Testing 4 CFIs - Facing the biggest cause of accidents in Aviation

[@Jeffrey-Flys]

seriously Chops. this may be the most impactful video you've ever made and worth every moment of your channel to get here. Thanks to Gold Seal and the team for this. #flySafer

[@FlightChops]

Glad you saw the value! We tried really hard to tell this story in an engaging yet tasteful way.

[@Jeffrey-Flys]

FlightChops you nailed it

[@ghhg-je8wv]

Might sound silly, but this is the case with drone pilots as well, and I am gonna refer a few of my friends here to watch.

[@Officer_Boat]

I’m a new pilot, just started flying a couple weeks ago and have 5 hrs. This is an absolutely fantastic lesson. Control and focus is definitely something I will now keep in the forefront of my mind from now on. Thanks for this video.

[@hedegaard8]

Jeffrey Jensen what? Why?

[@197SqnATC]

Thanks to the CFIs for being humble and allowing flight chops to share the experience and lesson with us all!

[@FlightChops]

Yes - big thanks to those guys for being willing to put themselves out there!

[@197SqnATC]

@@FlightChops And thank you of course! I don't start my PPL training till later this year but I've already taken away a lot of important fundamentals from your videos. Plus motivation and entertainment!

[@Coroy2008]

Hell yes

[@carlsonthomas]

Always learning and doing your best to be safe! Thank you to all the CFIs for leading the way to safe flight ... all of you ROCK and are awesome pilots! 😎👍🏻

[@davidf2244]

I think one of the advantages the kid had was that he wasn't confident. He knew he had no experience in such a big plane, so he did everything he could to level the playing field. That's such a great mindset! Mother Nature and Lady Luck are always against you when you're a pilot! Might as well do everything you can to level the playing field!

[@jraybye]

As a 64 yr. old student pilot, I'm so grateful for videos like this. It's so easy to be distracted and overwhelmed - I'll remember this good advice!

[@rsmith155]

First - fly the plane

[@davecrupel2817]

@@rsmith155 and last.

[@johncavanagh1000]

I flew this morning on my 73rd birthday, you've got a lot to look forward to!

[@mandarin1257]

As a 15 year old who wants to get a pilot's license when I am older, same.

[@ejanocrowsnatcher]

Aviate, then navigate, then communicate

[@tjf9948]

I've got a good one for you Chops, my dad and I were flying our newly acquired 172 with me in the left seat and I had fuel start to run out on my shoulder. Some back story, I'm a 23 y/o student pilot, I have been in and around airplanes for as long as I can remember. This is because my dad has been a pilot since before I was born, he's a commercial multi-engine IFR rated pilot along with A&P and IA. So the story, nice and sunny day but quite windy. We fuel the plane and take off, about 7 miles from the airport he and I start to smell fuel. 8 miles out and I find out where its coming from, the blue stain on the lower part of the headliner above the pilots door is a dead give away. Its was very bumpy up in the air that day and all it took was one more good bump and here comes the fuel. I immediately do a 180 for the airport. This is about the time panic set in for me, I'm still flying but all I can think about is "This is really how you become a flaming lawn dart that everyone jokes about." A few moments later I come back to my senses and ask my dad what we should do, he had already killed the strobes on the wings as they were the only thing that had power. We were full power back to the airport, called the tower to let them know I am coming back and had a small problem but am not declaring emergency. These were the longest minutes I think I have ever experienced in my life, 120 mph has never felt slower, every bump causing me to get more fuel on my already soaked t-shirt. We finally get back to the airport, no flaps because we didn't want to use anything electrical in fear of sparking something off, probably my best landing to date even with no flaps. Once we got back to the hanger and shut down there was a huge since of relief, but me still not realizing the gravity of the situation we were just in. It wasn't until the debrief my dad and I had that I really took it in. But the fundamental lesson of flying had stuck with me; aviate, navigate, communicate. Turns out the rubber line that connects the hard lines for the tank vents between the wing and fuselage had become brittle and broke. I ended up wearing about a gallon and a half of fuel on this trip. I think this video is a great lesson to all pilots, young and old, 1 hour or 25,000 hours. Thanks for the reminder Steve!

[@birdwing98]

Fuel leaking into the cockpit is not an emergency??? Small problem? WTF? Why taxi to the hangar? Had you acknowledged the actual emergency, you could have exited the plane much sooner. The firefighters would love to get some practice foaming the runway. If you are concerned about shutting down an airport, you could exit the main runway before exiting the plane. If the tower were alerted of the situation, firefighters could have been waiting at the side of runway to extinguish you if you torched off. Why is everyone in GA so afraid of declaring an emergency??? Will you get bad marks on your "permanent record" for declaring an emergency???

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Yea good lesson, thanks for sharing. In 20/20 hindsight its easy to see that yes, that should have been a declared EP but you obviously handled it well! Theres ALWAYS something to learn/improve from EVERY mission/flight. Keep flying, keep learning.

