Cancelled flight

[eman1200]

Yesterday I was going to take a flight, about 60ish nm, got in the plane, even gas'd her up but I knew I wasn't 100% focused. I ended up cancelling the flight. I was up a little late doing an upgrade for work, not a big deal really, and for the first time ever Garmin Pilot was constantly crashing on me, I think the last map download was interrupted and it just wouldn't work. I just felt like I didn't bring my A game, and even though it was a beautiful day, I cancelled the flight. Taxi'd her back from the runup area, that's how close I was before I made the decision.

I'm a little bummed, but figured I'd post this so other new or low-timers understand, there's always another day to fly.

Aight, happy Sunday y'all!

 

[TB752]

A good tale for all. Great stuff 10/10 for judgement.

 

[geneseib]

Yesterday I was going to take a flight, about 60ish nm, got in the plane, even gas'd her up but I knew I wasn't 100% focused. I ended up cancelling the flight. I was up a little late doing an upgrade for work, not a big deal really, and for the first time ever Garmin Pilot was constantly crashing on me, I think the last map download was interrupted and it just wouldn't work. I just felt like I didn't bring my A game, and even though it was a beautiful day, I cancelled the flight. Taxi'd her back from the runup area, that's how close I was before I made the decision.

I'm a little bummed, but figured I'd post this so other new or low-timers understand, there's always another day to fly.

Aight, happy Sunday y'all!

No disrespect on your decision, but I don't understand. Though I've flown 3300+ fantastic hours over the last 38 years, I don't even know what a "Garmin Pilot" is. Seems the focus these days is on toys rather than flying. The culture of flying certainly has changed.

 

[DFH65]

Had a similar experience a couple weeks ago set up a flight with an instructor for late afternoon at the time I felt great a couple hours later I just started feeling a little off an hour or so later called and canceled as I just wasn't 100%. Turned out to be a good idea by about an hour after I was supposed to have the lesson I was throwing up with a 24 hour bug.

 

[eman1200]

No disrespect on your decision, but I don't understand. Though I've flown 3300+ fantastic hours over the last 38 years, I don't even know what a "Garmin Pilot" is. Seems the focus these days is on toys rather than flying. The culture of flying certainly has changed.

wrong. the focus was on flying safe rather than just flying. pretty straight forward.

 

[murphey]

No disrespect on your decision, but I don't understand. Though I've flown 3300+ fantastic hours over the last 38 years, I don't even know what a "Garmin Pilot" is. Seems the focus these days is on toys rather than flying. The culture of flying certainly has changed.

Garmin Pilot is one of the first aviation handhelds produced by Garmin. No longer in production but the database can be updated. No way to repair it, because the company that made some of the internals went out of business years ago.

As for relying on toys, for those of us out west, with all the airspaces, any GPS is less about reliance for navigation as handy for staying out of trouble.

My kudos also for a wise decision based on personal choice and limitations.

 

[ebykowsky]

Good call. A decision that late in the game can be a tough one to make. If you're really not feeling it, no sense in pushing the envelope and wasting good avgas!

 

[radioguy01]

I think he meant the Garmin Pilot app for tablets.

 

[LDJones]

Yesterday I was going to take a flight, about 60ish nm, got in the plane, even gas'd her up but I knew I wasn't 100% focused. I ended up cancelling the flight. I was up a little late doing an upgrade for work, not a big deal really, and for the first time ever Garmin Pilot was constantly crashing on me, I think the last map download was interrupted and it just wouldn't work. I just felt like I didn't bring my A game, and even though it was a beautiful day, I cancelled the flight. Taxi'd her back from the runup area, that's how close I was before I made the decision.

I'm a little bummed, but figured I'd post this so other new or low-timers understand, there's always another day to fly.

Aight, happy Sunday y'all!

GP has been having some issues with the last chart update.

 

[LDJones]

No disrespect on your decision, but I don't understand. Though I've flown 3300+ fantastic hours over the last 38 years, I don't even know what a "Garmin Pilot" is. Seems the focus these days is on toys rather than flying. The culture of flying certainly has changed.

I think he was highlighting just one of multiple factors that caused him to reconsider flying at that time.

 

[KA550]

No disrespect on your decision, but I don't understand. Though I've flown 3300+ fantastic hours over the last 38 years, I don't even know what a "Garmin Pilot" is. Seems the focus these days is on toys rather than flying. The culture of flying certainly has changed.

You forgot the next step of seeking confirmation/validation of a routine decision on the internet. The culture has certainly changed for the worse.

 

[Mike I]

I think he was highlighting just one of multiple factors that caused him to reconsider flying at that time.

