Student Pilot- Lost,Panicked and Scared

Wow. I am glad the pilot kept her head enough to follow instructions (to the best of her ability at the time) and get down safely.
 
Wow, the sadness in her voice was heartwrenching.

Pilot:
“OK, fly heading 350, Cherokee 494. Sorry about this. I just want to get home.”

GREAT job by the controller to keep her calm and off the side of the mountain. I wonder what the weather was like that day? Sounds like she had some weather in the area that made it hard to see things.
 
The controllers around here can be a total pain but they can turn on a dime and be your best friend.

I had a guy who was a little irritated with me because we kept on stepping on each other. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just because we had about ten different aircraft trying to get ADIZ clearances on what was a VFR weekend day.

Well, the same guy who was irritated with me became my best friend when I told him, I can't land at my airport, I've got winds swirling and gusting to 40 knots and I need vectors out of here.

He took me right to an alternate airport, gave my class B clearance and told me that he could imagine that I was getting tossed around a lot so I shouldn't worry about my altitude too much and that I should just focus on my heading.

They also took my report and passed it along to a bunch of people who were heading there. I know two guys in my flying club posted notes on our email discussion list about how ATC put them down at alternate airports because of the winds.

Now, when the storm had passed and I flew back home, they were back to their normal curt selves.

But they helped save my butt.
 
Ok I'm just going to go ahead and ask it. wtf was a student pilot doing flying around at night?

I'm wondering if this got back to her CFI in the form of an inspector.
 
:yeahthat:
This lady should be permanently barred from airplanes. People that give up scare me. If nothing else, fake it until you figure out where you are.
 
Ok I'm just going to go ahead and ask it. wtf was a student pilot doing flying around at night?

I'm wondering if this got back to her CFI in the form of an inspector.

The impression I got (and I could be wrong) was that she wandered south of the border and got lost. Not considering she was out of US airspace, she couldn't figure out why she couldn't orient herself on the chart. She flew around trying to orient herself and it got dark in that process.
 
A CFI should not endorse a student pilot's logbook for solo flight if there is any chance that unforseen circumstances could put them out there when the sun goes down.
 
Happens all the time down here in Florida - with international students especially.

I'll bet she is an international student as well (English accent), the fact that Gillespie was her home airport makes me think that she was one of the students at the English-American school (I think is called something like that) I was there a couple of years ago to get fingerprinted (at the school) for a TSA clearance. The school's lobby was full of Brits (boys and girls)
 
Poor girl, I don't care who you are being lost in the air is scary as ####! Doubly so at night. I'm glad she kept it together best she could and got home safe. Much respect for controllers and all they do.
 
Happens all the time down here in Florida - with international students especially.

yup, its normal of them to land at havana and think they just landed in key west :D

FL is tough.... in the middle its nothing but swamp down here.

edit:

just read it... musta been real hard for her. I can't imagine being lost. but I have to say I really trust these controllers... more than I probably should. they always do a great job.
 
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