Scary situation - ATC and overwhelmed pilot in busy Houston airspace

Come fly with me as I take the Vans RV-7a from Austin to Sugar Land, near Houston. Along the way, we listen in to ATC (air traffic control) trying to communicate with a pilot who appears to be in over his head.

[@cpy]

Told him 4021, but then changed it to 4024

[@cpy]

but yeah, hes a mess. Radios?

[@TaftLove]

Yeah I caught that the second time I listened. Not ideal, but that controller was on the edge by the end I think.

[@dreaming_well]

Sounds like 1P's radios were not receiving well. Would explain most of his lack of responses and the responses he gave. He even asked "ATC can you hear me better now?" - probably tried switching radios.

[@TaftLove]

Yeah that’s a good point. I wondered if that was legit or if it was used as an excuse. But I think you’re probably right.

[@aeromatt]

how does your autopilot do inside of flap speed, flaps in / flaps out? my rv-6 starts to get real mushy below 115 mph or so, and i think doing approaches slower than that makes for uncomfortable flying

[@TaftLove]

I get an audible warning at 100kts (same speed as yours gets mushy) and generally flip it off when I'm not in approach mode. I've found that it chases altitudes, which creates a cycle that gets progressively worse. When it's in approach mode, it tends to do ok below 100kts, but I don't think I've ever kept it on below about 95.

[@Beggaps]

Hey Taft, Have followed your channel for sometime now. Realized you owned a PA 46 previously. Am evaluating purchasing one. Would love to connect and learn more about your ownership experiences. Is there an email address I can reach out to you on?

[@TaftLove]

Yes happy to connect. Here’s one you can use: [e-mail]