Have you ever tried turns around a tiedown or earth towing?

[asicer]

Inspired by Tom-D's thread, I figured I'd start with something most pilots wouldn't be too ashamed to admit.

 

[jordane93]

Almost. Got the engine fired up then realized I still had the left wing tied down.

 

[mscard88]

I neglected to untie the tail on a C310 on a parking pad that sloped downward towards the tail so that I had to use a bit of power to taxi off it. Flew a trip and later that evening the boss walked in with some parts that I pulled off. Very embarrassing.

 

[flyingron]

I've never tried to move tied down, but I have driven over chocks.

 

[James331]

Well I forgot a chock when I was a lower time PPL, first time at a big FBO, chocked every tire they could find, didn't notice they also chocked my tailwheel lol.

 

[MassPilot]

Haven't done the turns around a tie down thing but did something even dumber. I started renting at a new airport, and the tie downs for this flight school were on a gentle slope. I couldn't even tell that the ramp wasn't level by looking at it, but the CFI warned me. You would park the plane facing upwards on the slope with a steep hill and a ditch right behind you. They provided something to wedge behind the nose wheel to prevent the plane from rolling back. My first time renting solo after doing a checkout I taxied into the spot, shutdown, pushed my seat all the way back, and then pulled my phone out to call my wife and let her know I landed. As I was on the phone, the plane started rolling back. I dropped the phone and grabbed the instrument panel to yank myself forward enough to reach the pedals and hit the breaks. I probably rolled back about 7 or 8 feet. Another 3 or 4 feet and I would have rolled into the ditch. This was a nice G1000 C172.

 

[charheep]

With or without the parachute out?

Put in a "not yet" category and I will vote.

 

[Matthew]

My checkride almost started that way.

The ramp had a very slight incline and once in a while the plane would roll on its own if it was either untied or not chocked. This particular FBO only chocked because the trainers were used so often it saved a lot of time. My pre-flight procedure was to leave the front wheel chock in place until I climbed inside. Sometimes the jostling of getting in was enough start it rolling, so I had to be quick to get my feet on the brakes.

I preflighted, my DPE and I talked a little about the whats and hows, then we boarded. I started reviewing the checklist, and realized I had forgotten the chock. I was in a Warrior and my head just dropped. Dang, failed already. So I explained the situation and the DPE climbed out, dealt with it, said, "No problem, don't sweat it", and away we went.

 

[asicer]

With or without the parachute out?

Put in a "not yet" category and I will vote.

Well, it won't let me edit an existing response so you'll just have to mentally add the " not yet anyway“ to the "no" vote yourself.

 

[Palmpilot]

I did it at San Jose International once. Had to call Ground to cancel my taxi clearance.

 

[Zeldman]

I'll admit to leaving a seatbelt hanging out one time.....

At 1000 agl I thought I was on the receiving end of small arms fire.

 

[MAKG1]

I *almost* did turns around a tiedown once. Low time (100 hour) pilot, and the fuel truck guy gesticulated. That guy was worth his weight in gold....

I did start up one other time more recently with one chock installed, but I did not try to move the airplane.

 

[Stewartb]

I've done it on floats when one float was hung up but never by my own doing. I've seen a float plane try to taxi out dragging a concrete block tail tie-down behind him. I'm sure he figured it out quickly.

 

[mscard88]

On a slightly different boo boo, one night the F-15s were night flying. The arresting cable is always up when they're flying. F-15 lands, begins to roll out, and stops. Night time so we thought he was just slowing. Pilot calls tower, "uh, tower, think I engaged the cable". Poor guy, didn't know his tailhook was down I guess. I wanted so badly to say, "why, hard to taxi?".

 

[RudyP]

Haven't done the turns around a tie down thing but did something even dumber. I started renting at a new airport, and the tie downs for this flight school were on a gentle slope. I couldn't even tell that the ramp wasn't level by looking at it, but the CFI warned me. You would park the plane facing upwards on the slope with a steep hill and a ditch right behind you. They provided something to wedge behind the nose wheel to prevent the plane from rolling back. My first time renting solo after doing a checkout I taxied into the spot, shutdown, pushed my seat all the way back, and then pulled my phone out to call my wife and let her know I landed. As I was on the phone, the plane started rolling back. I dropped the phone and grabbed the instrument panel to yank myself forward enough to reach the pedals and hit the breaks. I probably rolled back about 7 or 8 feet. Another 3 or 4 feet and I would have rolled into the ditch. This was a nice G1000 C172.

That could have been costly in something with a free catering nose wheel like a Cirrus. The front gear is not designed to go past 90 degrees but it will if the plane rolls backwards far enough.

