Lost student mistakenly lands at Indianapolis Intl!

Adam, having flown to KWWD a bunch of times, I can understand your haze-related challenges. First time I flew there, over the bay, with a CFI, I understood the JFK Jr. accident. Very scary. Now, haze over the Delaware Bay, vs a major airport in the middle of the country -- that I don't understand.

Reminds me of the pilot I met who had to set down at Brandywine on his way back from a short XC, home to WIngs. He was lost and didn't know how to get back to Wings. This, in a dual GNS430-equipped Archer, with an Interstate highway pointing almost directly at the destination. He was proud that he had the common sense to set down at a mysterious aerodrome, soon to find that it was Brandywine, to get directions.

Even worse -- he called his CFI to fly down and guide him back. All 15miles or so away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
flyersfan31 said:
Adam, having flown to KWWD a bunch of times, I can understand your haze-related challenges. First time I flew there, over the bay, with a CFI, I understood the JFK Jr. accident.
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You mean you know who killed him? I heard it was because he had an affair with Princess Diana and when the Royals took her out they took him out to avoid any controversy. Or maybe Lifetime Network was on the TV last night when I fell asleep.
 
None of my solos were to airports that I had been to before however, my instructor briefed me prior to two of them about potential hazards. My first was to Space Coast Regional in Titusville. He told me to be careful as to which coastline I followed. When the coast appeared to "fork", bare to the right. My long xc was from CRG>TLH>VLD>CRG. He warned me about the AF base north of Valdosta. We studied them in the Flight Guide so I could tell them apart.
 
smigaldi said:
You mean you know who killed him? I heard it was because he had an affair with Princess Diana and when the Royals took her out they took him out to avoid any controversy. Or maybe Lifetime Network was on the TV last night when I fell asleep.
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Well, the thing is, you can only see the grassy knoll clearly if you're flying in a haze. It's amazing how crowded it was when I saw it: Judge Crater, Amelia Earhart, a half-dozen hanging chads, Dick Cheney, the Yeti, and Sasquatch, among others, all trying to take me out! It was all I could do to fly straight and level! No wonder Henri Paul lost control of his car!
 
EdFred said:
I have to say some of the comments are pretty dang funny.

Top two so far:

The plane had its left turn signal on for an hour prior to landing.
It was the only flight to arrive on time that day.
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That's what I thought too :rofl:
Brick Tamland wrote:
Mistook Indy for Lafayette? You don't see cows being accosted in Indy.
​
 
smigaldi said:
It was probably his first solo XC not his first solo. But still, that is a pretty big mistake. I have flown to both airports and they are not all that close nor do they look alike.
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Not that close??? They're over 50nm apart, fer chrissakes!!! :mad: This is completely inexcusable.

1) Student landed without clearance.
2) IND looks nothing like LAF (airports)
3) IND looks nothing like LAF (cities... No massive football dome in LAF!)
4) IND looks nothing like LAF (highways - one major one vs. a whole crapload of interstates intersecting right near the airport)
5) Student should have had flight following, or at the very least asked for help, even on 121.5, when the tower didn't answer ('cuz they were 50 miles away)

I know people do silly things when stressed, but maybe we need to make it abundantly clear that after the first couple of bad decisions the student needs to make a 180 and go home. Nothing to calm them down like familiarity.
 
RogerT said:
It said he was 69 yrs old. That's just too old to be flying. Old people
should stay in the rocking chair.
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Lets try to avoid the ageism being demonstrated in the comments section of that article, shall we?
 
RogerT said:
It said he was 69 yrs old. That's just too old to be flying. Old people
should stay in the rocking chair.
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Greebo said:
Lets try to avoid the ageism being demonstrated in the comments section of that article, shall we?
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RotaryWingBob said:
That's asinine.
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I took RogerT's comment as sarcasm... maybe he forgot the winkie?

It's probally just his CRS kicking in agian because he's OLD... From RogerT's profile: Date of Birth August 9th, 1948. That puts him in the rocking chair anyday now...;)
 
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RogerT said:
It said he was 69 yrs old. That's just too old to be flying. Old people
should stay in the rocking chair.
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I hope you're kidding. Otherwise, that statement demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about aviation and or the aging process. I'm betting Evelyn can fly you under the table.:)


http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/inst_reports2.cfm?article=4484
"Evelyn Bryan Johnson is a most amazing person (see "Fifty Years in the Right Seat," September 1999 AOPA Flight Training). She is the highest-time pilot alive in the world today, with more than 57,000 carefully logged hours. (The only pilot who ever had more flying time than Evelyn was my old friend and one-time fellow employee, the late Ed Long, himself a CFI enshrined in the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.) Evelyn has more flying time than any other woman who ever lived, and is today, at age 92, the oldest active flight instructor in the world."
 
Some of these "youngsters" should be so lucky to live as long.;)
Ron
 
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Bill M. said:
I hope you're kidding. Otherwise, that statement demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about aviation and or the aging process. I'm betting Evelyn can fly you under the table.:)


http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/inst_reports2.cfm?article=4484
"Evelyn Bryan Johnson is a most amazing person (see "Fifty Years in the Right Seat," September 1999 AOPA Flight Training). She is the highest-time pilot alive in the world today, with more than 57,000 carefully logged hours. (The only pilot who ever had more flying time than Evelyn was my old friend and one-time fellow employee, the late Ed Long, himself a CFI enshrined in the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.) Evelyn has more flying time than any other woman who ever lived, and is today, at age 92, the oldest active flight instructor in the world."
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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1545986
 
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