter up to a high altitude and dive straight down. What happens is the controls stop working. The only ones who survived just let go of the controls instead of fighting it and allowed the plane to slow against the air resistance enough to pull out of the dive. When asked about what these incredibly brave pilots were doing. One said, "It was our belief in invulnerability that allowed us to press on." (In a wonderful British accent)
Its a small world. 20 years ago a cessna involved in a multi aircraft incident crashed into my neighbours house and my father was first on scene. The pilot was 16 and lost his life. My father died abiut 6 months later and they are burried about 20 meters from eachother at the cemetary. another aviator i was friends with at the time worked with the pilots in the other aircraft and from what i know, it was a huge loss to their whole community. After whitnessing the incident im terrified of aircraft but watching your channels helps somewhat.
Another good video. I used to work with a company that did North Atlantic (and worldwide) Ferrying and we lost a few over the years. Merry Christmas to you and your family 🙂
I lost my flight instructor in a fatal crash 1 week before my private check ride. To say I was devastated is an understatement. A couple of years later, I managed to get a hold of the NTSB crash report. The report said that the weather was clear and my instructor was flying with a very high blood alcohol level - weird, since she rarely drank. Also in the report, it said that the plane appeared to have been driven into the ground, under control, at a high rate of speed. Witnesses had seen it circle a wide-open field before nosing down and into the ground. The NTSB report mentioned that her medical had recently been revoked. Accident due to a medical emergency, or suicide? We’ll never know.
So she was flying even though she had the knowledge that her medical wasn't successful? Something doesn't add up. I thought once a pilot fails their medical they are grounded immediately?
@@DataPilot370 I've got to ask now. How did that impact your eligibility for a check ride? How many of those hours flown dual with her wouldn't have been eligible to log ?
Lovely video again noel. All the talk of fellow pilots lost on flights brought back a memory of my own when I was a student pilot. A young (24/25) instructor took me up for a lesson and in that hr taught me so many nuances about flying which my main tutor perhaps wouldn't tell me yet. A week later I went in for my lesson and was told he had died in a plane crash in the Channel near Brittany (N France) along with a second pilot but a millionaire passenger who's plane it was had survived in the English Channel. I had serious thoughts about giving up coz at the time I had 2 young children to take care of but I carried on and obtained my PPL year later. So sad. 😢 I love the sound of my main wheels touching down hard or soft coz that means another flight safely concluded.
I watched that T-6 depart OSH the morning of the accident. Also, I lost a great mentor who was a flight instructor with over 2,000 flight hours who lost his life in an SR-22 accident the day before Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for sharing, Noel. We relate to you and feel and understand you.
Yep, @Super_Chief said perfectly. You gotta keep doing what you love. You don't know whats round the corner including your own health. It does happen but you're living life to the fullest and love what you do. Happy Xmas to you and family from England!! PS Flying YT from Gamston now!! Cheers Noel
So apt for the season, life is fragile and we just need to take care of each other while we are here. Merry Christmas Noel. And of course, every burger must be enjoyed.
Having been in a major car accident less than a year ago, it gave me perspective.. you never know when your time is up and you really do have to live life to it's fullest.. Im so happy that you get to do what you love to do for a living. Someday I wish I will be able to work for a passion rather than a paycheck but happy for you. Thanks for all the videos
Oh, I forgot to mention: I bought a T-shirt at Oshkosh many years ago, which read “If God meant man to fly, he would’ve given him more money.” …an important consideration.
Not to make it a contest, but I think this happens way more in the car enthusiast world. Now there’s definitely more people so it doesn’t always hit the same, but almost every year there’s a ton of people that I went to car meets with and lose them. It’s scary. Enjoy your hobbies responsibly!
Everything has a risk, I know of one poor pilot crashed his car on the way to the airport to go flying, ironic. Keep positive, professional and keep gaining that experience, it will keep you safe. Great video Noel.
This is the best video I have seen all year about the various general aviation accidents that have happened. I watch a lot of videos about this. I seriously contemplate taking courses that would include Flight Training on Aviation from the college I teach at. Some of them take a very educational approach to things others act as if you are in total control of what happens at all times. Whether for driving, flying, riding a bike, or sleeping in bed all we can do is try to control as many of the variables as we can. There are always variables we don't control and sometimes stuff just happens doesn't matter how good you are how experienced you are how prepared you are it just happens. Life is like falling through clouds towards mountains some of us fall longer, live longer. Some of us hit a peak and our fall though time is cut short. It's random and it's just the way it works. In short someone could be flying along the Unlucky enough to get hit by a meteorite while airborne and there would be internet commentators would talk like they could have somehow prevented it if they had a few more hours or did a few more checklist.
I'm just beginning to make my LAPL licence this year, after having flown countless hours at the simulator for 3 decades. The thing you are describing, comes to mind again and again from time to time. But the more I know about accidents - especially in the GA world, the more confinent I get that it's mainly up to myself, weather I'm doing wrong or right. I've watched nearly all of Hans-Peter Zimmermann's crash debrief videos, who has focussed on accidents in general aviation (German language). The vast majority of them have been caused by underestimating the weather, bad flight planning in mountains, bad flight preparation, often combined with overestimating the own skills. I've hardly heard about anyone who died for mechanical reasons or mid-air collisions. And that helps me anyhow to know I will be the major factor myself for my own safety, and not so much any casual things. On the other hand, I've flown with exactly 5 GA pilots so far, and at 3 of them I felt at least a uncomfortable, at 2 even really scared! That is a pretty bad ratio, isn't it? The reasons for that started at "Oh, I'm not really sure how to start the plane anymore...", several stall warnings immediatly after takeoff, no runup check before take off with cold engine, flying with 2 broken temperature sensors, flying in marginal weather conditions and beeing proud to have the transponder off, no outside check for flying at the airfields's open day (lot of people went around the airplane before), and finally an instructor (yes, and INSTRUCTOR), who told me that "we are too high when we see 4 red PAPI lights". Now, spread these things to only 3 flights, and there we go. I've chosen my flying club mainly because my instructor there is among the 2 other GA pilots where I felt absolutely safe (NOT the one mentioned above) as a pilot and as an instructor. If I'm looking at car accidents around here, I knew someone personally that has died in a car accident, and only at our small village, there have been 15-20 deaths in car traffic over the past 30 years - some even in the middle of the village. And that is certainly one of the parts of the world, where car traffic is concidered relatively safe (Germany). Do I still drive a car? Yes, and I have to. Do I feel unsafe doing so? No. Did anything ever happen to me in the 22 years of my driving licence? Not at all. I know, there is still a risk every day, but beeing aware of that is hopefully the best insurance for any further safe trips. I haven't got numbers to compare with aviation, but I hope I can be safe there, too.
You know something Noel,they safe aviation is not unsafe but inherently unforgiving of mistakes. There will be others so try not to dwell in it too much & continue learning. The more you learn, the more you practice the better you will become. Yes it is very sad everytime you hear of accidents but you can always learn from them.
I remember being told when I was learning "better safe on the ground than unsafe in the air". This makes me very cautious about weighing up whether or not I fly (Swiss cheese model!). You can never rule out everything, but I like to think I can change the odds a little. Great video!
I totally agree. I got my PPL last year but havent flown much since then. I will start again this summer but with instructor only, even tho i could i dont feel safe if i would had to fly solo currently.
I had to sub when I heard you flew into my hometown of Bryan/College Station, and what I hope will be my home airport if I can ever get a medical certificate out of the FAA. Until then, I’ll keep watching these videos and learning as much as I can, but especially learning about what can go wrong sometimes, and try to keep those scenarios in the back of my mind with hopes that I never get into those situations and, if I do, perhaps I may have learned something, that might help me get out of it.
