When I heard this story, I couldn't believe it. It concerned the owner of a nice Cessna 172, who had a bad case of get-home-itus, and the sad story of how his pride and joy managed to take off without him...
I have survived five checkrides in my 18-year flying history, and I dreaded every one. Only one, my private pilot checkride, felt good from the start, perhaps because I had no idea what to expect or didn't understand the consequences of a pink slip.
Two summers ago, a British Airways crew found themselves unable to provide roll control to their Boeing 747-136 as the 28 year old aircraft carried some 300 passengers from Detroit, Mich., to London, England.