Yesterday I was flying some practice approaches and there was a little chop in the air. I was on the GPS 31 to CID and as I was trying move the heading bug my hand slipped during one of the bumps and hit my avionics switch…yep…turned off everything. And let me tell you they don’t boot back up nearly as fast when you seem to really want them. Luckily it was VFR…other wise I’d need new shorts. So, be careful, especially if you’re in actual.
A funny story at the same time. I was in the pattern practicing some cross wind landings and there was a C172 in the pattern as well. The 172 was following me the first time around the track. I did my touch n go and as I was turning base to my second time around the 172 was on the radio wanting to know if I had turned down wind yet. I guess we are a lot faster than people think. If I didn’t do a full stop the second time around i would have passed him up and been doing my third landing before he did his second.
Gotta love the speed. And, I wasn’t even going that fast!
Yesterday I was flying some practice approaches and there was a little chop in the air. I was on the GPS 31 to CID and as I was trying move the heading bug my hand slipped during one of the bumps and hit my avionics switch…yep…turned off everything. And let me tell you they don’t boot back up nearly as fast when you seem to really want them. Luckily it was VFR…other wise I’d need new shorts. So, be careful, especially if you’re in actual.
Yep… exactly the same thing happened to me a couple of months back (see this post on the members forum).
Happened to me too. Imagine that. All of Mike’s great flying, and this is what I imitate.
Andy,
No great flying; and all of my OK flying happens between all of my great screw-ups. Nothing makes me feel as though I have so much to learn as often, as regularly, and as pointedly as flying.
On this issue of accidentally switching off the Avionics switch, I count at least four people who’ve managed to do it so far:
Paul Faganel
Mike Radomsky
Andy Bresler
Marty Kent
I assume that if we can do it, others can, too. And if we hit the Avionics switch, other bolster panel switches are vulnerable, too.
One “habit change” for me as a result of this experience is that I now save my flight plan in the GNS430, even if it’s a one-shot flight. That way, if I have to “recover” my plan mid-flight, I can.
I’ve looked at the underside of the switch panel on the bolster. Shouldn’t be too hard to put a set of “switch fences” on each side of the avionics master…
BTW - I’m left-handed, so I always reach for the knobs with my right hand while keeping my left on the control stick. So far, I’ve only managed to turn off the lights by mistake in turbulence, but I do agree there should be some sort of protector over the bolster switches…
I have a left handed friend who is interested in buying a Cirrus but is a bit concerned about how the heck he is going to fly the airplane and copy clearances and perform any other actions (drinking coffee?) with his right hand. Can you tell us how you manage such tasks left-handed? Obviously the autopilot can help, but how about if the autopilot is inop?
I’m left-handed, so I always reach for the knobs with my right hand while keeping my left on the control stick. So far, I’ve only managed to turn off the lights by mistake in turbulence, but I do agree there should be some sort of protector over the bolster switches…
Bill,
Nanu Nanu… I’m a southpaw too. What’s this about a control stick? I guess I let my autopilot fly me around too much!
Anyway, for one solution that works, go to a drugstore and buy yourself a two pairs of Mack’s Ear Plugs for about $3. Or, you can order them here and probably a dozen other places online. Or, you can buy a good toothbrush… or a watch band… anything that comes in a long, shallow, plastic box. Said box makes a handy cover for the most important bolster panel switches, and your spouse will be impressed by your thoughtful gift.
The box must be transparent, so that you can see the positions of the switches. If your Mack box is like mine, you’ll need to do some plastic engineering with a pair of scissors, to liberate the cover from the part you really want.
I first used scotch tape to attach the box, but then decided to try Velcro - seems like all decent aviation solutions use Velcro. Either way, make it so it hinges at the back. I liked the Ear Plugs box because it was soft, bendable plastic - seems to me that the brittle kind would break sooner or later.
I flew with this on all day today, and worked well. I didn’t hear a peep from those switches, either… Mack makes a quality product!
Assuming that’s a serious question…[:)]
Right now, MY autopilot IS inop! ARGH! @#%^%#$ (dead roll trim motor). Copying clearances on the ground is no big deal, just reach over with your right hand and hold the stick if you need to correct for wind while taxiing and writing. In the air, yes, the autopilot is a great help. If no autopilot, trimming the plane well lets you let go of the stick for the few sec. it takes to copy a clearance. (steer with rudder inputs only - its easy and good practice.) If its too bumpy, make ATC wait or repeat as needed to get it right. A knee-board (or equivalent) on your left leg is a must, and again, I sometimes just hold the stick right-handed if necessary. Drinking and eating right-handed is no prob. and keeping your flight bag / organizer / pile of in-flight stuff in the right seat helps, but I’m not even going to speculate on the"…perform any other actions …" you might be referring to! [:D]
(Also, using clearance shorthand cuts the “hands-off” time down - get the “ATC Clears- IFR clearance shorthand” cassette from Jeppesen; its GREAT!)
Obviously the autopilot can help, but how about if the autopilot is inop?
Gordon,
Like Bill, I’m left handed. I can count only two times that I’ve had to write things down while hand-flying. One time to take a clearance while flying with an inop autopilot; the second time to copy down info from some poor guy who’d landed his Cessna in a field because of an inop engine; I was orbiting the scene.
In both cases, for the few seconds I needed to actually write, I had no trouble flying the airplane with the “wrong” hand. It felt a bit strange, but it was quite doable.
Still, this is not the airplane for a lefty unless you can count on the autopilot when you need to write… so I do.
Hey Mike you gave me a great idea! I’ll try it out when I get my plane. Being a dentist I can take an impression of that segment of the panel and make a model. Relieve (by blocking out) over the rocker switches and then make a suck down (vacuum) clear plastic shield that covers the area precisely. At least that’s my theory.
As a lefty, I’m curious if any owners have been checked out flying from the right side, and if so, was there any difficulty in seeing/reading the radio & MFD screens?
As a lefty, I’m curious if any owners have been checked out flying from the right side, and if so, was there any difficulty in seeing/reading the radio & MFD screens?
John,
I’ve flown right seat in both the '20 and the '22… No special difficulties, any more than flying right seat in other airplanes (parallax on some instruments, etc… ); although reading the Sandel EHSI from the right was marginal. Garmins and Arnav screen were fine.
Same as everyone else. Your right hand is needed for the Throttle, Prop, Mixture, etc., so for the yoke, you have to use the only hand that’s, er, left. [;)]
[Things get complicated when you fly right seat, because the only hand that’s left is your right hand…]
If it were me, I’d just practice writing numbers and vor’s for a few hours with my right hand. In my experience, re-routing is frequent while in the air, but usually the amount of copy is relatively brief…maybe one or two fixes to an approach transition and an altitude.