It must be very difficult on your emotions when you know people who have died in crashes. There was a very well known former Vietnam helicopter pilot who flew a copter for a TV station traffic for ever & everyone knew him & loved him in St Louis Mo. He also had his copter for hire. After retiring he built his own copter & was flying one day, & crashed & died. The entire city was stunned & mourned his death. He was interviewed on Radio & Tv stations many times & he was a funny guy. I think understanding flight controllers & their directions is confusing! Nice flight on this video! Merry Christmas Noel, Rach & family. Have a good one!
I follow your travel channel and just discovered this one. Had no idea you were a pilot and I follow a lot of piloting channels. The RUclips algorithm let me down. Anyway, your episode was another sobering reminder that while GA is a wonderful experience, it’s terribly unforgiving. Every week Juan Brown and Dan Gryder review the latest accidents. Unfortunately, most are pilot error so you are smart Noel to keep adding proficiency to your skills. Look forward to following this channel and your quest for the $100 hamburger!😂
I'm watching your video listening to your stories and all of a sudden hear you talk to Easterwood Tower and next thing I see is my apartment down there lol! Didn't see that coming haha!
Totally agree. I'm a processional pilot looking to buy my first GA plane next year. The mishap rate scares me. I'm no fool and know that it could happen to me even if I fly my plane like an airliner (which is how I plan to fly).
Thanks for sharing this thoughtful and important video. I'm also in that danger zone with around 100 hours, and I'm trying to stay very cognizant of that as I go about flying.
As a rusty pilot I worry about all that. Being up on emergency procedures in your plane and getting some instruction with good CFI's is a must. the SR20 and 22 have focused programs around them, so you are in a good place. I am moving out of a Sierra that few knew how to instruct in to a v tail that there is a lot of focus training.
As someone starting their piloting life, it doesn’t hit as close to home as I’m not yet that into the aviation scene, this video will always be in the back of my mind thank you very much for reminding me of how quickly things can go unexpected
The biggest thing is to keep learning. Knowledge and practice are your best friends and the best security. I recommend going to CPL whether you want to fly for money or not.
I spent ten years jumping out of perfectly good aircraft and at the same time flying gliders,I used to jump from a Cessna 206 single-engine so allways wary Until we climbed the first 1000 feet after I knew I Could exit safely if a problem with Engine most planes that we jump from are twin-engined lifts far safer lifts than single-engined jobs and when I was gliding Allways wore a parachute carried out preflight checks twice especially Air brakes and flaps and when flying often practiced spin recovery and Stall recovery especially if flying an unfamiliar glider and I allways had a plan to exit the Glider if caught in a mid-air collision while climbing in thermals a common problem, Winch lifts were fast and furious so you really have to be on the ball for the first 350 feet, especially after rotation, With flying gliders we have only one chance to take off and land so constantly train for incidents that leave us exposed,I think all Pilots should learn to glide first before flying Powered Aircraft
An old colleague of mine had a relative who was cabin crew on the Kegworth 737. They survived and once recovered went on a long flight to the Far East.
Stay safe my friend! You would be missed by so many! Also noticed the screws didn't look too tight on the landing gear supports! I am the opposite of an expert tho.
@kingofcastlechaos good to know, thanks! I kept thinking each landing was going to get worse and worse till the whole thing fell off. Yes i bet it's expensive!
I will admit that fear of death does hinder my ability to enjoy aviation a good bit. It is for this reason that I am hoping to limit my time in GA only to flight training. Uncontrolled airports, inconsistent weather reporting, rusty skills, and most of all cost put me off of it. Having said that, I’m making the most out of training and I’d happily put my life on the line in a military/airline aviation job.
One thing I see in this video and is also a problem with modern pilots is being distracted by gadgets. I know things like I-Pads have become common place but also have mid air collisions. Only have your head in the cockpit for instrument flying and for using a checklist. Other aircraft can appear quickly and from nowhere particularly in or near controlled airspace. Two of the most common causes of light aircraft accidents are lack of proper flight planning and gethomeitus, the must land now brigade. There is nothing wrong with going around or going to another destination, in fact it is smart flying. Noel is also right when he mentions complacency, believe me you will never know it all, every flight is different, if you have time repeat the check list items and use the list not your memory. I had a 38 year professional career and flew for 43 years altogether, first in the Air Force and then airlines retiring as a captain which then was aged 60. People often ask me how long I had been flying, my reply, since Pontius was a pilot !!! A poor pilot will be surprised when something goes wrong, the professional will be surprised when all goes well. Keep safe and good flying everyone.
When I was in the middle of my ppl I lost my CFI to a plane accident... really hit close to home, made me re think everything. But I've gotten back into it and it's gotten better with time.
Blessings and love to all those who have passed. You will be fine always Noel, the light is shining on you and it’s bright. You are protected. Much love..
A good friend of mine was a skilled, experienced pilot and extremely meticulous about maintenance of his Mooney aircraft. We were all terribly shocked at losing him to a plane crash on one of his routine trips. It was adverse weather that took him down.
We lost a real amazing guy at a local airshow. Vietnam pilot and then a bush pilot in Alaska for decades. He "retired" to do airshows very late in life but died doing what he loved. So bittersweet.
In 1978, I had my first solo flight in a PA-28. It was 2 hours before the DMV opened in Illinois, so I was able to fly a plane by myself before getting a driver's license.
You're right. I am based in the Pittsburgh area. While I was talking to Roanoke approach, a friend was coming across my path and his passenger was my old instructor. Suddenly I hear "Is that you, Howard?" I didn't reply because I know my voice is distinctive (so was his) and it was an approach frequency. He was flying from eastern NC to Pittsburgh. I was flying from Danville VA to the DC area. Both of us were flying animal rescues that day. So it is definitely a small community.
It's good to see you flying the plane. I've only seen you as a passenger until today. I flew for thirty years in light planes with about 2700 hours. I have 21 friends that were killed in small planes in 20 separate accidents. I quit flying in 2010 because of all the accidents. It was a lot of fun and I understand why you fly. Be careful my friend!
noel I used to work at biggin Hill airshows and was working the weekend in 2001 when we had 2 fatal crashes with the loss of 3 souls, something I'll never forget
Very true…. As a senior I decided not to take my grandkids up. I am torn, but my love for them outweighs wanting to share aviation. You think much more about safety the older one gets…
I fly commercially in northern Canada. A few veteran guys used to tell me when I was right seat that back in the 70s you could have a buddy and then the next thing you hear he passed due to a crash. Wasn’t easy but they said once upon a time it was “more part of it” they all confirmed they were glad safety is now widely better and more practiced. Nice video Noel, cheers.
I'm glad you said this Noel. I've only been in aviation 5 years but already know three people who sadly didn't come back down again safely. All were the highest quality airmen, two of whom of them professionals and the other had nearly a lifetime of GA, highly respected in the community. I don't think the risks of small GA aircraft are widely known. I have always thought that the requirement to fly at night with a single engine aeroplane is a little unnecessary to get your licence. I wish they would remove the requirement. Fly safe.
Im about to start flight school and youtube algorithum has been pulling a truman show on me i feel. Most videos that pop up are of crashes, people losing their lives etc and even in comment sections my experience has been overwhelmingly saturated with the dangers rather than anything else Its almost turned me off from starting school because of finding little uplifting stories if that makes sense.
Gary Numan, the rock star, has done a bit of flying. He has talked about losing friends too. He had a couple of close calls himself. He talks about it in his autobiography.
That’s interesting. I was flying in the UK in the early 2000s. There was around 1 fatality a month back then. Unsure what it is now. The birth of my kids in 2006 did make me question my hobby. Haven’t flown since. There’s a tug between recognition of danger and the love of flying. I want to get back to it before I die (terrible pun).
