PearlPilot

Yesterday I flew to an airshow with a friend. The Cessna 150 was at gross weight. The temperature at the time of departure was 65 F and fortunately I did not have to worry about density altitude. The airplane climbed at 400 feet per minute and the entire flight was uneventful. However, I would like to address the following considerations because I came home and thought about some of the things I should have done differently.

1. I would not have taken off from the 1900 foot runway if the aircraft was overweight or if the temperature at time of departure was 90 degrees or above.
2. It was beginning to rain a few minutes prior to coming back and needless to say I was worried. I called flight service and a heavy cell was moving rapidly away from our route of flight and should be gone by the time we were to depart. I talked to a pilot who advised me that by the time we were to depart the cell should have been well clear of our route of flight.
3. A half a dozen pilots had started their engines and were beginning to leave the airshow to their destinations. The sky appeared to be clearing up. Nevertheless I told my friend, "I don't care what these guys are doing, I am getting another briefing just to make sure..." Fortunately, the briefer mentioned that the cell has indeed passed and there are no adverse conditions.

The return trip was very smooth and uneventful, but I couldn't stop thinking everything favored that resulted in a good flight. Things could have one wrong for me too easily. My friend could have bought an additional baggage or I could have weighed 20lbs more. The temperature could have been 90 degrees or we would have encountered some weather enroute. I told him, if that's the case, we will not be departing. I am working on my commercial pilot's license and I know not every flight is going to be like this. There will be times when I will have to say no to extra baggage or people. I will have to refuse to take off an overweight airplane or due to weather etc. We hear numerous accident reports on pilots getting into trouble because of "get there itis" or to satisfy passenger, or being a nice guy, the list goes on.

The value of research and education cannot be overemphasized here. I am a nice guy, but I need to learn how to be a bad guy in the interest of safety. I am sure those who fly for corporate flight departments have to face similar problems often. I wonder then how many pilots bend rules and get away with it. Yesterday's trip although did not pose a hazard to the safety of flight, gave me a strong warning to be extra cautious and conservative in the future...

WalkOfShame

First of all, congratulations! I know that sounds weird, but what you've discussed and realized about your flight is exactly the difference between being a good pilot and a GREAT pilot. A great pilot never stops learning! I wouldn't second guess your decisions about the weather or calling FSS. You did exactly what I would've done if I didn't feel comfortable about the situation. You were smart. Everyone has different experiences and will view the situation presented to them a different way based on those experiences. Please don't ever be tempted to use someone else's perceptions to control your decision! You will continue to have more of these "light bulb" realizations as you continue to build time and experience in your career as a pilot. Pay attention to these and learn from them! The best pilots I know have 20,000 hours and still learn something new all the time. The old adage goes, "You have a bag full of luck, and an empty bag of wisdom. The trick is to full the bag of wisdom before you run out of luck". Good luck my friend and fly safe!

PearlPilot

Thanks for the kind words. The whole time I was thinking, the mistakes pilots made, thoughts of NTSB documents I read and the warnings of the books and videos I've watched flashed through my mind. Flying in gray days such as yesterday is certainly a challenge. Makes you work really hard. By the way it was also my 26th birthday so I was happy to end the day with some good lessons learned.