[@gwencrawford737]

Yeah... Another big lesson... DECLARE THE MAYDAY... These days, firefighters don't just foam runways... at least here in the US... because it's just wasting foam we might actually need to put the aircraft out, if it lights up after making it to the ground. THAT SAID... if everything goes to hell... you want those of us with the nice trucks and funny helmets, ALREADY prepared to enter the runway, and dump foam... you don't want us sitting at the firehouse, completely oblivious to your arrival with a confirmed internal fuel leak. Trust me... we don't mind leaving the firehouse to wait on your landing, only to find you had a safe landing and everything worked out okay. That just means we get to write our report and turn around and go back to the station, no muss, no fuss. What we DO mind... is when someone has a problem, and DOESN'T call us, until everything's gone to hell in a handbasket, and our training and dedication arrives to the party, too late to do any good. ;) Call the mayday EARLY... the earlier you, and WE, get a jump on the problem... the better the chance that everyone can do their bit to ensure the problem ends on a HAPPY note.

[@albertbatfinder5240]

There is always a mental drain of nervous energy in new situations. Flying a DC3 for the first time, with cameras and commentary and the whole sense of occasion, would have added cognitive distraction to the already planned distraction. Thank you to the CFIs for sharing the day with us.

[@toddrader1698]

Not only are distractions while flying dangerous, but during preflight & maintenance as well.

[@airgliderz]

... and driving to the airport m ore occupied about the upcoming flight on and on. Life is full of risk management and distraction management.

[@ze2004]

@@airgliderz top

[@harpoon_bakery162]

Todd --- i think this also illustrates how seriously bad texting and driving and/or texting and flying can be. In this day and age, it's a real problem. But you bring up an excellent point in flying as far as preflight/maint. wow, you hit the nail on the head. I'd like the motto to be: "Prepare to fly safe, then absolutely fly safe"

[@timonsolus]

Especially maintenance.

[@timonsolus]

Harpoon_Bakery : There’s just no excuse for texting while controlling a vehicle today. All smartphones support hands free and voice recognition is pretty good these days.

[@randallreed9048]

Dan is clearly a very special human being. He cares. He has his ego safely tucked away. He is one empathetic instructor. Thank you for sharing!

[@robotslug]

Well said.

[@safeflight9189]

What is impressive about this video is that this failure isn't happening in a 172, or an Arrow, or some other small GA plane. This is a DC-3, a plane that so many of us drool over the chance to command. I guarantee that these CFIs will instruct with a greater appreciation for instruction on Fly The Plane first. Great Topic Flight Chops!!! Thank you.

[@TheMarioMen1]

Safe Flight why would anyone drool over wanting to fly that? It looks like a bus with wings lol I think most people would drool over flying an f-16 or something similar

[@rubenjanssen1672]

@@TheMarioMen1 in an f16 itr is eve more impooortand becaus everything goes quicker

[@safeflight9189]

@TheMarioMen1, great comment--thank you. That is exactly what Donald Douglas set out to make when he designed the DC-3, the allure of the aircraft today is that it was designed for commercial travel, then DRAFTED into World War II where it arguably helped usher the end of the war (75th anniversary of D-Day is June 6, 2019), and then returned to commercial and civilian service after the war. On top of that several hundred planes are still in service around the world as the original airframes where made to last. If you're watching a FlightChops video, then perhaps you understand this simple truth: Aviation is a community, and while everyone has different flight fantasies (which is why I said "so many of us drool over the chance" rather than "everyone"), we all have a common interest. I can say I'd love to fly an F-16 too, but frankly I don't have the ego or balls big enough to think a few hours in an arcade aerial combat game would make the experience enjoyable. Thanks again for the mention.

[@lizzsszzy7800]

@@TheMarioMen1 Perhaps a Cirrus SR22T GTS

[@albertjoseph754]

I just rewatched this video and read the comments. My dream is to fly a B-17. That or an A-10. My dad worked at Hill AFB with the F-16s. To much reliance on perfectly working computer assisted avionics for my preference.

[@jamiecoburn1231]

If watching experienced CFIs make fundamental errors doesn't make a pilot break into a cold sweat.....Wow! We are NEVER done learning! Amazing video Steve! A special thanks to the CFIs sharing their moments!

[@nameless-sn3tj]

Did this to a student just yesterday. Student called three green with the gear in the wells. Really impressive how easy it is.

[@Skyfighter64]

As a mechanic at a flight school, one of the most annoying situations I've had to deal with is recovering an aircraft from a gear up landing... Well, it wasn't exactly a gear up landing, more the student wasn't used to flying a Piper Seneca, with a different cockpit layout from a 152. So when the instructor told him to raise the flaps, which is a handle between the seats on a Seneca, he grabbed the landing gear handle and raised the gear during the landing roll (The landing gear handle is pretty much where a Cessna pilot would reach to raise the flaps in a 152). The worst part about it, is that Seneca had just the day before, completed the "Post-buy" inspection... Good news is that the aircraft is still in service, and we haven't had a gear up landing since.

[@nameless-sn3tj]

@@Skyfighter64 Ouch. And that is the reason that no configuration changes should be made on the roll. I hope that policy resulted from the accident. You have to be really careful messing with the gear. Metal work, prop, and an engine overhaul is expensive!

[@Skyfighter64]

@@nameless-sn3tj We haven't had a landing gear incident of that nature in about a year. Most recent issue we had to recover an aircraft off the Runway for was a basic flat (172M, Right Main). That was on Thursday (4/25/19). Even that has been simplified in this past year for us, in we now have multiple spare wheels ready, so all we have to do is take off the brake caliper backing plate, take out the axle nut cotter pin, put a floorjack under the strut, pull the axle nut, put the spare tire on, screw on the axle nut, and tow the aircraft back to the hangar. It sounds like a bunch of work, but we can recover an aircraft like that in less than 10 minutes from the word "go."

