Narrative:

As a professional air show pilot I try to do everything having to do with flying right. As a professional engineer and authorized inspector, I always try to have the aircraft in tiptop condition. I have found nothing in my experience to be more disconcerting than a mechanical failure, no matter how minor, when my next flight is going to be made at low level, under highly stressful conditions, in front of over a large crowd, with my reputation on the line. Bearing all this in mind, I have developed a set of checklists and procedures which pertain to the aerobatic portion of my air show performance. However, a recent incident leads me to believe that I have not paid enough attention to the ferry phase of my operation. The flight from my home base to the air show site, some 200 nautical distant, was more or less uneventful. The WX was excellent, and I was in contact with either local approach or center for the entire trip. Being fresh and rested, I did everything correctly, at least as far as I can recall. I may have been off on my cruise altitude for some portion of the flight, but I was under radar surveillance for the entire trip, and no one said anything, so I think I was probably at the correct altitude. A maintenance glitch, a blown tire, at the air show, added to an already stressful situation. Because of worsening WX at my home base the most prudent course of action was to depart on saturday afternoon as soon as the air show was over. My first mistake was to fail to listen to the WX briefing that I obtained. It was clear that at my home base the WX was deteriorating and getting colder. I elected to make the flight home in my air show garb: short pants, light shirt, and athletic shoes. Conveying my urgency to the tower, I was cleared for an immediate taxi and departure from the intersection on runway 21. Since the wind had been switching back and forth during the time of the air show, we were alternately using runway 21 and runway 3. When I arrived at the runway, I turned the wrong way and took off on the wrong runway. It was not a problem. Tower cleared me to continue, but I was quite embarrassed about this. I flew at what I believe to have been the wrong cruising altitude for the first portion of my flight home. When instructed to squawk a particular code, I entered it in the standby side of my transponder and failed to switch it to the active side, before I was reminded to do so by approach. Then, encountering clouds, I climbed up on top, even though I had adequate clearance underneath the clouds. I wanted to avoid the moderate turbulence that had been reported. So, I soon found myself in an unheated VFR only airplane, on top of a solid deck of 10500 ft, and about -20 degree F, very, very cold. Since the WX was reported clear at my destination airport, I continued on, found a huge hole, and after notifying center, spiraled down through the hole with no further incident. I was informed by people watching me land that I made a very sloppy landing, as well. The point of the whole discussion is that I had departed after a very demanding air show, and also after having had to deal with unscheduled maintenance problems (the blown tire) probably without adequate nutrition and water. Everything worked out fine. There was no damage to anything but my ego. However, at a number of junctures, I could have found myself in serious trouble. Had I had a mechanical failure en route, I wonder if I could have handled it with the professionalism that I like to think I possess. What I have learned from this experience is that the demands of performing a low level high G air show in front of a large crowd are probably stressful enough to require at least a couple of hours rest, a thorough briefing, and complete preparation for the return flight. If possible, in the future, I will stay over another night at the air show site, in order to be better rested for the return. The aircraft that I fly is an unlimited competition airplane, and thus necessarily quite unstable and demanding to fly, no lights, and minimum amenities. The cockpit is quite comfortable but unheated. These factors combine to make ferrying the aircraft a demanding enterprise. To prevent a reoccurrence of this scenario, I have developed a ferry checklist which I will attend to with the same enthusiasm for detail that I have currently applied to my pre-show checklist.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT COMPILED A SERIES OF ERRORS HE COMMITTED AFTER COMPLETING HIS XCOUNTRY FLT FROM AN AEROBATIC ACT AT AN AIR SHOW. THE PLT TOOK OFF THE WRONG RWY, FLEW AT THE WRONG ALT, AND FAILED TO SET HIS XPONDER PROPERLY.