Noel, have you noticed in your videos that when you show that GoPro on the bottom of the left wing the cowling that connects to the the bottom of the wing (left main gear) seems loose? Might be an optical illusion due to vibration. Right where it meets the bottom of the wing. Anyway love these keep them coming!
It's an aerodynamic fairing that covers the attachment point where the main landing gear strut connects to the wing to reduce drag around this area. They are made of a soft rubber and are flexible, so you what you are seeing in that shot is the rubber moving around (deforming) due to the air molecules acting upon it. It's actually normal and secured in place as intended, even though it looks a bit odd.
@@skyhawk_4526 I kind of figured that was the case. But I noticed rivets on top figured they might be for a purpose (like attaching to the bottom of the wing.) thanks for the reply.
Take a look at your fairing at 2:05, it is moving all over the place. Probably just sat there quietly during pre-flight so you would not notice. Those airplane parts are sneaky!
and yet fewer fatals than previous years. Wasn't it the best GA record of all time? So wondering about your rough assessment... is it only that you knew those fatals?
Nice one Noel Yes unfortunate about the deaths of the pilots, Yea so I can imagine you must always have that feeling in your head while you are flying. Do you ever take your wife or kids with you when you fly privately? Looking forward to next video. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
When my dad used to fly gliders he used to have a parachute just incase! The good thing about flying your own plane is you don't have to check in and wait hours! If you record all your flights and anything happens at least the accident investigation will know what happened. Those plane with parashutes look a good idea!
Really enjoy your travel channel Noel, as an airline pilot with also more then a decade in general aviation and a few thousand hours can I pass on one piece of advice though (and you can take it or leave it) its great to take videos of your flights, but judging from your previous progression videos you are still a fairly new pilot and low hours, enjoy the flying but I wouldn't be taking videos of yourself talking to the camera, not for another few hundred or even a thousand hours. Flying requires our complete and utter attention, especially in the beginning. It's impossible to do that if you are also trying to talk to a camera. Safes skies mate.
The McSpadden crash shook me up. Still thinking of it because of his resume and no report yet. I’m not the pilot he was. But I’m still flying and trying to be as safe as I can be every flight.
I am not in aviation but am in transport and have driven many people to their planes at FBOs. Over 27 years I have not driven anyone to their accident trip, but have met a small handful who died in plane crashes. I also have colleagues who were waiting for what ended up being accident flights. One, in particular, was waiting for a private jet at Hanscom(BED) and due to fog got rerouted to a much smaller airport with a difficult approach in Fitchburg(FIT). He was there waiting and the plane crashed on approach. Shockingly, a young girl survived. 6 died. We are just doing a job for people we aren't close to, usually. Still, it's sobering. I had 2 clients die on 9/11.
Legit question…have you considered the added danger factor for placing a recording device and making videos for your channel while you pilot? Seems it adds an additional factor in the equation?
Mounts are pretty solid these days. As pilots (I am one), we can prioritize REALLY quick. If the time to not mess with a camera is not there then we don't bother with it. We always put them where if they fall they don't get in the way, but I have seen some low time youtuber pilots trending away from common sense to get the shot and forgetting that they are pilots first.
![Gunna - back in the a [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/oBrbejOHjLw/mqdefault.jpg)
As my Flight Instructor used to say after every flight: "We've successfully made an aeronautical ascension and cheated death yet once again." Goals...
That’s dark
My dad's flight instructor said while flying over a cemetery " see that cemetery down there, you'll end up there if you get it wrong"
Iol which is why I’d rather stay on the ground.
I have lost more than one close friend through aviation. Skilled, seasoned professionals… Flying is fun but so unforgiving of the smallest of errors. I had a catastrophic engine failure two years ago.. wrote off the plane. Grateful to be here still.
simple solution for you part time lovers, hire a flight instructor more often than just for currency training. They are professionals that are always interested in building more time and experience. Also, for long trips and over nights you shouldn't need to provide any more than lodgings and meals.
I know more than one person who have had forced landings and walked away as well. I know one person who has crashed 7 planes, another who has crashed 12. Both are older guys who had careers in higher risk aviation jobs like banner towing and crop dusting, but just like car crashes, most are survivable.
This is why I don't want to teach. I know two CFIs that were killed by their students
Thanks for showing the Columbia memorial. The pilot was a high school friend, William "Willie" McCool. He was on his first NASA mission and was so excited to be doing the thing he loved most.
It also reminds you to live and treat others as it’s the last time you live. It’s makes life exhilarating. From an old soldier that has seen many not wake up
3:10 so true everywhere you go
I flew a White House press charter into there with Pan Am for President George H. W. Bush. I am retired now with 23,000 hours. I have had a perfect record, but with many close calls. I am sometimes amazed that I am still alive. I also believe I have used up all my luck, so I don't fly anymore. I can relate to what you are saying. I have lost count of the number of colleagues I have lost when they were flying small airplanes of all types on their days off. Some dream of retiring and flying their own small plane. Not me...
I guess people could always hire larger aircraft if they are concerned about safety but that would be very very expensive.
There's an old episode of Star Trek: Next Generation where, obviously many years in the future from now, Picard and the crew are looking back at aviation in our current times (I can't remember the context). Picard and the crew note "can you believe those people used to fly around with just a single, primitive combustion engine powering, a basic fan at the front??". It drove home just how must faith we place in these extremely simple, almost redundancy-free machines that take us high into the air.
I certainly know how you feel Noel. I work on the line at my local airport and a friend of mine was going on a flight a couple of weeks ago. I told him to please park the aircraft in a different location when he returned. He unfortunately got into a flat spin and was unable to recover. I was crushed when I heard the news. It’s made me realize to always be kind to people because you never know if you’ll never be able to speak to them again.
Everything we do in life has a risk involved. It’s just part of life that we can’t avoid (unless you wrap yourself up in bubble-wrap and stay home). Although we all appreciate you taking those risks for the viewers benefit, it is pretty obvious that you love flying and would still be doing it even without the RUclips channel. Probably everyone knows someone who has been in a car crash, but we will all continue to drive our wacky speed machines down the highway at 70mph. Ahhh, humans! You have to love their spirit! - I hope you and Rachel and your entire family have the best Christmas ever, and the happiest (and safest) of New Years! ✈
indeed, 35k people per year in car accidents, no one particularly talks about it...
@@PRH123 While I agree with the sentiment of your statement, you should quote correct satistics/numbers. In 2022 in the U.S., there were approximately 42,800 people killed in traffic crashes in 2022 (figures from 2023 are not publicly available yet). Regardless of the numbers, if it's nearly 43k or "only" 35k people dying on our roadways, it's still too many, especially when so many could be avoided if people didn't se their phones or other PEDs while driving.
@@johnshannon9 indeed…. if an approach was taken with vehicular driving licenses similar to the approach taken to an ATP certification, for example, surely 95% of accidents could be eliminated…
@@PRH123 very true statement however there would be 300M people who couldn't drive because they couldn't pass.
Before every flight, say this prayer kids: FFTT, Fuel, Flaps, Trim & Transponder, then cycle your control surfaces. Killer items check list
Just watched a video about TNFlygirl a few days ago. Sad situation. Thanks for sharing Noel. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas
If you follow people on the internet, it's going to make it seem like everyone is dying. I have spent my entire adult life in aviation on a professional level as a mechanic and pilot. I've personally known 2 people who have died in airplane crashes. I also know 2 people who have died from tree branches falling on them one was a friend from the aviation community and the other I knew from riding motorcycles.
You can chose how you live, but you don't always get to choose how you die. It's going to happen to all of us, you might as well do what you love while you can.