[@michaelcanart]

Some pilots will say yes to anything!

[@feetgoaroundfullflapsC]

@@Skyfighter64 - That CFI is an idiot.. You dont put a dummy c152 student to raise the gear without verifying he is doing the right thing..

[@ericgirardet1848]

The old saying, Aviate, navigate, communicate look simple but when things goes wrong, it’s not easy to stay focus on your primary task, fly the plane. Great video!

[@texstar77]

Knew somebody had to already have said it!!

[@PlaneOldBen]

The Swiss cheese model is a great read in relation to this subject, it's never one item that creates a loss of control its a build up of events creating the end result. A really interesting video, Steve.

[@airgliderz]

Bottom line: Failure to fly the plane plane properly. Pilots #1 responsibility is to fly the plane regardless of what controllers want or emergency/distraction going on.

[@User-dd2xv]

This social responsibility, your videos inspire a lot of people to get into flying but this is a video highlights the issue of getting distracted and how to overcome it. Thank you Flight Chops

[@Taivenmartin15]

That Instructor is saving lives! My hats off to him, really good man to take his time to teach these young pilots something that could save them one day!

[@InopGauge]

Great video. I learned this lesson early on as a student. We had just become airborne when my door became ajar in a c150. My first thought was to try to slam it shut again and my instructor instantly informed me that my job was to fly the aircraft above everything else. He let me know that we would worry about the door once we'd gained some altitude and leveled off. Can see where I could have quickly become distracted and stalled the aircraft at low altitude.

[@FlightChops]

Yes - one of my early instructors snuck his arm behind my seat on a take off and popped my window open in a 172 - scared the heck out of me, but I stayed focussed on flying and he gave me a high five.

[@goneflying140]

My C150 instructor intentionally popped his door open after takeoff. He expected me to freak out. I never even looked away from the panel. I just said "is that your door?", he said yes, and you handled it perfectly. We flew the pattern, landed without issue, he closed the door and away we went.

[@DonMeaker]

The three most dangerous things at the airport are 1. Lawyer flying the Beechcraft Bonanza 2. Engine mechanic right out of high school 3. The stewardess with the chipped tooth.

[@crazyforce1102]

This is a funny comment, graduated HS this year and about to get my A&P license from Aviation High school.

[@DonMeaker]

@@crazyforce1102 Good A&P technicians are gold!

[@eddyson2638]

Great video, thanks to all of you for highlighting the loss of control issue and the CFII's prepared to show that all of us are human and can therefore make mistakes! Very humbling.

[@mandarin1257]

10:13 "I wanted you to lose control" I love the shocked expression on the poor guy's face.

[@OGjoe]

its refreshing to watch good people doing good things and having good fun. I don't fly, I never will, but I enjoy watching your videos so much. Thanks for what you do!

[@paulgooding803]

Best instructional video I have seen in a long time. Former CFI, can't get a medical any more, but I still have the bug. In the day I did a lot ... a lot ... of BFRs and checkouts. In every case, I would put the subject aviator into a situation where we'd put the airplane into a power on stall in a climbing turn. A little distraction made this relatively easy to pull off. Almost every pilot I checked would see the airplane suddenly snap over into a rolling stall and ... immediately suck the control wheel right back into their lap. At that point the small airplane will be established in a tight spin. Even when I very forcefully asked them to just let go of the wheel, they'd hold onto that full up elevator for dear life. I remember one guy who just totally lost and cried out, "What am I doing wrong??" So, I shove the nose down, the spin stops, order is restored. Back on the ground, I'd give them a speech. How long you been flying? etc. Do you remember your early pre-solo instruction? What do you do when you encounter a stall? You lower the nose. Now Bob, I distracted you and set you up for a dramatic and unexpected stall entry, and what did you do? You pulled that yoke right back into your lap. If you had done that in the traffic pattern for some reason, you'd be dead now. Bob, the whole reason we teach this stuff from the first hours of instruction is that the most important thing you have to do in an airplane is pay attention to the basic flying, don't let yourself get distracted, follow your training, and when you see a stall, let go of that back pressure and make a stall recovery immediately. Don't let anything ... not even a smartass check pilot ... distract you from your basic job of flying the airplane. Slightly off topic, our check pilot here mentions the Atlas (Prime Air) accident ... the first time I saw that video of the the 767 busting out of clouds pointed straight down, I said, Jesus, that guy just lost control of his airplane in the cloud and didn't have time or altitude to recover when he busted out and saw the ground coming at him at 300 miles an hour. Sickening, tragic, heartbreaking. Something distracted him, maybe some somatogravic effect made him overreact to a slight upset, and .... boom. Keep up the good work. Again, great video.

[@kylejenkin6567]

Great video and great topic. I recently had an event where I had a complete electrical failure on t/o. This caused my electric fuel pressure gauge to fail ( obviously) and I was so distracted watching this electric gauge fail, along with a radio failure and hydraulic failure. I actually said out loud, "fly the plane". In hindsight, it was a really simple problem that got complicated very quickly. Well done!

[@TheCanadianBubba]

When i think back to all my instructors (not flight) who had a certain "thing" they seemed overly sensitive about, but they never open up and said why... now those "things" make perfect sense. Sorry to hear about Brock, hope Dan gets to incorporate the lesson in each and every student. Like he said, if it keeps even one more of those incidents from happening it is well worth it.

