PPL failures nearly 50%

mrivc211 said:
4 of the ones I fired from 2020-2022 are currently at the regionals.

one guy decided he was going to fly the 172 with the fuel selector valve in each position for 30 mins. After I instructed him not to do that he kept doing it then was dumb enough to tell me the fuel lines are blocked because one side feeds unequally. The real story is his parents bought him a Piper so he likes to fly every plane like he flies his own. Never mind the fact that someone’s going to get in that plane, not read the checklist, not check the fuel prior to taking off, run out of fuel and end up dead or wrecking one of my birds.

another guy decided it was cool to try and have sex with a female student when I expressly told the CFIs they can’t date students. It causes drama and we lose students. If you want to find a girl, go to any bar and wear a t shirt that says you’re a pilot. I’m sure something is desperate enough to bite. After he does the deed, I get a call from the female student at 6am on a Sunday crying and screaming that the CFI took advantage of her while she was drunk and had sex with her against her will. I’ve never wanted to punch someone so hard. Booted him immediately.

another guy decided to skip a preflight inspection during his demo flight and hop in. He failed to notice the cowling unfastened completely where 2 cylinders were not installed. He watched me remove the cylinders all day, take the keys offline, text the group not to fly it. After he somehow manages to start it, he doesn’t notice the plane violently shaking. he runs the engine at 800 rpm while getting the ATIS and clearance then powers to taxi only to have our chief run out and stop him. One week prior he ripped the flap off a 172 while doing emergency descents and “didn’t notice” until the next student and CFI showed up and preflight. He denied it till the end. Wouldn’t fess up.

I’ve got story after story of pure stupidity and laziness. These guys are all at the regionals now. Nothing I can do to stop them. They don’t do pria records for schools. I get pria requests from their regionals when they are hired but it doesn’t allow me to make comments or ask if they have done anything bad. The questions are specific because the law forbids them to ask any other questions. This is how people end up dead when a 767 gets planted into the ground in Houston. These guys need to be tracked from day 1.
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An engine started with two cylinders removed? What engine and airplane? Were the connecting rods at least restrained from beating the case up, if not were the pistons still attached? I find this and the flap story very difficult to believe, I think you're being dramatic. I do believe the one about the fuel selector and the sexual assault, I did my training in Pipers, Katanas and Cessnas and I can recall my instructor getting very excited about a female LAPD helicopter pilot once, he immediately took over the radio and afterwards when I questioned him he had a big smile and said "She's flying a helicopter and she's got a gun.". It takes all kinds.
 
knot4u said:
An engine started with two cylinders removed? What engine and airplane? Were the connecting rods at least restrained from beating the case up, if not were the pistons still attached? I find this and the flap story very difficult to believe, I think you're being dramatic. I do believe the one about the fuel selector and the sexual assault, I did my training in Pipers, Katanas and Cessnas and I can recall my instructor getting very excited about a female LAPD helicopter pilot once, he immediately took over the radio and afterwards when I questioned him he had a big smile and said "She's flying a helicopter and she's got a gun.". It takes all kinds.
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I don’t care what you believe or don’t believe. I’m not here for your validation. Who makes up stories about flight schools just for kicks? Smh
 
mrivc211 said:
I don’t care what you believe or don’t believe. I’m not here for your validation. Who makes up stories about flight schools just for kicks? Smh
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I've actually witnessed what happens when the reciprocating parts decide to not follow instructions and strike out on their own path. Even if one cylinder out of 18 gets a little unruly and the engine is completely assembled it's very noticeable and no sane person would continue to run it unless they were absolutely forced to. A flight school airplane is lucky if it has a 6 cylinder, most are 4 cylinders. I call BS on either starting or running with 2 cylinders physically removed from any reciprocating aircraft engine. These sorts of stories should not be spread by the owner of a flight school. Same thing with the missing flap story, I think you're spreading fake news.
 