Thats why I always say to my friend who is a pilot for Jetstar...at the end of us catching...I'll say to him...."safe passage"
Granted, some tragedies you can't prepare for and no amount of preparation would've made a difference. Too many people will take unnecessary risks which they aren't prepared for. I think those are the stories important to highlight, because there is something you can learn from. Yes, live your life, but don't take unnecessary risks when those risks could've been mitigated, especially when children and a spouse are relying on you.
@scottmattern482 well said
The good news is that you can greatly reduce the risks involved by making good decisions. You just need to look at the root causes of GA accidents to realise that a very high percentage were totally avoidable. Any pilot that decides to push their own limitations or the limitations of their equipment has to accept the higher risk.
Amen
Indeed, the same causes repeat year after year. One can largely reduce many of the risks just by not doing certain things.
For myself, I believe that there is nothing trivial about doing this. It takes humility, dedication, and both confidence in and self-awareness of my own capacity for skill deterioration over time in the absence of systematic recurrent training and diligent maintenance of my recency of experience in all phases of flying.
For me, this constitutes a mindset to the point of being a lifestyle.
I offer this as my own perspective after completing two aviation university degrees, working for several years as a CFII, and after several thousand hours of commercial flying in light aircraft, principally in backcountry Alaska and on the glaciers of Denali; during which, I bent nothing.
I flew with a great Captain at my airline on a 4 day trip. Super friendly, great pilot, just a wonderful person. At the end of the trip I said, “Can’t wait to fly with you again!” He replied, “Looking forward to it.” A few days later I saw a company wide email that stated, “We just lost one of our pilots…” It was the Captain I just flew with. He was killed in an auto accident on his way home from the trip we just flew together on.
That experience really changed my life. Pilots I’ve never met but fly with now, will talk about this Captain. He is really missed all around.
Like you said, it’s a small community of pilots out there and we know quite a lot of them.
I am not a pilot but I think you brought up a good point of never get complacent and never stop learning. Being a expert is only temporary without that bit of advice.
Noel you reminded me of a college friend who passed away from a multi-engine uncontrolled spin into a crash. May God rest his soul. Prayers for the safety of our Airmen.
I worked as a traffic reporter in Dallas for ~25 years. I was airborne in a 182 (passenger only) for a few of those years. During my time at Metro Traffic, we had two helicopters crash. Fortunately there were no serious injuries in either crash, but I know one of those crashes was particularly nasty. It made me think long and hard about continuing to fly, and I did move back into the studio. Especially with the recent crash of WPVI's Chopper 6 in Philadelphia, I'm glad I did.
Agree w ith you on the Chopper 6 crash. I follow and talk to several LA area traffic reporters, and they took that one hard, too.
I briefly worked for Metro in Tucson. Flew around in a 172. Once had a young pilot who didn't properly do her walk around/checks and ran out of fuel. Landed on a golf course fairway. The plane was loaded on the back of a flatbed then taken back to the airport and flew the a couple days later. The pilot went back to school. I still have the picture from the newspaper of the plane sitting on the course and the pilot on the phone with her head in her hand. She eventually became a CFI a few years later. I bet she focused hard on checklists and walk arounds!
Hello former MTC reporter. I was in Atlanta back in the 90's!
This is a long post, because your video touched on a lot of pertinent issues.
TL;DR - A lot of GA accidents are preventable. The few that aren't are probably not worth worrying about, because at that point you might as well stop driving, spending time outdoors or doing any other activity besides locking yourself in an underground bunker. Go out and enjoy life, but learn from other people's mistakes, because you won't live long enough to repeat them yourself. If you want to be a safer pilot, don't fly by yourself. Fly with another pilot, or even a passenger with good aviation knowledge that is wiling to learn and help.
General Aviation gives you such a sense of freedom, it is hard to describe sometimes.
Being able to pull off a 600 mile round trip in one day and still having the energy to meet friends for dinner and tell them all about it. Visiting places you'd probably ignore otherwise, since it's not worth getting a hotel there and spending two days on the road just for 2-3 hours of actual time at the place you're visiting.
There is a sad problem with GA, though - a large proportion of the people that can afford it come from professions and environments where they're not willing to be told NO. They are the ones that tell others what to do and not do. A lot of them don't make the transition to flying (and the go /no-go decision making process) well. That's how planes get a bad rap. The V-tail doctor killer. Yes, the Bonanza is a fast plane that requires flying by the numbers, and it will bite you if you don't take it seriously. It will also crash in bad weather just like any other plane that shouldn't be there. But all those doctors had to be somewhere, they had a fast plane, they worked hard for it and nobody was going to tell them today isn't a good day to fly. A lot of people in a position of autority end up having an anti-authority attitude.
These days Cirriuses (Ciri?) get a similar bad rap, and probably for a similar reason. At their price tag, not a lot of them end up being flown by humble people. And they do have some low speed flying characteristics that can bite you if you're not on top of your game. Even a good pilot can have a bad day and let his guard down if he doesn't fly often enough. You can't own a high performance plane (or a twin) and only fly 20-30 hours a year. That is a recipe for disaster on the day when you end up with a real emergency. If you're going to fly that amount of hours, maybe you should be playing it safe and fly a 172.
There is post on Reddit, titled "Wait, so there's a 10% chance I'll be dead by the time I hit 10,000 hours flying GA?" The original poster deleted his account, but the replies are still there. One reply, by "nerdinabird", does a great breakdown of causes of death in GA. You can go read his reply there (paste r/flying/comments/165dyfh/comment/jygiujn/ after the website name if you can't find it), but here's the TL;DR:
Hold My Beer: 29% Stupid: 33% Swiss Cheese: 17% Fate is the Hunter: 10%. There's some extra in there to make it up to 100% (suicides). The thing is, if you take this even a bit seriously (we'll touch on that in a bit) you can easily mitigate at least 65% of the risk.
The 17% Swiss Cheese is where things get serious. This involves experience and/or good judgement. A lot of that comes (unfortunately) from someone else's bad judgement. Read as much as you can about all GA mishaps. Try to learn from them. Speculate, if you have to (just don't be DG, trash-talking every single accident on youtube, even if you don't have a clue). Try to put yourself in that position, with that set of variables, and see what you would have done differently.
Some pilots, sadly, don't belong in the air. TNflygirl, for example. Any of her posted flight videos should've been enough to trigger a 709 checkride by the Friendly Aviation Administration. My sincere condoleances for the family, but she should've been firmly grounded a loong time ago. The Cherokee 180 she had before the Debonair? She wrecked it trying to turn and exit the runway too fast. Skidded into a ditch, collapsed the nose gear and trashed everything firewall-forward. Then she got into something 5 times less forgiving.
One of the pilots I know is quite the accomplished individual. Flown a lot of stuff, used to fly aerobatics at OSH. He told me he refuses rides offered to him by almost all pilots. He needs to know you're a good pilot before he'll trust you with his life. That brings us to McSpadden's crash. He was a passenger in that plane. The owner was flying (most likely) with McSpadden planning to take the controls only during the photoshoot formation flying. That plane had just had an engine overhaul not too long ago (that's what I recall). I am surprised he even agreed to be on that flight, I would've waited until that engine had a few more hours on it. And we don't know how the other guy handled the engine failure. Most likely McSpadden recognized the fact that he was the owner and PIC and never intervened.
The Texan crash at OSH was weird. I recall she had low hours in the T6, but looking at the ADS-B track it looks like a "Watch This" that went wrong. Or the plane had a structural failure.