[@randallreed9048]

And, BTW, that young kid--CFI, I mean--is special. I predict he will go far. Wonderful to see that talent so young.

[@chad1755]

Certainly having training fresh in your mind and not having had thousands of repetitive hours to lull you into complacency helps too. I think that was the problem with the guy who called "gear down" out of habit when it wasn't.

[@ccubsfan94]

I watched this video last night, as a CFI/II and thought it was great stuff. Well low and behold this morning during a flight with a commercial student in his own plane we had a nice lesson and headed back. It was a fairly breezy day and in the downwind put the gear down and no green. Something made the breaker pop and we got it all under control and reset and were fine. But it almost seemed perfect timing for this to happen. First thing in my head was this video, between the winds, it being a new plane to me (sorta, all pipers are kinda the same, just different location of switches), an earlier headset issue and it being a new student. I just though, ok, we need to fly, then figure this out, so gave the student instructions to get altitude and out of the pattern, then we'll figure it out. Thanks for the little reminder to keep Aviating first!

[@BackyardBeeKeepingNuevo]

I am going driving today. Loss of control and situational awareness due to distraction is one of the major causes of car accidents. Thanks for the reminder. Fly and drive safe.

[@RJPick1]

Dan and Steve are two guys who just naturally instill confidence. You would just fly in anything and anywhere with them. The ethos of this video (and others they have made) is worthy and although we will never know, will almost certainly save lives.

[@Beffudled]

I had a loss of control situation in the sim the other day. Best place to have it. Was a definite learning moment. My instructor gave me a runaway trim, and I hit the AP DC, but while I was looking for the breaker to pull (I usually fly a non AP N model) and while I was distracted I nearly stalled out on departure. Regained control flew the plane and found the breaker after I was stabilized.

[@jclinton46]

I haven't been at the controls for 4 decades but I remember that from the start of flight training to Navy wings and continuing until I left service 7 years later, the first priority of "fly the plane" was drummed into us. With all the emergencies, both intentional and otherwise, it would be easy to become distracted. And while some instructors seemed to make it their mission to distract you, it just made me focus harder. Thanks guys.

[@clearair]

Awesome work Steve. Having survived (as a passenger) a potentially fatal loss of control accident just after takeoff, there is a need for more awareness of this subject. Good job 👍

[@FlightChops]

Wow - glad you're ok!

[@benpasquale6353]

this man is a gentleman...sorry about his friends loss...hes spot on...always fly the plane right til the end

[@RoryOnAir]

Bloody brilliant Steve. Your films are a class act, they really are. It highlights why my instructor used to drill in the phrase; ‘whatever happens, fly the aeroplane’.

[@CrayCraigie]

this was so fun. I love the kid--a natural aviator, humble and pleasant. Good job mom and dad!!

[@1776vtgmb]

When you put the gear down, hold onto the gear control until all the lights are green. Then let go. You don't have to look at the lights, just make sure they're all lit before you release the handle. A senior retired airline Captain taught me that - and he wasn't an instructor. WillyB

[@Mrcaffinebean]

Great video! Love that he actually modified the panel rather than just asking someone to pretend their was a gear issue. Really makes a difference.

[@Recovering_Californian]

Let's have a brief moment of silence for all the bugs that have lost their lives to GoPro cameras.

[@MrNeif]

They got distracted and lost control

[@rex8255]

@@MrNeif I think in case of the bugs, it's more like running into 747 Wake Turbulence in a Cessna 150, and no one explained that to you in Bug School!

[@rudavalek]

Recovering_Californian where the bug got its pilot licence?

[@gogogeedus]

I wonder what was the last thing on that bugs mind as he hit the camera?anybody?

[@jefflindeman]

gogogeedus ~well, we can only guess, but chances are pretty good we could break it down to two scenarios, 1) Distracted and he didn't see it coming, in which case, a) hunger and his next meal, or b) he just ate, so horny and his next mate, OR 2) Focused and situationally aware, in which case, "OH F*CK!" 🤔🤣 I think that pretty much covers it; I'll leave it to you to draw any parallel conclusions to the human equivalents. *wink wink nudge nudge say no more squire, say no more....

[@tmd757]

I'm just trying to get back into all this from a 30 year hiatus.... this one hits home... I'll remember this one.... thank you!

[@DrHarryT]

"What’s the biggest killer in Aviation?" Gravity.

[@michaelcawdron3378]

The ground.

[@eagle49624]

What are the top 10 reasons why aviation accidents occur? Take your pick. 1. Loss of control in flight... Distractions... Disorientation... Inability to fly in unstable air without a 2 axis autopilot... 2. Controlled flight into terrain... Distractions... Disorientation... Inattentiveness. 3. Engine failure or other physical flight component failure. Pushing the "mean time between failure" limits... ignoring recommended maintenance intervals... 4. Operation too close to the ground... Your parents will forgive you, but the ground never will. 5. Disorientation. Runway incursion. Misunderstanding ATC directions. Failure to communicate. Recency of experience. 6. VFR into IMC. Failure to do a 180. Thinking VFR on top is a way to get around filing IFR. 7. Fuel exhaustion or contamination. That clear little plastic cup with the ice pick is important. So is that dip stick you can check the fuel depth with to cross check your fuel gauges. Mistakes are made. To err is human. 8. Instrument failure resulting in partial panel operation resulting in spatial disorientation and loss of control. Money spent on dual under the hood can save your life. 9. Midair collisions. Hopefully, ADS-B will reduce this. You never see the one that kills you. 10. Entry into thunderstorms. Microbursts when landing or taking off. This is either a poor planning issue or poor decision making or rabid get-home-itis. Great video!

