Most people see pilots as two beings in the flight deck as they walk onto an airline heading to a destination. On smaller aircraft you might even sit right seat next to your pilot, but there is a level of trust in knowing your pilot knows what he is doing. What happens then when your pilot has a momentary lapse in thought before a flight how do you feel?

I always try and present myself in the most professional way I can, with everything I need neatly organized in a file, so when it comes to meeting passengers every form and document needed is presented as requested without an issue. The way it should be. Being new to the company I have a lot to learn but I try and pride myself on being organized.

Last week, the wheels came off the wagon so to speak. I arrived in Ndola late, about 25minutes behind schedule, I shrugged it off as just a delay. Luckily the other pilot was also delayed so I went across to the payment office and payed my landing fees. I returned to the aircraft placing all my documents inside, then as fate would predict the delayed pilot landed so I walked across the apron to meet him. We had a brief chat and proceeded with immigration duties with out passengers. Thinking all the legalities are out of the way, I usher the passengers to the Cessna 207.

Upon reaching the aircraft I realize I don’t have the keys in my pocket, having left the pilot door unlocked I start looking through the aircraft in all the usual places I put the keys. They aren’t on the fuel selector, they aren’t in my file, and they aren’t hanging on the DI. Having to apologize to the passengers I take a walk back to the terminal building and start asking staff who I have interacted with if I left my keys there. To no avail I leave the terminal building and give the pilot in the other plane a call asking if the keys weren’t possibly in between the documents I handed to him. He assures me he doesn’t have the keys.

I return to the aircraft in a spiral dive not knowing where the keys are imagining the phone call to the chief pilot telling him I’m stranded in Ndola not because of technical issues but because me as the pilot in command thew away the keys. I do another inspection of the plane and no luck. Now I’m getting desperate, I can’t keep looking through the same folders and same seat pockets, so I revert to my headset bag. lo and behold the keys are in my headset bag but in a compartment I never use so didn’t think to look in it. Now 20minutes have passed and we barely started loading the aircraft.

As the bags start being loaded airport security approach me requesting I return to the payment office, as apparently I did not pay for transit of the passengers in question. I run back to the payment office to plea my innocence to no affair and $50 later I return to the aircraft at this stage quite flustered and with passengers quite confused at this time.

We all board the aircraft, I talk them all through the briefing of having seatbelts tightend I’m in the process of starting the engine when I realize I never removed the chocks. I move my seat back and open my door, get out, remove the chocks, get back in and quite disheartened at this stage attempt to start the engine.

If any reader has tried to start a hot piston engine you know it goes one of two ways, either she slowly stutters to life or yours in for a fight. That day she wanted a fight. I boosted the fuel flow to 14Gallons per hour stable, retarded the throttle and attempted to start the engine. She semi ignited but then died and continued this until the second attempt. At this stage I went with a flooded start, with all the controls forward, I over-primed the engine and retarded the mixture. On start you slowly advance th mixture until the engine fires, at fire, you retard the throttle to over speed the engine and then adjust the mixture.

With me having lost keys, being called back to pay the correct landing fees, struggling to start the engine, I can only imagine the mental state of my passasngers before take-off. Luckily the flight went without glitches and we had a smooth landing.

Let me know if you had a similar experience and your thoughts.

Blue skies ahead and keep the wheels below.