RUclips (and the "Look at me, see how good my life is!" mindset that some of the youtubers have) isn't helping. Everyone wants to feed "the algorithm", and that seems to happen by stiring up the pot. Put controversial stuff up there and have people fight in the comments. A lot of them act like they have tons of experience, until you find out (after the crash) how inexperienced they were.
Case in point: Tango and Juliet. Fatal crash at night, after lading at some remote strip in the middle of nowhere. The tachometer had failed, they landed to make sure there was no major damage and oil loss in the engine (good call there), then decided to depart, at night (dark, no city lights and such), with an inop tach (and technically an unairworthy plane) to their destination. Come to find out, he was not night current, and had a total of 10.1 hours of night time. (N2506N if you want to look up the report)
A lot of the people you know are (sadly) not good pilots. They're lucky pilots. Most of them have not practiced slow flight, stalls, or other things that can get you in trouble, since the day of their checkride. Simulated engine out landings are not a thing. Nor are any other in-flight emergency drills. Those skills are extremely perishable. I'd say you need to practice them every three months or so in order to maintain them. How many people do that?
Even as a VFR-only pilot, how many of them get a safety pilot on board and go practice simulated instrument flying after their checkride? That should also be on the recurrent training checklist, and not for 15 minutes every two years when they go for their flight review. Also, we've all had struggles during training, and close calls after. Don't keep them to yourselves. Share those bad experiences. Other people might learn from them and that might save their lives.
And there's always the elephant in the room - cognitive decline. A lot of us are in denial about this, but it is real. Some do better than others, and you can't just have a blanket "you're over 65, you're out" approach. Most people aren't aware of their own decline and wil vehemently deny it if other people mention it. Don't know what the fix would be there, I definitely don't want to turn medical examinations into cognitive screenings.
But I have a workaround. One of the reasons why airlines are so much safer than GA (besides multiple engines with much higher reliability, redundant systems and orders of magnitude better training, all of which we can't really have or afford) is the fact that they fly with two pilots. One might get distracted and let the airspeed drop, but the other one should catch it. Flying by yourself is not that much fun anyway. Take another pilot with you. Have him be your safety pilot.
On paper, GA is as safe (or unsafe, depending on how you're looking at it) as riding a motorcycle. A lot of those risks are mitigable if you're willing to take it seriously (weather briefs, pre-flight briefs and inspections, don't act stupid). 100 people die every day in car crashes in the US. Yet we don't stop driving. There are other hobbies out there with worse safety records. Almost 2000 people die every day of heard disease. If aviation is your calling, go out and enjoy it. Take it seriously, and remember that the law of gravity can't be repealed. At the end of the day, though, aviation is very safe - nobody ever got stuck up there.
If you've made it to the end, congratulations! You probably have what it takes to be a safe pilot.
The main reason I gave up flying is that I could not afford to fly enough to maintain proficiency at the level I wanted. I felt the risk was too great. I had also met Richard McSpadden and was quite saddened by the accident that took his life. It can happen to anyone, no matter how experienced or proficient...
That is the main reason why I became a professional flyer. I worked full time on my jobs and full time in college but became a professional flyer with a wife who insisted I go into the job market before finishing college. As a CFII I gained plenty of experience that paid off later flying in west Michigan weather as a freight pilot there was still plenty of experience gained. Best advice for fair weather flyers is stay local and fly when the weather allows you to practice and travel safely in daylight only! Be safe and restrict yourself on top of the Federal Regulations
Same for me. I had my final check flight canceled twice (19 years ago) to weather but also had run out of money for flying at the same time. I decided I would give it up. Loved going through the training and can say I flew solo but I feared being a once a month wasn't the safest way to be a pilot.
Retired AA Captain. Sad, but when it’s your time it matters not where you are. Keep enjoying what you love. Be vigilant. God Bless.
Very cheerful, Noel,2 days before Christmas, happy holidays.
Merry Christmas, Noel. Thank you for bringing the incredible aviation world closer to us via RUclips. Hugs from Texas.
Back in the 90's I was a Traffic Reporter in Atlanta. My pilots would always ask me if I wanted to take the controls. Well, DUH! It was the most fun I ever had. Almost 200 hours of flight time (both C172 & PA28) and 13, successful, take off and landings. And the entire time, the company I worked for as a reporter was paying the flight time for me (I didn't tell them I was flying). My pilots told me all I needed to do was the ground school and I'd have my license in no time. Unfortunately, I was doing this job to raise money for a down payment for a house as I was also getting married. Never did go to ground school, but my love of flying is still in my heart.
I'm a qualified PPL with IMC and night rating. I've held my licence for 30 years when reaching 2024. This year I've realised I like flying, but the "like" doesn't outweigh the risk I feel. I need to love it unconditionally to continue and I don't, hence I've hung up my wings. The love just isn't there anymore.
Did you hang up your wings and hand in your license due to the dangers of flying an aircraft?
@@F50Aircraft you don't hand it in, you just stop using it and not renew your medical. 30 years is a long time. I've known a number of old people who prefer to give up flying on their terms and not suddenly when the doctor declares them unfit to fly
@tyjohnson7428 yep fair enough too.
If I wrote down the names of all those friends and acquaintances whom I have lost in airplane crashes during the span of almost 54 years of flying and then spent only ten seconds thinking about each of them in turn consecutively, it would take me just over three minutes of reminiscing to cover the lot of them. The first was lost in a C-172 on a foggy Virginia mountainside in 1970; the last two were in a Falcon 20 into the trees just shy of the runway near Thomson, Georgia in October of 2021. In between there were aerobatic pilots, freighter pilots, commuter airline pilots, major airline pilots, private jet pilots, private Cessna and Piper pilots, ag pilots, and even a couple of military pilots. They all had one thing in particular in common: Before takeoff, none of them ever dreamed that their last flights would be their final ones. Most died suddenly without warning; however, a few were allotted enough time to realize that they were about to die; and then they did. Two of the crashes were caused by events beyond human control - seemingly, perfectly air worthy airplanes came apart in the air due to faulty designs or maintenance procedures; the rest of the guys and gals killed themselves for various reasons - it doesn't matter anymore what they were. The question now is: "Which ones of us who are left are going to follow them in untimely deaths through naivete, inattention or arrogance?
Im a very new private pilot. I just got my first Bi-annual flight review a couple of days ago. To say that humbled me would be an understatement. It is so easy to get complacent when you fly the same plane and just do the same local route a bunch. Aviation is a hobby that deserves a ton of respect, care, and self awareness. Thank you for reminding all us current and future pilots of this fact.
There is no real irony in being a widely acknowledged aviation safety expert and perishing behind the controls. Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, a KLM flight instructor and 747 pilot was also he who was recorded saying "We are now at takeoff," as he pushed the power levers forward on his 747 in Tenerife, becoming the proximal cause of the accident that represented the greatest loss of life so far in aviation history.
At last count, I have lost 35 friends, colleagues, and loved ones to crashes in planes that they were flying. They range from former students that I simply adored and loved getting to introduce them to a life in the sky, to mentors who formed the ways that I approach my own life in the sky, to a singularly powerful and fabulous woman to whom I was engaged and thought I'd spend the rest of my life with, to arrogant putzes that I could barely stand to be around, to young fathers who will never see their children grow up. I miss them all and wish they were still with us... even the putzes.
Being a pilot is about mastering a role as the human element in a highly dynamic and fault intolerant environment. After flying for nearly half a century (longer than I've been driving) and the equivalent of being continuously airborne for over four and a half months, I have come to the conclusion that dying behind the controls of an aircraft is not in any way "doing what you love." Piloting an aircraft in harmony with the airborne environment is what we love. Crashing is not that.
Say what you like to make yourself feel better as a survivor, but if I die in a crash, know that I was not loving that last part, not one bit at all.