[@greenidguy9292]

The sudden stop at the end....

[@1919champ]

DrHarryT flying straight and level into mountains does its share also. No gravity involved.

[@Kimoto504]

extremely rapid deceleration.

[@FlyersDistrict]

@steve I’ve been making videos for a long time outside of youtube and now on youtube and your story telling abilities inspire me man. So glad to have met you.

[@FlightChops]

Thanks buddy! Your on camera energy inspires me - I enjoy your videos too!

[@FlyersDistrict]

FlightChops I just cannot believe that I get to fly. 😋

[@Wolficorntv]

Great video Steve. Definitely will remind me that despite inevitable distractions that will occur...always fly the plane. Basic but easily forgotten.

[@0601pog]

This episode became very real to me. The young man, Brock, mentioned in the video is a cousin of mine by marriage. I watch aviation videos regularly. When you said the name Brock I looked more closely and noticed his mothers name on the screen. Brock took me flying the year before his death. It is hard to believe it has been 19 years since the accident. Thank you for teaching and for remembering a great guy, Brock.

[@Aero360Aviation]

Steve this was one of the best videos you have put out in a long time (and all your videos are awesome) - I love the message and the methods here. Definitely something that needs to be talked about and addressed! I also love the idea of giving away something of value - not just a joyride - but a learning experience with life long value.

[@bennettt4404]

Yeah the transferring of controls on short final or on the rollout can be tricky. During my tailwheel training, my instrtuctor mentioned an incident with a student of hers previous. They were literally going into the round out and she said something to the effect like "I'm going to add a touch of power", and the student interpreted that as her taking controls (his fault). After the touchdown she took rudders and said "Nice job not bad"... to which he responded "I let go of the controls when you added the power". Essentially the citabria landed itself... good times.

[@bennettt4404]

@stromsky58 Yeah with the right pitch and trim it's absolutely doable. The 172 I fly can be landed with the electric trim with a well timed round out + power idle. Good times!

[@mikeseguin6443]

People who drive and text or talk on cell phones are somewhat in the same scenario.Distracted and loss of control.A very good eye opening video.

[@brandoncaldwell95]

I had a guy driving over 100 mph, almost rear ended a semi and the caller complaining. When we stopped him, he was watching a movie... No joke, litterally watching a movie... Ive had my fair share of cases almost being run off the road because of people on the phone. It bugs the crap out of me. Sadly, they will never learn till a life is taken or they wreck becuase of it.

[@veritasestveritas8646]

The various DMVs out there should have, as a mandatory test, a simulator that puts you through different distracted scenarios as you drive, including cell phone interaction.

[@COIcultist]

@@veritasestveritas8646 Just don't be an idiot, don't use your phone in the car. Even hands free with anything more complex than "Hello I'm driving I'll call back later" is dangerous. The more complex the call the greater the distraction. Why is it more distracting than an in car conversation? I have no idea but it is. Gwent Police made a great film about texting whilst driving but the full version is hard to find on KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmHHfqGhfsx2o9k Really clever technique at the beginning to stop you waiting for the "bad" thing to happen because you're waiting for this, knowing the film was made by the police.

[@rsmith155]

Yeah just as dumb, but on the road you have no altitude to work with

[@Indarow]

Anytime I see an "only idiots get distracted" comment I cringe. All of us are capable of it, anybody who says they're NOT is the true idiot. I generally think of myself as an OK driver, but I know I've done it. I crashed while changing the radio. Everybody was moving at normal freeway speed, I looked over to change the station and when i looked back up everyone was full on their brakes. All it takes is a split second. I've done my best to learn from the experience and haven't done it since.

[@gregizzo8349]

Thank you for that video Steve. Even after 20 years of flying, this is always a refreshing reminder to stay focused on flying and procedures. Complacency or reliant on functionality can get you into a tight space or worse quickly! Great video!

[@duanebarrett2229]

I have been scared to fly my whole life and watching FlightChops Videos are therapeutic and enjoyable! I have flown a few times since subscribing and its getting better! :)

[@FlightChops]

I really appreciate this feedback! It is rewarding to hear the videos have helped with your fear.

[@thebiffer100]

As mentioned the MOST important thing said in the cockpit by the PIC in any situation that is absolutely crystal clear in the world of SOC is "I Have Control". Period.

[@thebiffer100]

Correction to above: SOP

[@grantlarmstrong]

I truly believe that this video will save someone’s life. Dan is passionate about the subject and has every right to be. Thank you to all who made this video possible and for making the effort to share.

[@hotelbravo1695]

Door opening after takeoff was something that happened on my progress test (instructor was genuinely surprised about it) I didn’t even look at him and just flew the plane. This is a good reminder to do that again if any distractions happened. On my check ride the examiner had me do the landing stall with a simulation that something got me distracted and I pulled up. I learn so much from this channel, all aviators should watch :)

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

I have always said FLY THE ACFT FIRST. I lost partial power once on a climb out dodging treetops all the way. My instructor kept saying " FLY THE PLANE, FLY THE PLANE!!" I promise you I learned that lesson. A great video showing we all can get distracted.