 

[RudyP]

I've never tried to move tied down, but I have driven over chocks.

Same. Well I guess I didn't go all the way over - I noticed that I was needing a lot more power than normal and figured it out. Embarrassing to have to shut down, climb out, pull chocks and start up again in front of line guys but I'm sure they've probably seen it all.

 

[Acrodustertoo]

No but then again i don't fly a cirrus

 

[JustinD]

Never have fortunately! I have almost gone with the chocks still on, however I always last minute look at the mains and have fortunately caught it everytime

 

[jsstevens]

I'll admit to leaving a seatbelt hanging out one time.....

At 1000 agl I thought I was on the receiving end of small arms fire.

I did that on a night training flight. at about 400AGL on climb out my instructor said "My airplane. Open your door and get it in." So I did.

 

[arnoha]

Never done the turn, but voted yes. I've forgotten the tail tie-down on once, but never a wing. I've also driven over a chock, once accidentally and once because I was just too lazy to shut down and climb back out and remove the short chock when I realized I'd forgotten it.

 

[AggieMike88]

Almost.... and on my private pilot check ride none the less. Aircraft was a DA20 and the examiner's timing to ask a distracting question during the pre-flight was well executed.

"Mike, before we get in," (I was one leg already into the cockpit) "you do remember that one of the maneuvers we have to do in the air is 'turn around a point'?"

"Ummmm....yes?"

"Then do you think it's a good idea to start your flight with a turn around the tiedown?"​

 

[ElPaso Pilot]

Ha. Your post made me remember these!

How about forgetting to untie a Cherokee from the concrete block tie down, power dragging it to the runway, taking off, and dropping it in a tennis court full of school kids?

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/block-fell-hundreds-feet-sky-1506403

Or repeating the same in a Sundowner but with a concrete filled tire and having the tower notify you?? This one was able to make it back to the airport and land with said concrete filled tire still attached.

https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/beech-c23-sundowner-g-basn-26-december-2005

Think those felt "a little funny" during takeoff??

 

[FastEddieB]

Never have fortunately! I have almost gone with the chocks still on, however I always last minute look at the mains and have fortunately caught it everytime

Best insurance is to always - and I mean ALWAYS - take the time to do a final 360° walkaround after your normal preflight and right before climbing in. That's when you'll have one final chance to catch that tiedown rope, chock, gas cap, phone on wing, whatever. You should never feel so rushed that there's not time for that - if you are, then you need to slow down regardless.

 

[JOhnH]

During IFR training the instructor wanted to wait on the ramp for a few minutes because one of his other students was getting into his plane with the examiner for his check ride. Eventually, they started to taxi, but didn't go anywhere even though the engine was screaming. A few seconds later, he shut the engine down, got out and removed the chocks. Then they took off. I never heard if he passed his checkride.

 

[cgrab]

I said no but it is more accurately "not yet"

 

[Palmpilot]

Best insurance is to always - and I mean ALWAYS - take the time to do a final 360° walkaround after your normal preflight and right before climbing in. That's when you'll have one final chance to catch that tiedown rope, chock, gas cap, phone on wing, whatever. You should never feel so rushed that there's not time for that - if you are, then you need to slow down regardless.

Reminds me of something that I learned in my high school calculus class. I was making a lot of errors on the written quizzes, because there was so much to get through in a limited amount of time. The teacher knew that I knew the material, because of the verbal presentations he had us doing at the blackboard, so he told me, "When you don't have much time, you have to TAKE your time, because you don't have time to go back and correct your mistakes." It made all the difference.

 

[N53KL]

Yes, I forgot the tail tie-down not long ago in front of the airport bums. I took a bow before I got back in the airplane .

......There are those of us who have, and those of us who will.....

Kevin

 

[Busflyer]

Worked line at the airport when I was in high school. One of the other guys was going flying in the rental Cherokee so I walked up from behind the airplane once he was buckled in. Crawled up under the fuselage and then the wing and quietly tied him back down on that side.

Great fun.

 

[Palmpilot]

......There are those of is who have, and those of us who will.....

That saying is usually applied to gear-up landings, for which it has always struck me as sounding too much like resignation, which is one of the FAA-designated hazardous attitudes. I prefer "There are those who have, and those who might."

 

[iflyvfr]

Ha. Your post made me remember these!

How about forgetting to untie a Cherokee from the concrete block tie down, power dragging it to the runway, taking off, and dropping it in a tennis court full of school kids?

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/block-fell-hundreds-feet-sky-1506403

Or repeating the same in a Sundowner but with a concrete filled tire and having the tower notify you?? This one was able to make it back to the airport and land with said concrete filled tire still attached.
https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/beech-c23-sundowner-g-basn-26-december-2005
Think those felt "a little funny" during takeoff??