Agreed. I don't see it as any different than if you accidentally dumped a load of coffee on a sectional, rendering it partly unreadable...or one of your charts for the nearby area was swept away by the wind. A tool you were expecting to have available to you, isn't. No need to blame the pilot for an over-reliance on technology.

 

[Bill Watson]

A bigger challenge would be making the same decision, for the same reasons, when a passenger or two is involved.

 

[MAKG1]

Agreed. I don't see it as any different than if you accidentally dumped a load of coffee on a sectional, rendering it partly unreadable...or one of your charts for the nearby area was swept away by the wind. A tool you were expecting to have available to you, isn't. No need to blame the pilot for an over-reliance on technology.

Yes, but if Garmin Pilot is critical for safe flight, there are multiple poor decisions that were made much earlier.

Sorry to the OP, but you POSITIVELY must be able to have a safe flight without Garmin Pilot. Pick up a paper sectional and be on your way. Garmin Pilot is a poorly designed, slow, unreliable and misleading POS.

As for needing a toy to stay out of airspace, BS. I fly with a GPS maybe 20% of the time and I've never busted airspace. Yes, even out West. And Garmin Pilot has tried to cause busts while I was PIC at least twice. It didn't succeed.

 

[Lindberg]

You forgot the next step of seeking confirmation/validation of a routine decision on the internet. The culture has certainly changed for the worse.

Some days I wonder why some people use the Internet at all. The man did not come here for validation, to talk about how critical Garmin Pilot is or isn't for flight, or anything else of the sort:

I just felt like I didn't bring my A game, and even though it was a beautiful day, I cancelled the flight. . . . I'm a little bummed, but figured I'd post this so other new or low-timers understand, there's always another day to fly.

Getthereitis has killed plenty of pilots who knew they didn't need GPS to fly. And whether you agree with the ultimate decision or not, ADM that leads to scrubbing a pleasure flight is never wrong.

 

[Mike I]

Yes, but if Garmin Pilot is critical for safe flight, there are multiple poor decisions that were made much earlier.

Sorry to the OP, but you POSITIVELY must be able to have a safe flight without Garmin Pilot. Pick up a paper sectional and be on your way. Garmin Pilot is a poorly designed, slow, unreliable and misleading POS.

As for needing a toy to stay out of airspace, BS. I fly with a GPS maybe 20% of the time and I've never busted airspace. Yes, even out West. And Garmin Pilot has tried to cause busts while I was PIC at least twice. It didn't succeed.

I think we're arguing different things here. Are you saying that an EFB can never be used in lieu of a sectional? Ignoring the navigation aspect here, and who cares what EFB app is used...what difference does it matter whether your sectional is paper or digital? If you were counting on that information being available to you, and it no longer is, what's wrong with scrubbing the flight before leaving the ground?

I'm not advocating that people blindly follow the magenta line. It's perfectly possible to use Garmin Pilot/WingX/ForeFlight, disable the GPS side of it (or turn off Own Ship) and practice pilotage or radio navigation.

I've got no shame in saying I haven't purchased a printed sectional in a few years, and I doubt I'm alone there.

 

[MAKG1]

A tablet -- which is not the same as an EFB -- should never ever ever EVER be a no-go item. Have a reasonably thought out backup and use it.

In the case at hand, buying or borrowing a paper sectional should have been a trivial way to get in the air.

 

[tehmightypirate]

A tablet -- which is not the same as an EFB -- should never ever ever EVER be a no-go item. Have a reasonably thought out backup and use it.

In the case at hand, buying or borrowing a paper sectional should have been a trivial way to get in the air.

Sure, but whats wrong in saying I'm not focused AND this tool I usually use isn't working. Together on a non-critical flight that's a perfect reason to postpone.

Plus, just because you can doesn't mean you should. I can fly from point A to B via dead reckoning but if I hadn't done it in a while why would I risk something going wrong when I didn't need to?

That said, yes, an EFB or GPS is not the kind of thing you should rely on to the detriment of other skills.

 

[TommyG]

In all honesty, for a 60 mile trip, a GPS shouldn't even be a factor.

 

[jordane93]

In all honesty, for a 60 mile trip, a GPS shouldn't even be a factor.

I completely agree. But he is PIC, if he didn't feel comfortable then he is the final authority on whether or not to conduct the flight. If he;s not comfortable without a GPS then that's his choice

 

[MachFly]

Assuming that you normally fly with Garmin Pilot, I can see why you canceled this flight and in that case it was the correct decision.
For future references, I recommend you go up and train without a GPS or any modern avionics. Just a sectional, watch, and a mag compass/DG. If you lose the GPS in-flight, you don't want to be completely screwed.

