Tue, Oct 24, 2006
Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.")
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you
may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be
something we might never have considered before, or something that
didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized
it for the practical test.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network.
Aero-Tips 10.24.06
Reviewing the FAA's Top 10 list of pilot error mishaps,
yesterday we discussed off-airport landings-precautionary (such as
when weather is moving in) and intentional (a preplanned landing on
an unimproved surface). Today we'll look at another aspect of
"selection of unsuitable terrain" as a mishap cause: what to do if
the engine quits and you can't make it to a runway.
Spiral down
I consistently had trouble getting to a good landing spot in my
early simulations of the engine-failure off-airport landing. I'd
pick a field and aim for it, only to glide out of range during a
circuit down to final approach. That's when someone mentioned that
I should not fly to a field, I should pick a field very nearby and
spiral down over it. This keeps you constantly within range of the
field, so if you misjudge your glide you can always turn directly
toward it and land.
Notes:
- This requires that you pick a field that is wide as well as
long.
- Best survivability comes when touchdown ground speed is as
slow as possible. This requires landing into the wind; a misjudged
glide and turn toward the field may result in landing at a higher
groundspeed, increasing the risk of injury.
The Commercial Pilot Practical Test Standards include evaluation
of this maneuver, the Steep Spiral (Area of Operation V Task
B).
Getting real
Picking the field requires evaluation of a number of variables.
There's an excellent on-line narrative by John Brandon
that warrants reading. Scroll down especially to section 3.3 and
his description of criteria for choosing an emergency off-airport
landing site.
Aero-tip of the day: Be on the lookout for
potential emergency landing zones continually while in visual
flight.
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