Wow...I would think that the weight so far aft would cause a tremendous pitch up - stall - crash like that 747 a few years ago. How heavy would that concrete and concrete filled tire be?

 

[iflyvfr]

Best insurance is to always - and I mean ALWAYS - take the time to do a final 360° walkaround after your normal preflight and right before climbing in. That's when you'll have one final chance to catch that tiedown rope, chock, gas cap, phone on wing, whatever. You should never feel so rushed that there's not time for that - if you are, then you need to slow down regardless.

Guilty as charged: I have left my gas cap off. A 172 with a full fuel tank will lose about 5 -6 gallons before it stops venting overboard. Good to know but an expensive lesson to do that final walk around. I also NEVER leave my tow bar attached when not in use. It's either being used or off the plane, no exceptions.

 

[Ryan F.]

I saw a guy do that in a Beech 18H. They had to cut the tie-down rope off with a knife, it was so tight. Heh.

 

[RotorDude]

Best insurance is to always - and I mean ALWAYS - take the time to do a final 360° walkaround after your normal preflight and right before climbing in. That's when you'll have one final chance to catch that tiedown rope, chock, gas cap, phone on wing, whatever. You should never feel so rushed that there's not time for that - if you are, then you need to slow down regardless.

+1000.
I always do that. I call it my final or insurance walkaround. Unlike your normal walkaround, which is often interrupted and distracted by various events (like discovering a needed quart of oil, a loose screw, or meeting someone), the final walkaround is quick and uninterrupted, allowing you to verify that the plane is really ready to fly. This is where you catch the dumb things like a chock or tiedown rope, an open door, some subtle obstruction to your initial taxi out, etc.
An investment of a few extra seconds with a huge bang for the buck -- even if you discover nothing (true 99% of the time), you'll feel more comfortable starting the engine, and when that 1% does happen, it will pay back all those extra seconds with big dividends.

 

[Explorin]

I don't know about your checklist, but mine says remove tie downs/or chocks three times.

All though not printed, if some one interrupts me during a pre flight, I kindly ask them to please wait until im done. If I am needed to resolve thier issue and I have to leave the aircraft, when I come back I start from the beginning.

I do enjoy giving my passenger the pre flight checklist to read to me as I check each item and i briefly explain what I'm checking for.

But I separate a plane into quarters, and after each quarter I go over the checklist and double check each item. If I'm unsure, I re check.

Checklist, checklist checklist.

If something goes wrong, I go to the something is wrong checklist and I re check my previous checks. Then I double check.

 

[AKBill]

Never a tie down but a chalk at a FDO in Sitka, out for the $100 piece of pie..

The fellow whose tie down next to mine was a member of CAP. It was a rainy, windy day low ceiling and I was checking my cabin cover and tie downs. Sam runs up checks oil and fuel unties left tie down rope jumps in starts his 172 and tried to taxi out. Plane made about a 120 degree turn right wing still tied down. He jumped out untied the right wing and taxied off.

Found out later a 182 had departed for Gustavis, AK and about 6 miles out turned back to return to Juneau. The 182 impacted the side of a hill on Douglas Island, no survivors...Very sad..

 

[MAKG1]

Never a tie down but a chalk at a FDO in Sitka, out for the $100 piece of pie..

The fellow whose tie down next to mine was a member of CAP. It was a rainy, windy day low ceiling and I was checking my cabin cover and tie downs. Sam runs up checks oil and fuel unties left tie down rope jumps in starts his 172 and tried to taxi out. Plane made about a 120 degree turn right wing still tied down. He jumped out untied the right wing and taxied off.

Found out later a 182 had departed for Gustavis, AK and about 6 miles out turned back to return to Juneau. The 182 impacted the side of a hill on Douglas Island, no survivors...Very sad..

It's sad, but an emergency preflight needs to be quick, but not rushed. A second crash would only make it worse.

 

[SkyHog]

I remember one time, having left the chocks in place on the nose wheel of a C172. I actually started to get out with the engine running thinking "this'll be quick" before I stopped and realized that I was well down the accident chain path of killing myself with the prop.

I shut down, pulled the chocks and then started over with he belting and start up checklist.

 

[AKBill]

It's sad, but an emergency preflight needs to be quick, but not rushed. A second crash would only make it worse.

Agree 100 percent....

 

[evapilotaz]

Left tail tied down attached to an Archer. Tried to taxi but nope ain't going anywhere

 

[Skywalker]

Never forgot to remove a tie down. But I forgot to put the oil cap back after filling oil into the Cessna... Boy, a quarter of oil goes far...