This. No one wants to die doing what they love. Unless it’s quick…knowing you’re going to die…the absolute fear you are able to process…no one wants to die doing what they love.
@@JM1701ABCD I've comforted myself by acknowledging that the utterly brilliant aviators that I've had the honor and pleasure to have known did not, in fact, die doing what they loved. They loved flying and they died crashing. The two are not independent, but they are distinct.
@@JM1701ABCDit's splitting semantic hairs really... nobody says person x wanted to die doing what they loved... they say person x was doing something they loved, when something happened, and they as a result died...
That's not an assertion that person x enjoyed the dying bit, or was ok with it...
@@PRH123 I held that belief untill about two thousand hours
I lost my best friend to a plane crash. Unfortunately I was one of the first responders that was on scene. I use to fly with him for years. Needless to say it’s made me rethink a lot in life. I was present for his last moments and it nothing I would wish to happen to anyone.
My dad was in aviation medicine in the early 1960s, working for the RAE Farnborough , UK. His best friend flew accidentally VFR into IFR crossing the English Channel and flew into one of the famous white cliffs. My dad never really got over it. They knew that the impossible turn was a killer in 1914 and people still try to do it. You need to fly in conditions where you know you can cope with startling events like an engine failure. Dodgy weather / scud-running stacks the odds against you. Trying to get into a small, poorly lit runway in the dark stacks the odds against you. Being startled into pulling the stick back when the engine fails stacks the odds against you. Stalling an aircraft with a high wing loading when spatially disorientated stacks the odds against you. Running out of fuel stacks the odds against you. Make good decisions and don't get in over your head, because hitting the ground you didn't see, or while spinning wildly, or after an accelerated stall at low altitude - all of those will probably kill you.
I saw a documentary about the British pilots who tried to break the sound barrier in a prop plane. Now we know that that is not possible. I'm not sure of the numbers, but almost all of them died in the attempt except for a couple. They would take their fighter up to a high altitude and dive straight down. What happens is the controls stop working. The only ones who survived just let go of the controls instead of fighting it and allowed the plane to slow against the air resistance enough to pull out of the dive. When asked about what these incredibly brave pilots were doing. One said, "It was our belief in invulnerability that allowed us to press on." (In a wonderful British accent)
Its a small world. 20 years ago a cessna involved in a multi aircraft incident crashed into my neighbours house and my father was first on scene. The pilot was 16 and lost his life. My father died abiut 6 months later and they are burried about 20 meters from eachother at the cemetary. another aviator i was friends with at the time worked with the pilots in the other aircraft and from what i know, it was a huge loss to their whole community. After whitnessing the incident im terrified of aircraft but watching your channels helps somewhat.
Merry Christmas Noel from Melbourne Australia. Thank you for all your incitefull videos throughout the year. 👏👏👏👏🎄🎄🎄
Another good video. I used to work with a company that did North Atlantic (and worldwide) Ferrying and we lost a few over the years. Merry Christmas to you and your family 🙂
I lost my flight instructor in a fatal crash 1 week before my private check ride. To say I was devastated is an understatement. A couple of years later, I managed to get a hold of the NTSB crash report. The report said that the weather was clear and my instructor was flying with a very high blood alcohol level - weird, since she rarely drank. Also in the report, it said that the plane appeared to have been driven into the ground, under control, at a high rate of speed. Witnesses had seen it circle a wide-open field before nosing down and into the ground. The NTSB report mentioned that her medical had recently been revoked. Accident due to a medical emergency, or suicide? We’ll never know.
If you loose your medical aren't you consider grounded immediately? Therefore even on that fateful flight she wasn't licensed
So she was flying even though she had the knowledge that her medical wasn't successful? Something doesn't add up. I thought once a pilot fails their medical they are grounded immediately?
@@F50Aircraft They’re supposed to be grounded. She didn’t tell anyone, and no one asked, so she kept on flying.
@@tyjohnson7428 She clearly should not have been flying. But she didn’t tell anyone, and no one asked, so no one took away the keys.
@@DataPilot370 I've got to ask now. How did that impact your eligibility for a check ride? How many of those hours flown dual with her wouldn't have been eligible to log ?
Lovely video again noel. All the talk of fellow pilots lost on flights brought back a memory of my own when I was a student pilot. A young (24/25) instructor took me up for a lesson and in that hr taught me so many nuances about flying which my main tutor perhaps wouldn't tell me yet. A week later I went in for my lesson and was told he had died in a plane crash in the Channel near Brittany (N France) along with a second pilot but a millionaire passenger who's plane it was had survived in the English Channel. I had serious thoughts about giving up coz at the time I had 2 young children to take care of but I carried on and obtained my PPL year later. So sad. 😢
I love the sound of my main wheels touching down hard or soft coz that means another flight safely concluded.
I watched that T-6 depart OSH the morning of the accident. Also, I lost a great mentor who was a flight instructor with over 2,000 flight hours who lost his life in an SR-22 accident the day before Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for sharing, Noel. We relate to you and feel and understand you.
stay safe Noel. Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, Noel and family!
Yep, @Super_Chief said perfectly. You gotta keep doing what you love. You don't know whats round the corner including your own health. It does happen but you're living life to the fullest and love what you do. Happy Xmas to you and family from England!! PS Flying YT from Gamston now!! Cheers Noel
So apt for the season, life is fragile and we just need to take care of each other while we are here. Merry Christmas Noel. And of course, every burger must be enjoyed.
Thanks Noel and Merry Christmas 🎄 to you and Yours 🥂🥂
Having been in a major car accident less than a year ago, it gave me perspective.. you never know when your time is up and you really do have to live life to it's fullest.. Im so happy that you get to do what you love to do for a living. Someday I wish I will be able to work for a passion rather than a paycheck but happy for you. Thanks for all the videos
Oh, I forgot to mention: I bought a T-shirt at Oshkosh many years ago, which read “If God meant man to fly, he would’ve given him more money.” …an important consideration.
Not to make it a contest, but I think this happens way more in the car enthusiast world. Now there’s definitely more people so it doesn’t always hit the same, but almost every year there’s a ton of people that I went to car meets with and lose them. It’s scary. Enjoy your hobbies responsibly!
A superb, heartfelt video. A blessed and Merry Christmas to you and yours... See you in the friendly Texas skies. Gig ‘em, Aggies!
Everything has a risk, I know of one poor pilot crashed his car on the way to the airport to go flying, ironic. Keep positive, professional and keep gaining that experience, it will keep you safe. Great video Noel.
This is the best video I have seen all year about the various general aviation accidents that have happened. I watch a lot of videos about this. I seriously contemplate taking courses that would include Flight Training on Aviation from the college I teach at.
Some of them take a very educational approach to things others act as if you are in total control of what happens at all times. Whether for driving, flying, riding a bike, or sleeping in bed all we can do is try to control as many of the variables as we can. There are always variables we don't control and sometimes stuff just happens doesn't matter how good you are how experienced you are how prepared you are it just happens.
Life is like falling through clouds towards mountains some of us fall longer, live longer. Some of us hit a peak and our fall though time is cut short. It's random and it's just the way it works.
In short someone could be flying along the Unlucky enough to get hit by a meteorite while airborne and there would be internet commentators would talk like they could have somehow prevented it if they had a few more hours or did a few more checklist.
I'm just beginning to make my LAPL licence this year, after having flown countless hours at the simulator for 3 decades. The thing you are describing, comes to mind again and again from time to time. But the more I know about accidents - especially in the GA world, the more confinent I get that it's mainly up to myself, weather I'm doing wrong or right. I've watched nearly all of Hans-Peter Zimmermann's crash debrief videos, who has focussed on accidents in general aviation (German language). The vast majority of them have been caused by underestimating the weather, bad flight planning in mountains, bad flight preparation, often combined with overestimating the own skills. I've hardly heard about anyone who died for mechanical reasons or mid-air collisions. And that helps me anyhow to know I will be the major factor myself for my own safety, and not so much any casual things.
