Oooops YouTube of the month...

[3WE]

https://youtu.be/lZPDfZArP_Q

Not sure this dude made bad decisions...yeah, ideally you use pitot heat ahead of time.

Nice reference to the use of familiar robust power and attitude.

[Mr. Snappy]

Is not true

[Not_Karl]

Is not true

... yes, and? Something is missing.

[monchavo]

Is not true

... yes, and? Something is missing.

This guy remained calm and did what he was supposed to do. Brave to publish.

[3WE]

***This guy remained calm and did what he was supposed to do.***

Concur.

[elaw]

No kidding!

At least in the USA, there seems to be a trend toward punishing people for making mistakes, instead of treating them as learning experiences or otherwise opportunities for improvement. And personally I think that's sad.

[3WE]

No kidding!

At least in the USA, there seems to be a trend toward punishing people for making mistakes, instead of treating them as learning experiences or otherwise opportunities for improvement. And personally I think that's sad.

I also wanted to say:

1. I thought he was too hard on himself

BUT

2. It is commendable that he IS hard on himself. He did make a couple hiccups.

One other ironing comment:

The poor SOB was overwhelmed typing cryptic navigation $hit into his FMS...

What’s wrong with our systems that he couldn’t get vectors to the not-particularly-socked-in airport...and simply fly the GD aeroplanie.

That seems more useful than bodies on board and aeroplanie color for the CAP bomber patrol to look for.

[Mr. Snappy]

... yes, and? Something is missing.

Is American propaganda

[tds]

Not sure this dude made bad decisions...yeah, ideally you use pitot heat ahead of time.

Ideally you have an IFR clearance ahead of entering IMC, too...

[Not_Karl]

Is not true

... yes, and? Something is missing.

This guy remained calm and did what he was supposed to do. Brave to publish.

I was Not_referring to the incident but to the omission of a vital part of Comrade Snappy's usual statement:

... yes, and? Something is missing.

Is American propaganda

I feared you were changing your loyalty!

[3WE]

Ideally you have an IFR clearance ahead of entering IMC, too...

Not sure...IDEALLY you would file first BUT I think he was in VMC with a VMC forecast...and seemed to call in immediately when the forecast failed him...

[Gabriel]

Ideally you have an IFR clearance ahead of entering IMC, too...

Not sure...IDEALLY you would file first BUT I think he was in VMC with a VMC forecast...and seemed to call in immediately when the forecast failed him...

He saw it coming in advance. He could, an possibly should, filed IFR before he was IMC.
When you are VFR you are supposed to visually maintain the required separation from everything, including from IMC (there are certain vertical and horizontal separations from clouds, for example).

Also, he had not filed a VFR flight plan either which, although not required, is a good practice especially for a long cross-country flight largely over nowhere and with terrain around.

Also, he was not using flight following, again, not required but a good idea. It would have made the transition to an IFR flight plan much smoother (for example, no need to start guessing comm frequencies).

Overall, I have no big issues about how he managed the situation once he faced it. Even the "gettheritis" can be forgiven, in my opinion, if you are a rated and skillful pilot in IMC flying an IFR capable plane. Yes, sometimes aviate was not his first priority which created some slight upsets (like unintentional turns), but he quickly recognized them and recovered from them correctly instead of falling under spatial disorientation and exacerbating the situation. And he was slightly behind the plane at times, as he himself recognizes. But he managed it well, called ATC, got an IFR clearance, kept the plane under control even after the airspeed and the AP failed at him in the middle of the IMC (and he didn't make what AF447 did when they faced a similar situation) and he even used and mentioned P+P=P (don't tell Evan), and eventually was able to punch all that he needed into the nav system and get where he needed and land safely.

I think he is grading himself harder than he should for how he reacted when he faced the situation.
But I don't like that he didn't plan and execute his flight in a more conservative way to begin with, and the fact that he doesn't even mention that confirms, in my opinion, that he is not good at addressing and managing risk appropriately (even when he is good an dealing with the bad situation when the risk materializes), and that this flight was likely not an exception in that regards (otherwise he would have been aware of the difference with how he usually operates and would have mentioned it). I would grade him low in risk management.

[3WE]

Also, he had not filed a VFR flight plan either which, although not required, is a good practice especially for a long cross-country flight largely over nowhere and with terrain around.

Also, he was not using flight following, again, not required but a good idea.

I would grade him low in risk management.

Disconcur.

This was sight-seeing. I think he wanted to flit around, follow the canyon, circle here, turn there and maybe, FINALLY go direct to the airport...Not_good for a flight plan nor flight following.

One variable we don’t know is his weather briefing...how many aviation typist articles say “the forecast was really wrong”, OR “the forecast was wrong, BUT I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THESE HINTS”. In fact, we don’t know for sure if the forecast here was wrong.

[3WE]

And we must also acknowledge that the stupid cowboy monkey pilot started pulling CBs &

[tds]

It's difficult to say definitively from the video, but unless the clouds suddenly closed in from behind too, it looks like he could have turned around or circled. You could see those clouds coming for a while (as Gabriel noted).

Easier (and legal-er) to look up frequencies and file a flight plan / request a pop-up clearance while you're not also conducting a surprise test of your rusty IMC handflying skills and I'd bet task saturation was a big part of the reason he forgot pitot heat.

(I also wouldn't post video of me doing what he did there, and it's not because I'm not humble...)

[3WE]

I'd bet task saturation was a big part of the reason he forgot pitot heat.

Concur.

(I also wouldn't post video of me doing what he did there, and it's not because I'm not humble...)

Indeed.

In particular, your actions wind up being picked apart by a bunch of weenie, arm-chair, Monday morning aviation safety experts on obscure aviation discussion fora...

Footnote: I am extremely tempted to double post so the guy can get even more advice...

[ocelot]

The part that stuck out to me: he didn't know what the terrain ahead was when he got to a hole in the clouds he could have descended out of.

That seems irresponsible, in the sense that he should have had some idea from reviewing the charts when planning the flight, and also because in unfamiliar territory he should have had the chart out as part of keeping track of his current position. Doesn't seem like the fancy clicky-clicky FMS was serving as an adequate substitute.

(as far as sightseeing, this wasn't the sightseeing flight, this was a crosscountry flight to get to the sightseeing, so not filing a flight plan also seems to me like a blunder)