[@airgliderz]

... as your distracted watching this video slamming into a tree...

[@bkailua1224]

I add a little more "Fly the airplane you are flying today!" not the airplane you were flying last week or yesterday.

[@airgliderz]

@@bkailua1224 kinda like drive your car to the airport nut thinking about flying that day, but concentrating on driving, or not the cute girl on the XH orner as you drive by....

[@cdanielh128]

Taking pride and setting it aside so others can learn from those mistakes in real time or in videos after can be a tough thing to do. We all want to think we are in control when it counts but like the instructor said, we are all human. Thank you to everyone for letting us see your experience and hopefully it opened a few peoples eyes. I hate seeing news that a fully trained experienced pilot loses not only their life but the lives of their passengers and then we find out it was because they got overloaded and distracted. This is a great idea and thanks to Flight Chops for sharing this with the world. Also thanks to Gold Seal and all the others working to make this happen!

[@hawkdsl]

Dan is the man... I could listen to him all day.. what a great instructor.

[@ObsidianParis]

"Dan the man" ? I've heard that, on the other hand, he was unlucky in love affairs :)

[@Joe_Not_A_Fed]

Excellent. Thanks, guys. It's good when you can get complex events down a single concept...in this case; loss of control due to distraction. If you watch MAYDAY, (and you should), it's stunning how many accidents of commercial aircraft...flown by very experienced and highly trained pilots...have happened because of loss of control due to distraction. "Just fly the plane", is so easy to say while you're sitting in front of a screen. It can be a very different story when you're the one with the yoke in your hand and the distraction. One of the most common light plane accident scenario is the 'stall/spin while turning final'. This is almost always a 'loss of control due to distraction' accident; overshoot the centerline turning final...low speed/low power...hard bank while cranking in too much rudder...inside wing stalls...too low to recover. It can happen to anyone. Never stop learning.

[@jimfurman3145]

What teaching moments ... really brings the issue of distraction to the forefront. Out standing video!

[@Blackevo9]

This is such and important lesson. From initial to airlines. We train hard for this in our airline. You must maintain control of the aircraft at all costs. Aviate, navigate, communicate.

[@marclowe724]

My CFI did this (unintentionally) once. Spot on.

[@KuraIthys]

Reminds me of engine out training, where the instructor will just randomly pull the throttle on you without warning. But I guess that's a slightly bigger issue than the more subtle thing this video is about...

[@marclowe724]

@@KuraIthys That happened for me as well. I had "turned off" the avionics (and the instructor turned off the radio) and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't radio out, all the while I was losing altitude.

[@akromafia]

Another piece of vicarious gold. I’ve no doubts that this video will save my arse one day. Thanks. I also have no doubts that the future of general aviation is in safe hands if there’s more up and coming CFIs like that young bloke coming through the pipeline. What a remarkable young man! By the way - my dad was an air safety investigator. He has many stories of where this lesson was learned far too late.

[@ParanormalTraptivity]

The first CFI to fly is my current CFI. Knew he’d kill it!

[@FlightChops]

Right on that's awesome!

[@davecrupel2817]

Great choice of words. Haha

[@feetgoaroundfullflapsC]

How could a student judge a CFI? They know little. All students say their CFI is very good.

[@oldtimehockey7324]

5feetgoaround fullflapsC150 i was.

[@TonyRule]

@@feetgoaroundfullflapsC The same way I knew my high school physics teacher was an ace - he didn't just tell - he taught.

[@terryrutherford2114]

This video was so fricking good. So important. CFII are humans too! We all need to continue to learn!

[@shoop4040]

What an AMAZING VIDEO-- this is scary and informative. It makes you even think about scenarios outside the aviation world and how it relates to many other facets of life. It also makes me ponder how many of GA and airline pilots how ready are they really ..Thank you Gold Seal amazing work ...

[@FlightChops]

Yes, definitely a high five to Gold Seal for giving us the freedom to pull this concept together!

[@wayneoliver2721]

First of all, good topic, good video and thank you to the participants. Well done. To all of you who have commented with the mantra, Aviate Navigate Communicate, you might be missing the point. All the pilots reading this know ANC. All the pilots in this video know ANC. They've known it from maybe their first or second flight. I'll bet their dogs know it, yet most still failed to avoid the distraction. So it isn't as simple as, "Yeah, ANC I knew that." We ALL know it. It's recognizing you're in that perfect situation to be distracted and then not following the rabbit down the hole. It's more like patting your head while rubbing your stomach and not getting the two confused. We all know that takes practice. Just knowing a thing isn't enough. Same is true here; it takes discipline. The solution is not as simple as ANC, if it were we wouldn't be watching this video because there'd be no need for it.

[@Parr4theCourse]

Great video and even better lesson for us all, even more so when very experienced pilots (CFI's) can be human too!!!!

[@rustyclam238]

What a fantastic opportunity to be able to fly one of these planes, and with Dan no less. Great video.

