"Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect."
Last week was a really busy week at the deli, despite the weather. It was overcast and gloomy Tuesday and Wednesday and front moved in and it began to snow shortly before noon in Squidtown.
Thursday at the deli turned out to be our biggest day of the week. The lunch rush started at about 1100 and lasted until about 1430. I was busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest as I waited tables, poured sodas, and helped out the cook in the kitchen. The customers kept remarking how the weather making a turn for the worse, yet they kept coming in the door in droves. The cooked must have spiked the soup again.
I worried about my airplane in the back canyons of my mind. I had left it secured on the ramp earlier in the morning at the airport. It was a fleeting thought as I was focused on the hungry people I was serving.
I finally was able to take a breath at about a quarter to three to have a bite to eat. I finally had an opportunity to take a gander out the window at this ‘bad weather’ the customers were telling me about. What I saw surprised me.
Peering out the window, the cars and parking lot were covered in about 2 inches of heavy snow. It was snowing very hard and I couldn’t really make out the golden arches across the street.
Dialing the FBO I got ahold of the line guys to see if there was a spot in the cold hangar. I begged them to put the SUV in if they had a chance. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.
Arriving at the airport I found the SUV stuck in the cold hangar, tug and towbar still attached, covered in snow.
The typical freight dawg pilot has few tools at his disposal to perform his job compared to his brethren at the Big Box Haulers. A good headset to protect what hearing he has left, a pair of sunglasses that he spent one entire paycheck on so that he can 1) look good and 2) protect his eyes from that big orange ball that always seems to shine right in the windscreen as it rises and sets. He also carries a 3 “D” cell Maglite that is used to 1) look for ice on the wings as he flies and 2) to beat the said ice off the wings so that he can complete the next leg. Last but not least is a nice wide broom, with soft bristles. One where the handle will separate from the head so that it is easily stored in the wing locker or cargo compartment. The broom is used to clean the snow off the wings and polish frost smooth. This is also referred to as a deicing program.
I grabbed my trusty broom and began the laborious task of cleaning snow off the aircraft. First the left wing, followed by the nose and windscreen, and the right wing. Making the turn around the corner of the wing toward the horizontal stabilizer, I heard the hangar side door open and the director of maintenance, Mick, hollered my name.
He came strolling around the tug with a shop cart in tow, loaded with my freight.
“I thought you would like to load up here in the hangar so that we can just pull you out and send you on your way with the weather the way it is. I don’t think the airport manager has plowed the runway yet either,” Mick remarked.
I loaded the freight onto the SUV and secured it with the cargo net as we engaged in a boisterous BS session.
The BS had gotten pretty deep when I noticed it was time for my departure, I stowed the broom and engine covers as the line guys opened the main hangar door. I climbed inside the SUV and ran the before start checklist as the boys towed me out of the hangar and onto the ramp.
Taxiing to runway 01, I listened to the weather and received my clearance Visibility had improved but the ceilings were low. Just another wintery spring day in New
There was this awful buffet in the airframe as the wheels left the ground - almost like I was in a stall, but much worse. The SUV was having a hard time deciding if it wanted to fly or not. I was bound and determined to make it fly and it fought me all the way.
So there I was, 2 feet in the air, 110 KIAS, in what seemed like a deep stall, quickly running out of runway, time and options all at the same time. Not really a good situation to be in for any pilot, including myself.
I had to decide between the lesser of two evils. Sure I could chop the power and settle onto the slick, snow covered pavement and hope like hell that I would get stopped before I went off the end of the runway, through the approach lights, over the ditch and onto the highway. But, I really didn’t want to bend an airplane today. The other option was to wrestle the old hag for every knot of speed and every inch of altitude until I hit the trees ½ mile off the end of the runway in a ball of fire and twisted metal. Sucking up the gear and trying to push the throttle through the radio stack, I committed myself to option two.
In situations like this, there really is no time to be scared. You are so focused on trying to save your own ass that you put everything aside. It is not until later that you analyze what happened. It is then and only then you realize the gravity of the situation and get that ‘legs turned to jelly’ feeling.
About the time I was trying to decide if it was better to hit trees, farmer Watson’s barn, or take my chances with powerlines, something weird happened. It felt like the good Lord himself hit the SUV with a sledge hammer. With a loud thump the vibration stopped, and the SUV rocketed skyward like a homesick angel. It was only then did I realize what had happened.
With my attention being diverted by Mick, I didn’t remove the snow off the tail of the SUV. When I tried to become airborne, the tail stalled. The usually smooth aerodynamic surface was contaminated with snow, resulting in my very poor takeoff performance. The divine sledge hammer that I felt must have been when the snow departed the aircraft and the wonderful forces of aerodynamics returned, sending me on my merry way.
Arriving home, I sat my bride down and explained to her how close I came to not coming home to her that night. I was a very sobering and humbling experience. She asked me several questions in an attempt to grasp how close my carelessness came to claiming her knight in shining armor. Not being an aviation type I’m not sure she really understood.
My carelessness, incapacity, and neglect almost turned into an accident report that listed Pilot Error as a causal factor.