Narrative: AS A PROFESSIONAL AIR SHOW PLT I TRY TO DO EVERYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH FLYING RIGHT. AS A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND AUTHORIZED INSPECTOR, I ALWAYS TRY TO HAVE THE ACFT IN TIPTOP CONDITION. I HAVE FOUND NOTHING IN MY EXPERIENCE TO BE MORE DISCONCERTING THAN A MECHANICAL FAILURE, NO MATTER HOW MINOR, WHEN MY NEXT FLT IS GOING TO BE MADE AT LOW LEVEL, UNDER HIGHLY STRESSFUL CONDITIONS, IN FRONT OF OVER A LARGE CROWD, WITH MY REPUTATION ON THE LINE. BEARING ALL THIS IN MIND, I HAVE DEVELOPED A SET OF CHKLISTS AND PROCS WHICH PERTAIN TO THE AEROBATIC PORTION OF MY AIR SHOW PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, A RECENT INCIDENT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT I HAVE NOT PAID ENOUGH ATTN TO THE FERRY PHASE OF MY OP. THE FLT FROM MY HOME BASE TO THE AIR SHOW SITE, SOME 200 NAUTICAL DISTANT, WAS MORE OR LESS UNEVENTFUL. THE WX WAS EXCELLENT, AND I WAS IN CONTACT WITH EITHER LCL APCH OR CTR FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP. BEING FRESH AND RESTED, I DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, AT LEAST AS FAR AS I CAN RECALL. I MAY HAVE BEEN OFF ON MY CRUISE ALT FOR SOME PORTION OF THE FLT, BUT I WAS UNDER RADAR SURVEILLANCE FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP, AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING, SO I THINK I WAS PROBABLY AT THE CORRECT ALT. A MAINT GLITCH, A BLOWN TIRE, AT THE AIR SHOW, ADDED TO AN ALREADY STRESSFUL SIT. BECAUSE OF WORSENING WX AT MY HOME BASE THE MOST PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO DEPART ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS SOON AS THE AIR SHOW WAS OVER. MY FIRST MISTAKE WAS TO FAIL TO LISTEN TO THE WX BRIEFING THAT I OBTAINED. IT WAS CLR THAT AT MY HOME BASE THE WX WAS DETERIORATING AND GETTING COLDER. I ELECTED TO MAKE THE FLT HOME IN MY AIR SHOW GARB: SHORT PANTS, LIGHT SHIRT, AND ATHLETIC SHOES. CONVEYING MY URGENCY TO THE TWR, I WAS CLRED FOR AN IMMEDIATE TAXI AND DEP FROM THE INTXN ON RWY 21. SINCE THE WIND HAD BEEN SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH DURING THE TIME OF THE AIR SHOW, WE WERE ALTERNATELY USING RWY 21 AND RWY 3. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE RWY, I TURNED THE WRONG WAY AND TOOK OFF ON THE WRONG RWY. IT WAS NOT A PROB. TWR CLRED ME TO CONTINUE, BUT I WAS QUITE EMBARRASSED ABOUT THIS. I FLEW AT WHAT I BELIEVE TO HAVE BEEN THE WRONG CRUISING ALT FOR THE FIRST PORTION OF MY FLT HOME. WHEN INSTRUCTED TO SQUAWK A PARTICULAR CODE, I ENTERED IT IN THE STANDBY SIDE OF MY XPONDER AND FAILED TO SWITCH IT TO THE ACTIVE SIDE, BEFORE I WAS REMINDED TO DO SO BY APCH. THEN, ENCOUNTERING CLOUDS, I CLBED UP ON TOP, EVEN THOUGH I HAD ADEQUATE CLRNC UNDERNEATH THE CLOUDS. I WANTED TO AVOID THE MODERATE TURB THAT HAD BEEN RPTED. SO, I SOON FOUND MYSELF IN AN UNHEATED VFR ONLY AIRPLANE, ON TOP OF A SOLID DECK OF 10500 FT, AND ABOUT -20 DEG F, VERY, VERY COLD. SINCE THE WX WAS RPTED CLR AT MY DEST ARPT, I CONTINUED ON, FOUND A HUGE HOLE, AND AFTER NOTIFYING CTR, SPIRALED DOWN THROUGH THE HOLE WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. I WAS INFORMED BY PEOPLE WATCHING ME LAND THAT I MADE A VERY SLOPPY LNDG, AS WELL. THE POINT OF THE WHOLE DISCUSSION IS THAT I HAD DEPARTED AFTER A VERY DEMANDING AIR SHOW, AND ALSO AFTER HAVING HAD TO DEAL WITH UNSCHEDULED MAINT PROBS (THE BLOWN TIRE) PROBABLY WITHOUT ADEQUATE NUTRITION AND WATER. EVERYTHING WORKED OUT FINE. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO ANYTHING BUT MY EGO. HOWEVER, AT A NUMBER OF JUNCTURES, I COULD HAVE FOUND MYSELF IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. HAD I HAD A MECHANICAL FAILURE ENRTE, I WONDER IF I COULD HAVE HANDLED IT WITH THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT I LIKE TO THINK I POSSESS. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE IS THAT THE DEMANDS OF PERFORMING A LOW LEVEL HIGH G AIR SHOW IN FRONT OF A LARGE CROWD ARE PROBABLY STRESSFUL ENOUGH TO REQUIRE AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HRS REST, A THOROUGH BRIEFING, AND COMPLETE PREPARATION FOR THE RETURN FLT. IF POSSIBLE, IN THE FUTURE, I WILL STAY OVER ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE AIR SHOW SITE, IN ORDER TO BE BETTER RESTED FOR THE RETURN. THE ACFT THAT I FLY IS AN UNLIMITED COMPETITION AIRPLANE, AND THUS NECESSARILY QUITE UNSTABLE AND DEMANDING TO FLY, NO LIGHTS, AND MINIMUM AMENITIES. THE COCKPIT IS QUITE COMFORTABLE BUT UNHEATED. THESE FACTORS COMBINE TO MAKE FERRYING THE ACFT A DEMANDING ENTERPRISE. TO PREVENT A REOCCURRENCE OF THIS SCENARIO, I HAVE DEVELOPED A FERRY CHKLIST WHICH I WILL ATTEND TO WITH THE SAME ENTHUSIASM FOR DETAIL THAT I HAVE CURRENTLY APPLIED TO MY PRE-SHOW CHKLIST.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.