Don't be this guy...

smv

smv

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smv
Sitting in the airport lounge with a student who just got back from his first solo. He is still higher than a kite with excitment and we are discussing his three trips around the patch.

Suddenly a Cardinal pulls up and in rushes a crotchety old bastard hollaring something about "Where is the bathroom!! I almost didn't make it here!!"

Whatever...

Back to what we were doing. As I was filling out his log for the dual flight we did right before his solo, COB comes stumbling out of the bathroom and with a sneer on his face looks at me and says, "Are you really filling out a logbook? I haven't logged a flight in years! What...? Are you trying to get a bunch of licenses to become an airline pilot or something?"

With as nice a tone as I could manage I quietly explained to COB that I was filling out my student's logbook and besides, a logbook was not just a list of flights taken, it is an autobiographical record of places visited, experiences lived, and trials overcome. (Trying to keep it light and deflect some of COB's acid from getting on my student)

He then (continuing to interrupt the conversation we already had going) started to berate my student for "taking so damn long" to get his license and went on to tell us about how he got his license "only 30 days after taking my first flight".

Please, if you are a COB, keep your crap at your own home drome. I am sure they love you, and your attitude, there.
 
EdFred said:
For future reference, anytime an anecdote like this gets told always, always, always, change the aircraft type to a Cirrus. :D
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Funny you should mention that... When this COB did finally decide to stop stinking up our airport, he went out and fired up the engine with the throttle around 2000 RPM and just let it sit there for about two minutes before pulling back to idle.
 
What airport? I might know the COB
 
aftCG said:
What airport? I might know the COB
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According to him, he came out of South Dakota somewhere (and passed at least one larger airport along the way to his "bathroom emergency" which kinda puts a new spin on his self-confessed "medical issues". Why did he not stop sooner? Was he afraid of encountering some Feds?). I did not really pay enough attention to him by that point nor care enough to remember where he said he left. He was flying a downright beautiful red and white Cardinal RG. He was probably all of about 5'6" and weighd in at maybe two-fitty. The straight blade knife he had strapped to his right hip was pretty distinctive.

Did not think to grab his tail number, I just wanted him gone.

Another thing he talked about was how he was unable to find any airport information in Foreflight so he had no idea what runways were available (and likely did not even use the radio coming in). It is a shame when such beautiful aircraft are operated by jackwagons like that.
 
He needs a pee bag... perhaps a crap bag as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Life is all about the 80/20 rule... 80% of us are well meaning people who are reasonably polite, helpful and want the best for their family and friends. The balance? like the guy mentioned above... and it's everywhere... business, academia, society, and the pilot flying public. Following this rule has been helpful as I realized years ago that I cannot change the world.
 
smv said:
Sitting in the airport lounge with a student who just got back from his first solo. He is still higher than a kite with excitment and we are discussing his three trips around the patch.

Suddenly a Cardinal pulls up and in rushes a crotchety old bastard hollaring something about "Where is the bathroom!! I almost didn't make it here!!"

Whatever...

Back to what we were doing. As I was filling out his log for the dual flight we did right before his solo, COB comes stumbling out of the bathroom and with a sneer on his face looks at me and says, "Are you really filling out a logbook? I haven't logged a flight in years! What...? Are you trying to get a bunch of licenses to become an airline pilot or something?"

With as nice a tone as I could manage I quietly explained to COB that I was filling out my student's logbook and besides, a logbook was not just a list of flights taken, it is an autobiographical record of places visited, experiences lived, and trials overcome. (Trying to keep it light and deflect some of COB's acid from getting on my student)

He then (continuing to interrupt the conversation we already had going) started to berate my student for "taking so damn long" to get his license and went on to tell us about how he got his license "only 30 days after taking my first flight".

Please, if you are a COB, keep your crap at your own home drome. I am sure they love you, and your attitude, there.
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Ha, I wish I had logged all of my time.
 
Some people are just jerks. Good on you for keeping your cool. Hope your student has fun...
 
AKBill said:
Some people are just jerks. Good on you for keeping your cool. Hope your student has fun...
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He is loving it... A pretty good stick (even though we are using a yoke o_O) and he is actually studying his material (unlike some of them... :().
 
smv said:
Did not think to grab his tail number, I just wanted him gone.
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If we knew the time, date and airport we can probably do a search for Cardinals in the area on flightradar24 or flightaware.
 
asicer said:
If we knew the time, date and airport we can probably do a search for Cardinals in the area on flightradar24 or flightaware.
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He is not in there. He did not seem to me to be the type to have one of those Gubmint Trackers in his airplane. Of the five 177RGs currently registered in South Dakota with the FAA, none of them have been in this area nor appear to be based within a COB's bladder range. :D
 
Not only has he not logged any of his flights, he's not gonna pay the gummint $5 every 3 years just so they can add his name to some database where randos on the internet can just look him up....
 
A Cirrus pilot would have said to the COB "Why are you talking to me? Go away!" Problem solved.

Seriously though, no reason to be polite once the guy started berating your student. A simple "We're busy here, take it easy." probably would have worked wonders.
 
Don't tell me what to do.

And stay off my lawn!
 
What about crotchety young guys? I'm not that old yet.
 
PaulS said:
A Cirrus pilot would have said to the COB "Why are you talking to me? Go away!" Problem solved.

Seriously though, no reason to be polite once the guy started berating your student. A simple "We're busy here, take it easy." probably would have worked wonders.
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I just took to ignoring him after that... Later, while I was with another student who was not yet ready for the gusty crosswinds that were developing, he was still hanging around stinking up the place and started in about "What? Too windy for you?"

