AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 85
IT'S AN OLD JOKE THAT PILOTS OFTEN TELL:
"Sure, I fly IFR: I Follow Roads." But, in the
earliest days of aviation, that was nearly the
only navigation available. Pilots followed
landmarks, such as roads, railroad tracks,
or rivers. Today, while GPS is a better navigational tool, some roads still offer what
could be a pilot's lifesaver: an emergency
landing site.
In July 2017, Jim O'Donnell, a pilot
from Long Island, New York, demonstrated that it's possible to land on a
highway in one of the busiest suburbs in
the nation. After departing Brookhaven
Airport, O'Donnell's Cessna 206 developed an engine problem that forced him
to land on Sunrise Highway in North
Bellport. He touched down among the
cars, rolling out under an overpass and
pulling off the road onto the shoulder.
The Suffolk County Police chief told ABC
and a 4-foot wide inside shoulder. So, a pilot
should have at least a 38-foot-wide surface for landing. In mountainous areas,
it may be only 36 feet. As the number of
lanes increases, so does the shoulder width
requirement. While additional lanes give a
pilot more space, that usually means more
traffic, too.
A Piper Super Cub has a 35-foot wingspan, a Cessna 172 wing is 36 feet, and a
Cirrus SR22 wing is 38 feet 4 inches. On
a two-lane highway with standard shoulders you might ding the wing tip, but you
should have enough room to land in one
large piece. Obviously, landing precisely in
the middle of the available space is essential-which isn't always the middle of the
driving lanes, as the shoulders may not be
equal widths. If landing on an interstate
with two 12-foot lanes plus 10- and 4-foot
shoulders, you'd want to be centered 3 feet
It's usually suggested that pilots avoid roads
as potential landing sites. But, what about
interstate highways?
News, "He came in over the street sign
that stretches across Sunrise Highway and
was able to land in between that and the
overpass. He kind of threaded the needle
there, and it looks like he did a pretty nice
job under the circumstances. He didn't hit
any cars, and no one got hurt."
It's usually suggested that pilots avoid
roads as potential landing sites. They're
unknown quantities; lined by utility
poles, trees, and fences; and may be narrow, steep, and in any condition. But, what
about interstate highways? Our nationwide road system is built to standards
set by the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials,
and could provide an emergency landing
surface built to known specifications.
to the right of the centerline between the
two driving lanes.
The maximum grade for interstates is
6 percent, or 7 percent through mountainous areas. If you can determine which way
a road slopes, always land uphill. A downhill landing will take a long distance as the
airplane floats while the roadway drops
beneath it, and a pilot will need the brakes
to stop.
Pilots may consider landing on the
median, but that seems to be a worse choice
than the road. It's often filled with shrubs or
trees and usually has a drainage ditch. For
interstate highways, the minimum median
width is 36 feet in rural areas, but it may be
only 10 feet in urban or mountainous areas.
BUILT TO SPEC
Power lines often don't run parallel to
interstates as they do on secondary roads.
High-voltage power lines may cross
the interstate, but they're rare. Local
WHAT
YOU
NEED
SUPERIOR
WEATHER
ALL FLIGHT LONG
Exclusive features
not available on
ADS-B weather
2-MONTH TRIAL offer at
AOPA.org/SiriusXM
OBSTRUCTIONS
Interstate highways will have at least two
lanes in each direction with a lane width of
12 feet, plus a 10-foot wide outside shoulder
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 85
©2018 Sirius XM Radio Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.AOPA.org/SiriusXM
http://www.aopa.org/pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 16A
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 17A
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 34
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 94
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 100
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 106
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 111
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 113
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 115
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 116
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 117
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 118
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover4
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