But I want to go home!
Listening to the good people in ATC and flight service
By Barbara Santamaria
It was a humid August evening in Toronto, Canada, in the 1990s. I was a flight instructor at the time and was lucky enough to possess my very own 1978 Cessna 172, which I would use to fly from my home airport Toronto Buttonville (CYKZ) to Toronto City Centre (CYTZ) where I instructed.
What happened
I could see some lightning off to the west, but since I was going north, I wasn’t too concerned about how that would affect me.
Do the right thing
Decision making
Approximately 75 percent of all aircraft accidents are caused by pilot error, with a large number the result of poor decisions. Making good decisions about flying doesn’t require exceptional judgment—just the ability to anticipate and recognize basic problems, and then take timely action to correct them. airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/dotherightthing
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As I did not enjoy flying at night, I always made it a habit to depart for home just before full dark. My time in the air to get from City Centre to Buttonville was a reliable 0.2 on the Hobbs meter, or 12 minutes. It was a straight line north that kept me clear of any restricted airspace or other areas that might require a deviation, and I had flown the route so many times that it had become routine.
I was slightly busier than usual that day and was behind schedule to get home before full dark. My 172 was waiting patiently for me on the ramp, and after completing a quick walk-around, I jumped in and started up. Normally, I would have called flight service first to confirm the weather en route, but I had done this trip so many times that I decided this could be omitted from my preflight routine, since I was in a hurry. Sound familiar?
I could see some lightning off to the west, but since I was going north, I wasn’t too concerned about how that would affect me. When I called ground control for taxi instructions, the controller on duty suggested that I wait because of lightning in the area. Hmm, I thought. I’ve already started the aircraft, and I really just want to get going. In any event, I surmised, the lightning was not on my route of flight.
Not to be put off, I explained all of this to the controller, whom I knew could not prevent me from leaving. Fortunately for me, however, he was not to be deterred. “There is another aircraft also on its way to Buttonville that is waiting,” he informed me, to appeal to my better judgment. “Fine!” I replied, feeling annoyed. “I’ll call flight service and then get back to you.”
When I called flight service, I was informed that a tornado had just passed through Buttonville and would have coincided precisely with my arrival time at the field. More than gobsmacked, I was left humbled by the knowledge that if not for the insistence of the controller on duty that night, I would likely have met with a not so happy fate.
I have never forgotten this most impressive lesson, and to this day, I make it a habit to always call flight service before every flight. Despite all the technology available for us to reference without ever having to talk to anyone, there is no substitute, in my humble opinion, for the invaluable input that these professionals offer.
I share this story with all my students. When it comes to aviation, haste is not your friend. As the saying goes, better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground. I never did get to thank that controller, but from the bottom of my heart I am full of gratitude, and I hope that, if nothing else, this lesson learned will help to provide all pilots with some food for thought when it comes to risk assessment and the importance of reminding oneself when decision making is clouded by desire.