I really should have jotted down that tail number.
 
smv said:
Sitting in the airport lounge with a student who just got back from his first solo. He is still higher than a kite with excitment and we are discussing his three trips around the patch.

Suddenly a Cardinal pulls up and in rushes a crotchety old bastard hollaring something about "Where is the bathroom!! I almost didn't make it here!!"

Whatever...

Back to what we were doing. As I was filling out his log for the dual flight we did right before his solo, COB comes stumbling out of the bathroom and with a sneer on his face looks at me and says, "Are you really filling out a logbook? I haven't logged a flight in years! What...? Are you trying to get a bunch of licenses to become an airline pilot or something?"

With as nice a tone as I could manage I quietly explained to COB that I was filling out my student's logbook and besides, a logbook was not just a list of flights taken, it is an autobiographical record of places visited, experiences lived, and trials overcome. (Trying to keep it light and deflect some of COB's acid from getting on my student)

He then (continuing to interrupt the conversation we already had going) started to berate my student for "taking so damn long" to get his license and went on to tell us about how he got his license "only 30 days after taking my first flight".

Please, if you are a COB, keep your crap at your own home drome. I am sure they love you, and your attitude, there.
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It’s possible to tell people to STFU without yelling or using vulgarity. I recommend not being so tolerant if it ever happens again.
 
Well, you've ruint it. I'm a crotchety old guy, and I like Cardinals. Now, I can't ever buy one.

I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Mistaken. For. Him...



fly to the scene of the incident, or be recovered at the scene of the tragedy
 
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I think I might have asked him when was the last time he took up passengers. I would have then told him that he flew pax illegally (have to log three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days. I would have already written down his tail number, and informed him that I could easily look up his name, and intended to do so in order to contact the FSDO to inform them that a scofflaw pilot was flying pax illegally. Whether I actually did any of that would depend entirely on how big a pain the six the nimrod decided to be.
 
As a Cardinal owner, I apologize for the species and if I meet this guy I'll not be kind to him.
 
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Lighten up, Francis. He was obviously trying to break the ice with some COB humor.
 
steingar said:
I think I might have asked him when was the last time he took up passengers. I would have then told him that he flew pax illegally (have to log three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days. I would have already written down his tail number, and informed him that I could easily look up his name, and intended to do so in order to contact the FSDO to inform them that a scofflaw pilot was flying pax illegally. Whether I actually did any of that would depend entirely on how big a pain the six the nimrod decided to be.
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I would be surprised if anyone could stand being around him long enough to accept a ride in his airplane. I would not be surprised if it is true that he has not logged a flight in years, including Flight Reviews. After conversing with someone else who was there, I think we figured out what was the tail number... (Without knowing for sure, I am not going to drop the dime, in case we are wrong.) Problem is, FlightAware shows the last flight by that airplane was on 15 June. FlightRadar has nothing for the past seven days...

So either a guy who admits to having ForeFlight but is unable to use it to figure out what runways are at the airport actually figured out how to block his flight activity, or he is flying around in controlled airspace with his transponder turned off.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Lighten up, Francis. He was obviously trying to break the ice with some COB humor.
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If you think belittling someone for filling out a logbook so they can "become an airline pilot or something" or chastising a just-solo'd student because they did not get their license in 30 days is "humor" then we have nothing more to discuss.
 
cgrab said:
As a Cardinal owner, I apologize for the species and if I meet this guy I'll not be kind to him.
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Haha... Rest easy, I am fully aware that all Cardinal flyers are not like that... This guy and his "I am better than anyone else" persona would have been a douchebag in any setting.
 
Sounds like the guy that made several circuits around our airport on a very busy day with student pilots doing landing practice, returning traffic (including me) and some planes doing practice instrument approaches. This was pre-EFB days. He made not a single call, and was cutting off aircraft right and left, causing students to flee the pattern and land, and me to make a go around after a long trip. "Silent Joe" finally landed to get fuel, as did I. When I found him in the FBO, I asked him why he did not use the radio (didn't look like a NORDO plane, and indeed was not) and he said he used it the whole time. Except he was using the wrong CTAF. "I've been flying a long time, and everybody knows to use 122.8," he lectured everyone in the FBO. Except our airport CTAF is 123.0. He didn't have any maps on board, or an AF/D, and said he never carried them. I offered to give him a map so he might know the area CTAFs, and he declined. I guess real pilots don't use maps. And when he left, he did not use CTAF then, either.
 
chemgeek said:
Sounds like the guy that made several circuits around our airport on a very busy day with student pilots doing landing practice, returning traffic (including me) and some planes doing practice instrument approaches. This was pre-EFB days. He made not a single call, and was cutting off aircraft right and left, causing students to flee the pattern and land, and me to make a go around after a long trip. "Silent Joe" finally landed to get fuel, as did I. When I found him in the FBO, I asked him why he did not use the radio (didn't look like a NORDO plane, and indeed was not) and he said he used it the whole time. Except he was using the wrong CTAF. "I've been flying a long time, and everybody knows to use 122.8," he lectured everyone in the FBO. Except our airport CTAF is 123.0. He didn't have any maps on board, or an AF/D, and said he never carried them. I offered to give him a map so he might know the area CTAFs, and he declined. I guess real pilots don't use maps. And when he left, he did not use CTAF then, either.
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I hate to be a snitch on a guy, but in a case like that he may need a visit.
 
smv said:
He is not in there. He did not seem to me to be the type to have one of those Gubmint Trackers in his airplane. Of the five 177RGs currently registered in South Dakota with the FAA, none of them have been in this area nor appear to be based within a COB's bladder range. :D
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Had to be an east river COB, because nobody from west river would act that way ... :D
 
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