[@theleeharveyoswaldexperien1883]

As a soon to be student pilot, I am glad to have seen this video before starting training

[@Jasshands1]

wow this is amazing. I'm a newer pilot but it is easy to get distracted in a aircraft. There is so much information coming into the cockpit and going out, its happening fast and it is very easy to get distracted

[@manojmohan7264]

Huge respect to all the pro pilots here, who agreed to show themselves going out of their comfort zone. Hats off.

[@derykanderson6468]

MAD props to the young 1st lad. He seems like a very sharp kid!

[@michaelforseth8609]

Thanks! It just takes practice and studying. Also, it helped that my instructor threw these curve balls at me all the time.

[@amcconnell6730]

"Shove the stick forward" is underratd in aviation. Stalling? Shove the stick forward. Loss of thrust? Shove the stick forward. Rolling in wake turbulence? Shove the stick forward (unloading the wings increases roll rate). Flying is unnatural - shoving the stick forward stops you trying to do the unnatural. :D

[@easygoing2479]

That is a great observation... force yourself - with the stick - into the thinking (and flying) mode rather than a panic mode.

[@jackfrost2146]

@@easygoing2479 My instructor's favorite saying was "Forward to fly--back to die."

[@cheetor5923]

Great video man.... Distractions kill, and so easily too. "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate".. Aviate... FLY the plane that is your highest priority task, everything else is secondary

[@redmondworkshops5181]

This was a great video. It is probably one of my favorites. I am not a pilot but someday hope to be. Even though I'm not a pilot I really enjoy your videos and watch all of them. Keep up the good work.

[@johnbolin7098]

Hi Chops ! I arrived at Sun N Fun on Saturday. Sorry I missed you. Dan gave me a personal tour of his DC-3 and allowed me to sit in the left seat while going over the cockpit. It was an awesome experience. While we were talking, I told him how I follow your channel. He told me about how you both came up with the idea for this video. We talked for about 45 minutes. Now here it is. WOW …..

[@FlightChops]

Sorry I missed you, glad you got to meet Dan and see the DC-3

[@SmittySmithsonite]

This is why I love your channel, Steve - I'm always learning here! Excellent topic and production!👍👍

[@danwonders9403]

Thank you for the efforts you’re making to better aviation. I am a major airline instructor and check airman. What your describing has been incorporated in 121 training for years, and call “threat and error management”. I’m glad you’re bringing some of the principles to general aviation. I did get a chuckle at how CFI’s are used here as if they are experienced and good pilots. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

[@karlsandin4515]

“They are all human beings” - words of wisdom them self

[@MichaelLloyd]

I really liked this video. I'm doing a long BFR due to be away from flying for a long time and between my instructor and the Spring winds here at FMN I get new things thrown at me on every flight. I love it.

[@youngavaitor]

met u at sun-n-fun i volunteer out their every yr work out on the flight line marshalling aircraft around the field follow your chnnel since 3,000 subscrbers great to see how much youve growns as a pilot and a utuber

[@FlightChops]

Thanks for sticking around since the start!

[@VenturiLife]

That young man is a CFII .. impressive. With the other fellow you said "three green" he seemed to think you'd confirmed it, even after looking at it and seeing orange, the correct response is to question the co-pilot's statement and confirm the status of the gear. The pilots were concentrating on other things, and the gear is one of the most important things for getting down safely. Proved a really valid point here, if gear is missed when under pressure, say on a short-final, what else can be missed.

[@penguimTwo]

This channel is so underrated.

[@66gtfb]

Absolutely one of my fav YT channels!

[@ForFunFlyer]

I agree! And such an example to my own, still very small, youtube channel...

[@hotrodmercury3941]

Currently going to flight school atm, one of the CFIs is a old bomber/cargo pilot from way back when. He told me this, when I was scared of distraction. "No matter what happens, just keep flying. Keep her aloft, you can always solve it later. Remember its just a plane and if you have to land it like a brick, do it." He also gave me lovely advice when it came to flying large aircraft. Just look around as much as possible, stay aware of whats going on with your ship and if needed, be certain of trouble.

[@ThomasLeNinja]

Amazing video! Thank you for reaching out this important message to the aviation community!

[@downtourth]

Dan is the man and his YT channel is Probable Cause! He is on top of every crash, goes out to most and picks up stuff the NTSB missed, he gets pissed! it's great fun!

[@deepvoicedaddy4246]

So knowing one day I'll try to become a pilot, this information is amazing to know

[@minecraftwtihclay]

David Lavender Big thing you will hear is do not stop flying the airplane!

[@birds_eye_view]

This is a very valuable lesson. And keep in mind, distractions can come in all kind of shapes. So it happened to me during my recent final flight exam for my ppl. We were flying under worse weather conditions than I was used to, at lower altitude than I was used to and so I got preoccupied and silently distracted with visual navigating my way, chose the wrong ground mark for a turn, which looked similar but “forgot” to crosscheck if it REALLY was the intended one. Got close to enter restricted airspace.

[@koldaunas5374]

Oh boy! A new FlightChops video!

[@tomsmith3045]

This is fantastic video! Love when you collaborate on safety things. Dan has a new channel for pilot safety called "Probable Cause", which deserves a shout out.

[@ProbableCause-DanGryder]

Fledgling channel...mostly banjos and travel but aiming to do more accident recaps. Thanks!

[@tomsmith3045]

@@ProbableCause-DanGryder The traveling that you do makes the safety part more real to me. Maybe similar to the old discovery show (I think?) History Detectives, but with a modern message we can learn from.