I’m torn. On one hand, I would usually be inclined to listen to a mechanic about mechanical things. On the other hand, I don’t see any motivation he’d have to lie about it. Are you certain what he’s saying can’t be true?
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
I’m torn. On one hand, I would usually be inclined to listen to a mechanic about mechanical things. On the other hand, I don’t see any motivation he’d have to lie about it. Are you certain what he’s saying can’t be true?
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I've never tried it so I can't be 100% certain that an engine with 2 cylinders removed, because they're being replaced, won't start, but I'd be willing to bet a couple grand that it won't. Regardless, my point was I don't think the story is true, a student pilot watched the cylinders being removed, waited until no one was looking and grabbed the keys, went out to the airplane and started it and was trying to get ATIS when someone flagged him down isn't believable. The entire airplane would be shaking so bad the instrument panel would look like a 4 year old trying to take a photo with an iphone 4 and the noise of the unguided rods and pistons bouncing around all willy nilly tearing apart everything under the cowl would be enough to overcome the very best noise canceling headset. So I can't say it with 100% certainty, but I have seen what happens when even one cylinder with all of the parts attached has decided it didn't want to play anymore and the pilot tries to become one with a seat cushion and lands ASAP. I'd think his motivation is frustration with his current students and making up stories that will be passed around his school and others to remind students of how to "Don't Be That Guy." and reinforce positive habits regarding pre flights and respecting the limitations of the airplanes he rents out.
 
knot4u said:
I've never tried it so I can't be 100% certain that an engine with 2 cylinders removed, because they're being replaced, won't start, but I'd be willing to bet a couple grand that it won't. Regardless, my point was I don't think the story is true, a student pilot watched the cylinders being removed, waited until no one was looking and grabbed the keys, went out to the airplane and started it and was trying to get ATIS when someone flagged him down isn't believable. The entire airplane would be shaking so bad the instrument panel would look like a 4 year old trying to take a photo with an iphone 4 and the noise of the unguided rods and pistons bouncing around all willy nilly tearing apart everything under the cowl would be enough to overcome the very best noise canceling headset. So I can't say it with 100% certainty, but I have seen what happens when even one cylinder with all of the parts attached has decided it didn't want to play anymore and the pilot tries to become one with a seat cushion and lands ASAP. I'd think his motivation is frustration with his current students and making up stories that will be passed around his school and others to remind students of how to "Don't Be That Guy." and reinforce positive habits regarding pre flights and respecting the limitations of the airplanes he rents out.
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That was a long paragraph!
 
knot4u said:
The entire airplane would be shaking so bad the instrument panel would look like a 4 year old trying to take a photo with an iphone 4 and the noise of the unguided rods and pistons bouncing around all willy nilly tearing apart everything under the cowl would be enough to overcome the very best noise canceling headset.
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So it would sound like a flight school airplane?

Anyway, two out of four cylinders - it would probably start. None of us would be stupid enough to try it in real life. Prop has enough momentum that it would possibly/likely keep running at idle.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
So it would sound like a flight school airplane?

Anyway, two out of four cylinders - it would probably start. None of us would be stupid enough to try it in real life. Prop has enough momentum that it would possibly/likely keep running at idle.
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I think you're wrong.
 
zmiller4 said:
There’s only one way to figure out who’s right here, and we all know what it is.

@knot4u grab your toolbox and a GoPro and get down to the airport. If you’re right we’ll gofundyour bail afterwards.
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I'll do it, you supply the airplane and engine. I'll remove the cylinders and let you pretend to be the student that tries to start it after I remove a couple of cylinders. I'm not a fan of needless destruction orchestrated for clicks but I'll contribute my time pro-bono, tell me when and where. Do you have a forklift for my toolbox?
 
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drunkenbeagle said:
So it would sound like a flight school airplane?

Anyway, two out of four cylinders - it would probably start. None of us would be stupid enough to try it in real life. Prop has enough momentum that it would possibly/likely keep running at idle.
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Think for just a minute about what other parts are removed to get a cylinder off, exhaust and intake tubes, the ignition leads, pushrod tubes, baffling and any CHT probes and leads (if installed). I understand the rotational momentum the fixed pitch prop might impart, but it's not much of a flywheel at 100 rpm especially when only half of the backup dancers show up for rehearsal.
 
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knot4u said:
Think for just a minute about what other parts are removed to get a cylinder off, exhaust and intake tubes, the ignition leads, pushrod tubes, baffling and any CHT probes and leads (if installed). I understand the rotational momentum the fixed pitch prop might impart, but it's not much of a flywheel at 100 rpm especially when only half of the backup dancers show up for rehearsal.
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While I wont say impossible, and I will certainly not put it beyond the carelessness of low time CFIs or students, given Ive seen A TON of that… I will say, i scarcely imagine anyone willing to take a plane up like that outside and assured death wish. Had a Cylinder fail in an GA-7 years back, in a roughly similar fashion as described while on the static takeoff power-up….it was an instant nope even to low time CFI me…the cylinder its self was recovered and sits on my “kill me shelf” to this day.
 
