Why not have a placard on the dash of each plane with the full name, just as you'd recite it to tower? I'm an attorney, and when I'm arguing in court I always write the client's name at the top of the my notes, just in case I have a senior moment and it slips my mind.
Mike Taglieri On Oct 24, 2015 8:25 PM, "Mike Stirewalt via KRnet" <krnet at list.krnet.org> wrote: > It's becoming a problem, more so as I get older. I've pulled the plane > out of the hangar and taxiied down the ramp to the entrance to the > taxiway and realize, too late in some cases, that I'm not flying a > Griffon-powered Mark XIV Spitfire. I'm actually at the controls of my > GP2180-powered KR-1?. The two planes are so strikingly alike that > confusing the two is causing me occasional embarrassment when I'm calling > ground or the tower and get as far as "Experimental . . . . . uh, stand > by please." I get no further because I don't have a quick way to identify > which airplane I'm flying that day. I have the registration numbers > memorized of course but figuring out which plane I'm flying is the > problem. How do others on the forum handle this dilemma? I'm sure I'm not > the only one this happens to. It's easy to get them confused. The props > turn the same direction. The airfoils are the same. The airframes are > both made of wood and the tails both sit on the ground. Really, unless > you're outside and looking at them side by side, how do you tell? You'd > think I would be able to hear the difference in engine sound except my > Halo headset is so efficient at blocking external sounds I really can't > hear anything except the radio. Yes, the N numbers are placarded just in > front of me on the panel but I often don't think quickly enough to look. > When I'm sitting there in a quandry and the tower is waiting for me to > give them more information, if I could remind myself in some quick and > foolproof way that I don't actually own a Mark XIV Spitfire, that would > at least help. However, in the heat of operations, when I'm under such > pressure and stress, I get confused as to whether I do or I don't own a > Mark XIV Griffon-powered Spitfire. > As we Baby Boomers age, NextGen is arriving just in time. With all > communications by automated datalink, aircraft ID will not be dependent > upon the pilot remembering which plane he's flying. So that'll be a big > relief. Until then though, what little tricks/memnonics/etc. do you guys > use to avoid this kind of confusion? > Thanks, > Mike > KSEE > > ____________________________________________________________ > American Express Travel > Get the Lowest Hotel Rate Guaranteed at Amextravel.com. Terms Apply. > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/562c2121f15f421214619st04vuc > > _______________________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at http://tugantek.com/archmailv2-kr/search. > To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to KRnet-leave at list.krnet.org > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change > options >
