damnrookie
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esa17 wrote:
Hey guys,
I'm freshly back from my first commercial charter flight in a twin engine airplane. Actually, this was my first flight in my nearly 30 hours of twin time without an instructor on board. At about 8,500 4 miles east of Greenville Texas I felt a shudder and knew something wasn't right. Upon looking at my engine gauges I saw a distinct lack of oil pressure on the left side. My passenger about that time brought it to my attention that the left engine was puking oil all over the outside of the cowl. I feathered the prop, idled the mixture, killed the mags, and declared the emergency. The controller wasn't as helpful as I'm sure he'd like to think he was because three times during this event he asked me to copy a phone number so I could call him and let him know I made it down safely. I don't remember saying it but apparently I did, as my pax later informed me, but I guess I snapped at the controller: "I'm a little busy right now!" After a quick handoff I made a greaser landing at KGVT with the dead engine in front of an audience of emergency vehicles. This was my first full blown emergency and I guess I handled it well. Except for the engine there is no damage to the plane and everyone walked away with one hell of a story to tell. I figured you guys might get a kick out of the story too. Here are a few snaps of the aftermath:
On the taxiway:
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http://jfc17.smugmug.com/photos/182553208-M.jpg |
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What unbridled relief looks like:
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http://jfc17.smugmug.com/photos/182553520-M.jpg |
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http://jfc17.smugmug.com/photos/182553930-M.jpg |
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I earned my cash today but if I had been smart I would have renegotiated my fee during the approach....Show more →
I am still catching up on this thread, and have not made it to the end yet, but thought I would hop in on this one.
I am a center controller at Minneapolis Center (eastern nebraska, nw iowa), and I have what is the likely explanation for the controller bugging you about the phone number for the down time.
On any emergency, we are required to get a down time. This is also a time when our supervisors get anxious - because if we do not get the down time, they have to do a bit of work tracking someone down. They also take heat from the watch manager, who would also have to get involved tracking someone down if we do not get a down time somewhat promptly.
Don't misunderstand, it is important to both you and us to get that time asap - we need to begin to act asap in the case of an aircraft not arriving safely. (happened twice to me in my 17 years as a controller). We do not want controllers to be complacent in these situations, just assuming that the call will come at some point or another.
My best guess is that there was a sup bugging the controller about this, wanting to make sure he did not have to try to track you down, and the controller was doing what he was told. We are in a strange situation in our working environment, and are often much more on edge than we ever used to be, because of our labor relations at the moment. This means that some may forget briefly how much grief they might be causing the pilot at the time with repeated requests/transmissions.
I have many stories about these types of situations, and it is always a difficult call from our side on how much and when to bug the pilot. The more experience on our side, the better, but the increased pressures for the past couple of years might make some of us get it a bit wrong from time to time, and for that I apologize to all.
For the most part, though, you will not find a group of people who are absolutely concerned about and committed to the safety of those we serve.
If any of you are flying in the area from MCW - FSD - ONL - GRI - TKO - PWE - SUX - DSM - MCW, and it is not too busy, ask if JN is working - that is me.
Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread, it is absolutely amazing. I hope to get out to one of our local fields and try to come just a little close to what you guys have shown here!
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I sure enjoyed working for the pilots, but don't miss for one second the rest of the job. ( 5 months retired from ZOB) 
