In Flight Distractions

Today my wife and I flew out to see my grandmother. She fell and broke her hip, so we went to see her before she started therapy on Monday.

On the way home, my door popped open at some point after take off. At the time, I didn't know it and my co-pilot wife made a remark about how she felt cool air blowing around the cabin. I cranked up the heater, but could still feel some cool air. She then pointed to my door being open about 2 inches.

Yikes!

What a good example of a real live distraction. At the time, I was climbing out and picking up my IFR clearance in the air from South Bend Approach Control. I got so distracted by trying to close the door in the air, that I missed the whole clearance and needed them to read back the hole thing to me. At this point, I thought "what am I doing??" - Just fly the airplane - and that's exactly what I did the rest of the flight home. I left the door alone - the plane was just fine and it wasn't even that much louder in the plane.

My wife had some valid concerns about me falling out of the airplane, but I wasn't worried. I was belted in, and it would have required one hell of a push on the door to open it even a couple more inches (as I experienced as I tried to open it a little more so I could close it).

This is kind of funny, because one of the distractions that I like to give to my students is to sneak my arm around behind them and pop the window open on take off roll. Payback time, I guess. :)