 

[acrophile]

I would never criticize a pilot's no-go decision, and I respect the decision made in this instance and thank the OP for posting about it.

However, if we're talking about lessons for novice pilots, I do think it should be pointed out that while it's vital to err on the side of caution, it is nonetheless possible to be excessively cautious.

For a 60nm flight in clear weather, a GPS backup should not be important if your navigation skills are as they should be.

As for feeling less than optimally focused, that's harder to address. Certainly, you shouldn't fly if you feel especially fatigued, ill, or distracted. But no pilot is at their best all the time, and being slightly below optimal should not require you not to fly, if your overall piloting skills are as they should be.

Still, it's possible that your skills are *not* as sharp as they should be, in which case you should not hesitate to abort and be proud of your decision. (And in this instance, of course, the pilot may have felt more than just slightly below optimal, even if their usual skill level is more than sufficient.)

 

[eman1200]

I can't argue with (most) of the points made about GPS, even the one's with doooshbag tones. however that's not what this thread is about at all. frame of mind. not 100% ready for the flight. for w h a t e v e r reason. cancelled. that is all.
early on while I was training, my cfi and me were in the plane, ready to do our runup, when we noticed pretty gusty winds roll in that were not in the forecast. we waited a few minutes, the gusts remained steady and strong, getting stronger. we cancelled the flight, while sitting in the plane. that's what this thread is about.

 

[Timmer]

I can't argue with (most) of the points made about GPS, even the one's with doooshbag tones. however that's not what this thread is about at all. frame of mind. not 100% ready for the flight.

Yup. My dad always had a three-strikes rule, too. Basically if you did three stupid things the day of a flight, cancel the flight. Like, banging your head on the car door, losing your keys, driving a mile with the emergency brake on.

Some days, you're just 'off,' and those aren't good days to be in the air.

 

[Lindberg]

I must have a reading comprehension problem. I just can't see where the OP said, or even suggested, that he wasn't perfectly capable of making the flight without the GPS.

 

[frfly172]

Only the PIC knows if he feels comfortable with a flight. If the moods not right why fight it.

 

[Concorde]

I must have a reading comprehension problem. I just can't see where the OP said, or even suggested, that he wasn't perfectly capable of making the flight without the GPS.

Welcome to new POA .

 

[marcoseddi]

Totally agree with this Ive done this as well a few times! if you don't feel it fuk it

 

[Cykoguy]

Good choice.

Don't know what the hate for the GPS and Garmin Pilot and GPS is (granted I am new here). I feel confident in my ability to fly by chart by I would much rather use the time I would to flight plan that way on other things. I used Garmin Pilot on a 600 mile round flights yesterday and it worked beautifully.

 

[Cpt_Kirk]

No disrespect on your decision, but I don't understand. Though I've flown 3300+ fantastic hours over the last 38 years, I don't even know what a "Garmin Pilot" is. Seems the focus these days is on toys rather than flying. The culture of flying certainly has changed.

Id agree to this. There is such a large gap between farm boys who became great pilots and most of the people today.

Quite frankly, I don't like pilots but I love flying.

Yup. My dad always had a three-strikes rule, too. Basically if you did three stupid things the day of a flight, cancel the flight. Like, banging your head on the car door, losing your keys, driving a mile with the emergency brake on.

Some days, you're just 'off,' and those aren't good days to be in the air.

I go by the three strike rule everyday. After three strikes, that's it.

 

[JasonM]

You wasted a good day?? WTH is wrong with you!! j/k.. Good call brother. I have canceled flights as well for just not feeling like I could be 100% focused etc. But I will tell you this. I had an awesome flight today.

 

[Datadriver]

Yesterday I was going to take a flight, about 60ish nm, got in the plane, even gas'd her up but I knew I wasn't 100% focused. I ended up cancelling the flight. I was up a little late doing an upgrade for work, not a big deal really, and for the first time ever Garmin Pilot was constantly crashing on me, I think the last map download was interrupted and it just wouldn't work. I just felt like I didn't bring my A game, and even though it was a beautiful day, I cancelled the flight. Taxi'd her back from the runup area, that's how close I was before I made the decision.

I'm a little bummed, but figured I'd post this so other new or low-timers understand, there's always another day to fly.

Aight, happy Sunday y'all!

Never a wrong decision to cancel a flight when stuff aint right

 

[Shepherd]

Bottom line:
If you can't bring your "A" game, for ANY reason, stay home.