On the other hand, I've flown with exactly 5 GA pilots so far, and at 3 of them I felt at least a uncomfortable, at 2 even really scared! That is a pretty bad ratio, isn't it? The reasons for that started at "Oh, I'm not really sure how to start the plane anymore...", several stall warnings immediatly after takeoff, no runup check before take off with cold engine, flying with 2 broken temperature sensors, flying in marginal weather conditions and beeing proud to have the transponder off, no outside check for flying at the airfields's open day (lot of people went around the airplane before), and finally an instructor (yes, and INSTRUCTOR), who told me that "we are too high when we see 4 red PAPI lights". Now, spread these things to only 3 flights, and there we go.
I've chosen my flying club mainly because my instructor there is among the 2 other GA pilots where I felt absolutely safe (NOT the one mentioned above) as a pilot and as an instructor.
If I'm looking at car accidents around here, I knew someone personally that has died in a car accident, and only at our small village, there have been 15-20 deaths in car traffic over the past 30 years - some even in the middle of the village. And that is certainly one of the parts of the world, where car traffic is concidered relatively safe (Germany). Do I still drive a car? Yes, and I have to. Do I feel unsafe doing so? No. Did anything ever happen to me in the 22 years of my driving licence? Not at all. I know, there is still a risk every day, but beeing aware of that is hopefully the best insurance for any further safe trips. I haven't got numbers to compare with aviation, but I hope I can be safe there, too.
Stay safe up there! Lufkin my home town! Love watching your videos
You know something Noel,they safe aviation is not unsafe but inherently unforgiving of mistakes.
There will be others so try not to dwell in it too much & continue learning.
The more you learn, the more you practice the better you will become.
Yes it is very sad everytime you hear of accidents but you can always learn from them.
I remember being told when I was learning "better safe on the ground than unsafe in the air".
This makes me very cautious about weighing up whether or not I fly (Swiss cheese model!).
You can never rule out everything, but I like to think I can change the odds a little.
Great video!
I totally agree. I got my PPL last year but havent flown much since then. I will start again this summer but with instructor only, even tho i could i dont feel safe if i would had to fly solo currently.
Brother, you hit the nail on the head....I think about it every time I go up.
So awesome. Thanks for sharing
I had to sub when I heard you flew into my hometown of Bryan/College Station, and what I hope will be my home airport if I can ever get a medical certificate out of the FAA. Until then, I’ll keep watching these videos and learning as much as I can, but especially learning about what can go wrong sometimes, and try to keep those scenarios in the back of my mind with hopes that I never get into those situations and, if I do, perhaps I may have learned something, that might help me get out of it.
It must be very difficult on your emotions when you know people who have died in crashes. There was a very well known former Vietnam helicopter pilot who flew a copter for a TV station traffic for ever & everyone knew him & loved him in St Louis Mo. He also had his copter for hire. After retiring he built his own copter & was flying one day, & crashed & died. The entire city was stunned & mourned his death. He was interviewed on Radio & Tv stations many times & he was a funny guy. I think understanding flight controllers & their directions is confusing! Nice flight on this video! Merry Christmas Noel, Rach & family. Have a good one!
Alan was a great man 🙏
At 1:34 there is a very flappy wheel fairing thingy, and happy xmas !
I've noticed that a few times myself....
It's made of pretty soft rubber, so it normally moves in the airflow like that. It might look odd, but it's normal and nothing to worry about.
@@skyhawk_4526 ah! thanks for the info 🙂
I follow your travel channel and just discovered this one. Had no idea you were a pilot and I follow a lot of piloting channels. The RUclips algorithm let me down.
Anyway, your episode was another sobering reminder that while GA is a wonderful experience, it’s terribly unforgiving. Every week Juan Brown and Dan Gryder review the latest accidents. Unfortunately, most are pilot error so you are smart Noel to keep adding proficiency to your skills. Look forward to following this channel and your quest for the $100 hamburger!😂
I'm watching your video listening to your stories and all of a sudden hear you talk to Easterwood Tower and next thing I see is my apartment down there lol! Didn't see that coming haha!
It truly is a small community. Best way to honor them is to learn from their accidents. Air speed is key.
I remember Dan Gryder saying that. "Airspeed is key" . Most definitely.
Totally agree. I'm a processional pilot looking to buy my first GA plane next year. The mishap rate scares me. I'm no fool and know that it could happen to me even if I fly my plane like an airliner (which is how I plan to fly).
Thanks for sharing this thoughtful and important video. I'm also in that danger zone with around 100 hours, and I'm trying to stay very cognizant of that as I go about flying.
As a rusty pilot I worry about all that. Being up on emergency procedures in your plane and getting some instruction with good CFI's is a must. the SR20 and 22 have focused programs around them, so you are in a good place.
I am moving out of a Sierra that few knew how to instruct in to a v tail that there is a lot of focus training.
As someone starting their piloting life, it doesn’t hit as close to home as I’m not yet that into the aviation scene, this video will always be in the back of my mind thank you very much for reminding me of how quickly things can go unexpected
The biggest thing is to keep learning. Knowledge and practice are your best friends and the best security. I recommend going to CPL whether you want to fly for money or not.
I spent ten years jumping out of perfectly good aircraft and at the same time flying gliders,I used to jump from a Cessna 206 single-engine so allways wary Until we climbed the first 1000 feet after I knew I Could exit safely if a problem with Engine most planes that we jump from are twin-engined lifts far safer lifts than single-engined jobs and when I was gliding Allways wore a parachute carried out preflight checks twice especially Air brakes and flaps and when flying often practiced spin recovery and Stall recovery especially if flying an unfamiliar glider and I allways had a plan to exit the Glider if caught in a mid-air collision while climbing in thermals a common problem, Winch lifts were fast and furious so you really have to be on the ball for the first 350 feet, especially after rotation, With flying gliders we have only one chance to take off and land so constantly train for incidents that leave us exposed,I think all Pilots should learn to glide first before flying Powered Aircraft
Keep on flying!
An old colleague of mine had a relative who was cabin crew on the Kegworth 737. They survived and once recovered went on a long flight to the Far East.
Hopefully your schedule will soon allow you to film some more aviation adventures for us!
Gotta wonder about that loose undercarriage leg fairing rattling in the breeze from 2:04 in...?
Stay safe my friend! You would be missed by so many! Also noticed the screws didn't look too tight on the landing gear supports! I am the opposite of an expert tho.
It's just a non structural fairing, but everything on an airplane is ridiculously expensive to replace. Good eye.
@kingofcastlechaos good to know, thanks! I kept thinking each landing was going to get worse and worse till the whole thing fell off. Yes i bet it's expensive!
I will admit that fear of death does hinder my ability to enjoy aviation a good bit. It is for this reason that I am hoping to limit my time in GA only to flight training. Uncontrolled airports, inconsistent weather reporting, rusty skills, and most of all cost put me off of it. Having said that, I’m making the most out of training and I’d happily put my life on the line in a military/airline aviation job.
One thing I see in this video and is also a problem with modern pilots is being distracted by gadgets. I know things like I-Pads have become common place but also have mid air collisions. Only have your head in the cockpit for instrument flying and for using a checklist. Other aircraft can appear quickly and from nowhere particularly in or near controlled airspace.
Two of the most common causes of light aircraft accidents are lack of proper flight planning and gethomeitus, the must land now brigade. There is nothing wrong with going around or going to another destination, in fact it is smart flying. Noel is also right when he mentions complacency, believe me you will never know it all, every flight is different, if you have time repeat the check list items and use the list not your memory.