[@jimhayes2786]

Amazing video. Seriously, no one was laughing about the missed 3 green, I did that with an instructor once. We have an expectation bias and when overloaded it is VERY easy to see things the way we expect.

[@jfbaze2001]

I'm a relatively new pilot. VFR 200 hours. I watch the Finer Points and also FlightChops. This is great information. I always remember my CFI telling me "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate." I am still too new to not give this 100% attention. I've added a couple of things from flying to driving. I always do a complete walk-around of my car before I drive. Visually, check the tires, bolts, conditions. Nothing in the way of moving the car. I'm also always looking around when driving, cars beside, in front and behind. I.e. look out of the cockpit. Thanks for the great lesson/video. Thanks Gold Seal.

[@JAYAREG]

Thank you Dan and Steve!! I've been a watcher of these videos for a long time and learnt many tricks and tips, but this was a great video with a real message that we can all take advantage of.

[@peterkelly8953]

I love flight, from watching birds to FlightRadar. My experience is flying paragliders in the the 90s. My loss of attention was the exhilaration of doing wing-overs over a 150 foot high cliff & the last wing-over was so close to the edge of the cliff, I felt my bum graze the edge. Prior to that series of wing-overs, I was 200 feet above the cliff. Lesson well learnt!!

[@neatstuff8200]

First thing you learn in aviation is to avigate, navigate, communicate. Make sure you don't confuse those and you'll be okay.

[@meggabrielle684]

love videos like this. its important to be reminded how fun but still serious flying is

[@AkPacerPilot]

Awesome video demonstrating the Swiss Cheese Theory. Two Thumbs Up!

[@dereklacy]

What a fantastic video! "Thank you" to the CFI's that participated and allowed you to use their footage! As a student, this really helps me understand what it takes to fly safe and be prepared for anything. Even the very best of us need to train for these types of situations.

[@joaomello2249]

I think you just became the most user friendly youtube channel ever!!! Awesome

[@centralwebs]

Great lesson and the illustration video leaves everybody in no doubt of how important this issue is. We all need to make the mental note. 1 Event Occurrence 2 Causes distraction 3 Loss of control Lesson 1 Event Occurrence ***Mental note: Fly the plane*** 2. No distraction from primary directive 3. No loss of control

[@vorden25]

Trucking could learn from this a lot of truck drivers are killed by distractions.

[@Benedocta]

But I would say it's less because of some external events and more because of boredom.

[@peterk2455]

Far more car drivers: by radio, hp, the passenger/s, looking for an address or shop, a parking space, the scenery etc etc. Overall many look, but don't see, don't identify potential hazards. Truck drivers id hazards constantly, most are professionals.

[@MrPepper312]

As a skydiver and trucker I been hurt a few times. Once I feel off my flatbed and shattered my elbow and another time a trailer door came off while closing it and broke my shoulder and countless close calls avoiding traffic. But 20 years of skydiving no problem.

[@jimnew5813]

@Fuzzy Butkus You tell'um Fuzzy, if anything it's the four wheel drivers who get distracted especially since everyone is glued to their cellphones all the time. I was a crane operator 20 years and drove some truck cranes weighing 120000 pounds plus. Then I had two tractors and contracted to a Chemical tank company. Never got a ticket or had an accident except the time a front axle broke on a 25 ton truck crane and the left front wheel turned ninety degrees to the left and I was just along for the ride at fifty miles per hour into the concrete barrier along an expressway. One other close one was when I was rounding a curve with an empty eighteen wheel tanker and a car was stopped in my lane of a two lane country highway, then he started to make a U turn on the road . I didn't hit the brakes just steered left all the way across the highway into the grass with all 18 wheels then back on the road preventing killing all aboard the car, I hope it scared him as much as it did me. Most people don't know the skill it takes to operate these 80000 pound vehicles, they just cuss us for being in the way or cut in front of us and slam on their brakes to teach us a lesson.Sorry for the long post .

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

vorden25, The biggest distraction in cars is the passenger. Same in buses and coaches - the friend or colleague who insists on engaging the driver in conversation. But then again, not having a passenger can be dangerous too - the long-distance coach or truck driver who dozes off or falls ill. At least in the air there's the pilot monitoring to take over the controls . . .

[@Rickenbacker69]

This is great! As a glider pilot, I have a lot of distractions going on, trying to read the weather, plan the best route, look for landable fields and so on. I hope this video will help me remember to always, ALWAYS fly the airplane first! I did once get distracted enough during preflight to skip part of it, and only realized when I was starting the engine (motor glider). That scared me quite a bit, and this is a very important subject, so thank you for covering it. Also, kudos to the CFI's for letting you film and show this.

[@journeytime3621]

Good work @FlightChops

[@jordanworm6923]

I really appreciate this topic especially after we just had two crashes in central Texas, and a banner plane go down I’m Ft. Lauderdale last month. Having a 2 year old and a wife on the ground, this topic is huge for me

[@mattguthmiller]

Dan's full of great advice! Couple of those shots look pretty familiar too ;)

[@FlightChops]

Haha - yeah - thanks for grabbing me those clips about Dan’s tough back story while you were rocking your SIC training!

[@ForFunFlyer]

:)

[@ronfreeman9385]

Great work ! I teach hanggliding and paragliding with my own School in the UK I will use this clip to show my students of the dangers involved with distractions..