hear what you think you hear - see what you think you see

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Oh am I embarrassed.

Not only did I screw up in the pattern at a big local fly-in, but I cut off a friend on final doing so. Duh.

So - to get it off my mind, here we go.

I had a pilot friend right seat - I am instrument rated and have over 900 hours, about 400 in my current airplane. Flown into Oshkosh enough I know how this is supposed to go when things get busy.

We entered left downwind at a peak arrival time to a busy fly-in, the radio was a constant chatter - made all my calls. Thought I heard the traffic on final call "short final" as I was approaching the 45 degree point to turn base and thought "I can turn now - there's a break in the traffic."

Neither my co-pilot nor I saw anyone on final.

We turn base and as we are half way to final, a Cessna 150 goes by in front, on short final - safe distance but we never saw him. I turn final behind the Cessna and in the left turn I glanced right - there were 4 more aircraft on final, and I cut in. Oh crap.

We were by no means dangerously close to anyone, but we both knew better - heard what we thought we heard ("short final") and saw what we though we saw (no airplanes).

No metal was bent in this tale, but I felt like an idiot, as I did a fine impression of one.

Apologized profusely to my friend after we got parked, but all day I have felt like the proverbial fool.

* sigh *

Hardest part is forgiving myself.
 
Local Fly ins....I drive.

I have published my ultradefensive approach to such situations, but it's definitely NOT in the AIM and if everyone did it the whole airport would break down.

It's kind of like a sentinel event. Makes one wake up to Foghorn Leghorn, and "ah say, ah say ah say pay ATTENTION, son...."

How do you think I developed my Circle above (in Charlie) and loiter, listening/looking uncontrolled airport approach?
 
Given how much nonsense I've observed at some fly-ins, I doubt it was all your fault. Yes, it's your responsibility to be observant but some make it so dang difficult when they want to do these long, long straight-ins; often on top of being NORDO.
 
I think all of us have done somehthing similar if we are being honest and have been flying for a while and really appreciate the sharing, as (1) makes one give a close scrutiny of one;s self and (2) makes one realize that we are not alone in these kinds of goofs.

As a young submarine office I had a skipper who gave me some advice about coming to periscope depth at night, which is a pretty scary and very dangerous manouver--as history has shown, occasionally submarines get "peacetime tonnage" by coming up underneath a surface ship.

He said, "You will never see a ship at night (that's going to hit you) unless you believe it is there."

Prety obvious but to make the point explicity he meant that unless you have a mndset that there is a ship out there, you will have "mental blinders" and not see it when as runs you down, because your brain will process it out.

I find remembering that helps me with lots of routine things like pre-flight.
 
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