I had a 38 year professional career and flew for 43 years altogether, first in the Air Force and then airlines retiring as a captain which then was aged 60. People often ask me how long I had been flying, my reply, since Pontius was a pilot !!!
A poor pilot will be surprised when something goes wrong, the professional will be surprised when all goes well. Keep safe and good flying everyone.
When I was in the middle of my ppl I lost my CFI to a plane accident... really hit close to home, made me re think everything. But I've gotten back into it and it's gotten better with time.
It's funny how you never mentioned what Dan Gryder is doing with AQP. Dan is confronting the complacency that kills.
Blessings and love to all those who have passed. You will be fine always Noel, the light is shining on you and it’s bright. You are protected. Much love..
I've been watching your main channel for a few years and had no idea you were a pilot. Blew my mind lmao
Right?!
A good friend of mine was a skilled, experienced pilot and extremely meticulous about maintenance of his Mooney aircraft. We were all terribly shocked at losing him to a plane crash on one of his routine trips. It was adverse weather that took him down.
We lost a real amazing guy at a local airshow. Vietnam pilot and then a bush pilot in Alaska for decades. He "retired" to do airshows very late in life but died doing what he loved. So bittersweet.
In 1978, I had my first solo flight in a PA-28. It was 2 hours before the DMV opened in Illinois, so I was able to fly a plane by myself before getting a driver's license.
You're right. I am based in the Pittsburgh area. While I was talking to Roanoke approach, a friend was coming across my path and his passenger was my old instructor. Suddenly I hear "Is that you, Howard?" I didn't reply because I know my voice is distinctive (so was his) and it was an approach frequency. He was flying from eastern NC to Pittsburgh. I was flying from Danville VA to the DC area. Both of us were flying animal rescues that day. So it is definitely a small community.
I started flight simming a while back and found that this can be very joyful and rewarding. It has gotten very realistic and the risk factor minimal.
It's good to see you flying the plane. I've only seen you as a passenger until today. I flew for thirty years in light planes with about 2700 hours. I have 21 friends that were killed in small planes in 20 separate accidents. I quit flying in 2010 because of all the accidents. It was a lot of fun and I understand why you fly. Be careful my friend!
the number of GA accidents continue to decline as it has over the past decade.
noel I used to work at biggin Hill airshows and was working the weekend in 2001 when we had 2 fatal crashes with the loss of 3 souls, something I'll never forget
Very true…. As a senior I decided not to take my grandkids up. I am torn, but my love for them outweighs wanting to share aviation. You think much more about safety the older one gets…
Hire a CFI for an hour and fly as PIC with them in the right seat and kids in back. Much safer.
I fly commercially in northern Canada. A few veteran guys used to tell me when I was right seat that back in the 70s you could have a buddy and then the next thing you hear he passed due to a crash. Wasn’t easy but they said once upon a time it was “more part of it” they all confirmed they were glad safety is now widely better and more practiced. Nice video Noel, cheers.
I'm glad you said this Noel. I've only been in aviation 5 years but already know three people who sadly didn't come back down again safely. All were the highest quality airmen, two of whom of them professionals and the other had nearly a lifetime of GA, highly respected in the community. I don't think the risks of small GA aircraft are widely known. I have always thought that the requirement to fly at night with a single engine aeroplane is a little unnecessary to get your licence. I wish they would remove the requirement. Fly safe.
Im about to start flight school and youtube algorithum has been pulling a truman show on me i feel. Most videos that pop up are of crashes, people losing their lives etc and even in comment sections my experience has been overwhelmingly saturated with the dangers rather than anything else
Its almost turned me off from starting school because of finding little uplifting stories if that makes sense.
Gary Numan, the rock star, has done a bit of flying. He has talked about losing friends too. He had a couple of close calls himself. He talks about it in his autobiography.
That’s interesting. I was flying in the UK in the early 2000s. There was around 1 fatality a month back then. Unsure what it is now. The birth of my kids in 2006 did make me question my hobby. Haven’t flown since. There’s a tug between recognition of danger and the love of flying. I want to get back to it before I die (terrible pun).
Noel, have you noticed in your videos that when you show that GoPro on the bottom of the left wing the cowling that connects to the the bottom of the wing (left main gear) seems loose? Might be an optical illusion due to vibration. Right where it meets the bottom of the wing. Anyway love these keep them coming!
It's an aerodynamic fairing that covers the attachment point where the main landing gear strut connects to the wing to reduce drag around this area. They are made of a soft rubber and are flexible, so you what you are seeing in that shot is the rubber moving around (deforming) due to the air molecules acting upon it. It's actually normal and secured in place as intended, even though it looks a bit odd.
@@skyhawk_4526 I kind of figured that was the case. But I noticed rivets on top figured they might be for a purpose (like attaching to the bottom of the wing.) thanks for the reply.
Noticed that and that wheel wobble on landing was scary
Take a look at your fairing at 2:05, it is moving all over the place. Probably just sat there quietly during pre-flight so you would not notice. Those airplane parts are sneaky!
Good eye!
I agree that 2023 was a rough year for General Aviation. I was also at Oshkosh last year and it was rough to hear about the two accidents.
and yet fewer fatals than previous years. Wasn't it the best GA record of all time? So wondering about your rough assessment... is it only that you knew those fatals?
I’ve been watching you for about a year or two and I didn’t know that you were a pilot!
Nice one Noel
Yes unfortunate about the deaths of the pilots, Yea so I can imagine you must always have that feeling in your head while you are flying. Do you ever take your wife or kids with you when you fly privately?
Looking forward to next video. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
When my dad used to fly gliders he used to have a parachute just incase! The good thing about flying your own plane is you don't have to check in and wait hours! If you record all your flights and anything happens at least the accident investigation will know what happened. Those plane with parashutes look a good idea!
Really enjoy your travel channel Noel, as an airline pilot with also more then a decade in general aviation and a few thousand hours can I pass on one piece of advice though (and you can take it or leave it) its great to take videos of your flights, but judging from your previous progression videos you are still a fairly new pilot and low hours, enjoy the flying but I wouldn't be taking videos of yourself talking to the camera, not for another few hundred or even a thousand hours. Flying requires our complete and utter attention, especially in the beginning. It's impossible to do that if you are also trying to talk to a camera. Safes skies mate.
The McSpadden crash shook me up. Still thinking of it because of his resume and no report yet. I’m not the pilot he was. But I’m still flying and trying to be as safe as I can be every flight.
Life is a blessing.
I am not in aviation but am in transport and have driven many people to their planes at FBOs. Over 27 years I have not driven anyone to their accident trip, but have met a small handful who died in plane crashes. I also have colleagues who were waiting for what ended up being accident flights. One, in particular, was waiting for a private jet at Hanscom(BED) and due to fog got rerouted to a much smaller airport with a difficult approach in Fitchburg(FIT). He was there waiting and the plane crashed on approach. Shockingly, a young girl survived. 6 died. We are just doing a job for people we aren't close to, usually. Still, it's sobering. I had 2 clients die on 9/11.
Legit question…have you considered the added danger factor for placing a recording device and making videos for your channel while you pilot? Seems it adds an additional factor in the equation?
Mounts are pretty solid these days. As pilots (I am one), we can prioritize REALLY quick. If the time to not mess with a camera is not there then we don't bother with it. We always put them where if they fall they don't get in the way, but I have seen some low time youtuber pilots trending away from common sense to get the shot and forgetting that they are pilots first.
Come up to the Nebraska Sandhills some time!!! Most beautiful secrete in the US!! (Even Jack Nicholus said - he designed a golf course there)