Boots2Wings said:
While I wont say impossible, and I will certainly not put it beyond the carelessness of low time CFIs or students, given Ive seen A TON of that… I will say, i scarcely imagine anyone willing to take a plane up like that outside and assured death wish. Had a Cylinder fail in an GA-7 years back, in a roughly similar fashion as described while on the static takeoff power-up….it was an instant nope even to low time CFI me…the cylinder its self was recovered and sits on my “kill me shelf” to this day.
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Sweet Jesus. Another GA-7 Cougar guy. Ain’t many of us out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Boots2Wings said:
underpowered but lovely cabin. :) the shimmy dampner was also a pain
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Yup. My first and only true runway abort happened on a Cougar when the shimmy damper gave way.

There is another really nice one that lives on the same field. Every time something weird happened with ours (and many things did) the mechs would go look at the nice one and figure out how the repair SHOULD work, and then they'd have to scour the country looking for parts.

It was a great light twin for multi training, though. Docile and predictable, but still lively enough to kill you if you didn't respect it.
 
killbilly said:
Sweet Jesus. Another GA-7 Cougar guy. Ain’t many of us out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Oddly enough one my A/P was one of Donna Reeds sons, because I was a full time student and a full time employee as a line guy occasionally something would have to give and I'd end up having to spend time on the weekends helping out my instructors to make up time. Mr. Owen had a GA-7 that we'd work on and occasionally fly, that's when I learned about tossing toilet paper rolls out of airplanes and chopping them up as they would fall to the ground.
 
killbilly said:
the mechs would go look at the nice one and figure out how the repair SHOULD work, and then they'd have to scour the country looking for parts.
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Ah, just like everything else I fly. I should go into the airplane parts business, I've learned of so many that there are 2 of on on the market. Unobtainum Industries, anyone want to invest?
 
mrivc211 said:
4 of the ones I fired from 2020-2022 are currently at the regionals.

one guy decided he was going to fly the 172 with the fuel selector valve in each position for 30 mins. After I instructed him not to do that he kept doing it then was dumb enough to tell me the fuel lines are blocked because one side feeds unequally. The real story is his parents bought him a Piper so he likes to fly every plane like he flies his own. Never mind the fact that someone’s going to get in that plane, not read the checklist, not check the fuel prior to taking off, run out of fuel and end up dead or wrecking one of my birds.

another guy decided it was cool to try and have sex with a female student when I expressly told the CFIs they can’t date students. It causes drama and we lose students. If you want to find a girl, go to any bar and wear a t shirt that says you’re a pilot. I’m sure something is desperate enough to bite. After he does the deed, I get a call from the female student at 6am on a Sunday crying and screaming that the CFI took advantage of her while she was drunk and had sex with her against her will. I’ve never wanted to punch someone so hard. Booted him immediately.

another guy decided to skip a preflight inspection during his demo flight and hop in. He failed to notice the cowling unfastened completely where 2 cylinders were not installed. He watched me remove the cylinders all day, take the keys offline, text the group not to fly it. After he somehow manages to start it, he doesn’t notice the plane violently shaking. he runs the engine at 800 rpm while getting the ATIS and clearance then powers to taxi only to have our chief run out and stop him. One week prior he ripped the flap off a 172 while doing emergency descents and “didn’t notice” until the next student and CFI showed up and preflight. He denied it till the end. Wouldn’t fess up.

I’ve got story after story of pure stupidity and laziness. These guys are all at the regionals now. Nothing I can do to stop them. They don’t do pria records for schools. I get pria requests from their regionals when they are hired but it doesn’t allow me to make comments or ask if they have done anything bad. The questions are specific because the law forbids them to ask any other questions. This is how people end up dead when a 767 gets planted into the ground in Houston. These guys need to be tracked from day 1.
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Scary (and sad) stories!

100% with you on tracking from day 1. I just don't see how we get there legally. As usual, probably take more blood.
 
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