AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2018 - 102

2018 AOPA

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P&E

NEVER AGAIN

We had gambled both of our lives on a single
comment made by a fellow club member.
Runway 17R, and awaited takeoff clearance. It came moments later, and we
started our takeoff roll on the 4,500 feet
remaining, canopy in the full open position. The first hint that something wasn't
right came at about the same time as
the end of the runway. As we sluggishly
became airborne, air pressure was pulsating on our ears and the turbulence in
the cockpit was extreme. Our climb rate
was terrible, maybe 100 feet per minute
at best. I thought we were having engine
problems, as I had never seen such poor
performance. The throttle was pushed
full forward, and the engine instruments
were all normal, so I ruled that out.
The cause dawned on us both at about
the same time as we glanced behind us
at the open canopy. Reaching backward,
over our heads, we struggled desperately
to close it. In the full open position, it
sat just out of arm's reach, in fact, I had
to loosen my seatbelt just to get my fingers on it.
Runway now behind us, we continued
barely climbing as we crossed Highway
3. The canopy appeared to be stuck, as
it would not budge. Knowing how desperately we needed that canopy closed,
we both leaned way back, seat belts loosened, and reached for the canopy with
all of our hands. It must have been quite
a sight for folks on the ground, us both
partially standing up reaching back, canopy wide open, neither of us on the flight
controls. We tugged and tugged on it and
it began to move ever so slowly. It became
easier to move the farther forward it
came, and we finally were able to get it
shut and latched with a satisfying "click."
Thankfully, the climb rate increased substantially and we were able to complete a
normal pattern.
Once we got on the ground, we immediately dug out the pilot's operating
handbook and read up on the topic. We
found that yes, it is possible to fly with
102 | AOPA PILOT June 2018

the canopy open in flight, but only a certain number of inches and certainly not
for takeoff. In hindsight, the situation was
made worse because of the summer density altitude and our decision to make an
intersection takeoff. We were extremely
lucky that we didn't get too slow, lose control, or have the canopy break off (and take
the tail with it). We had gambled both of
our lives on a single comment made by a
fellow club member. I have since learned
that instead of taking what a fellow pilot
says at face value, I can say, "That sounds
right, but let's look it up to be sure." I
think President Ronald Reagan said it
best: "Trust, but verify."
Years later, my co-pilot and I were
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. As we hung
around the FBO waiting for our afternoon
airline flight home, we were approached
by a Gulfstream pilot who offered us a ride
to Houston since his crew had an empty
leg. A comfy ride home in a Gulfstream
sounded infinitely better than experiencing a multi-leg regional airline ordeal.
We were about to take him up on his offer
when he added, "It's no biggie, but the
slats and flaps are inoperative on our airplane." Exchanging looks with my own
co-pilot, I asked the Gulfstream captain,
"Is it legal to fly that airplane without slats
and flaps, and what does the performance
data say?" He responded with, "Well,
there is no data for that, but you needn't
worry, because I have over 10,000 hours
and I know what the airplane can do."
"Thanks for the offer, but we'll just go
ahead and wait for our airline flight." AOPA
MARTIN MURAT lives in Sugar Land, Texas,

and is a corporate Gulfstream G150 captain.
DIGITAL EXTRA Hear this and

other original "Never Again"
stories as podcasts every month
on iTunes and download audio
files free (www.aopa.org/
never_again).
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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2018

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