Flight Training - May 2012 - (Page 28)
HOLD ’EM, OR DROP ’EM?
A great way to start a hangar argument is with the question of how to make a forced landing with retractable gear. Are you better off keeping it up or putting it down? First the good news: Either way, your odds are pretty good, as long as the airplane touches down under positive control. A quick check of five years’ worth of forced landings in retracts found that in 84 percent, everyone on board survived. Impacts with the airplane out of control are fatal just about that often. The main tradeoff is between inevitable damage to the airplane— not necessarily catastrophic—in a gear-up landing and more serious injuries if the gear snags and it noses over. The surface below has a lot to do with that. In a gear-down water ditching, a noseover is almost certain. The airplane will be totaled anyway, so keep the wheels up. If you’re over a turf farm or deserted highway, though, it’s almost a normal landing. The airplane could escape damage altogether, so put ’em down. With plowed fields, gear-up is best if the crops are tall or you have to land across the furrows. On ranchland, lower the gear only if the terrain is smooth and free of obstacles like barbed-wire fences or boulders. —David Jack Kenny, Air Safety Institute
No matter how much altitude you have available, avoid the common error of denial: frantically attempting to restart an engine that may never restart, all while losing precious altitude and airspeed. Instead, immediately adjust pitch attitude to obtain the best/recommended glide speed (don’t forget to trim as you slow down) while simultaneously scanning for your best landing site option.
could get help more quickly after landing. A cross-furrow landing will increase the chances of flipping the airplane over onto its back after touchdown, so for retractable-gear aircraft, a gear-up landing might be preferable if a cross-furrow landing becomes your only option (see “Hold ’Em, or Drop ’Em?” above).
STEP THREE:
GLIDE/MANEUVER TO A KEY POSITION.
gency landing site selection, time is of the essence. Get in the excellent habit of scanning the area immediately ahead of the aircraft during every takeoff and throughout the initial climb, so you’ll have a maneuvering plan in mind should the engine fail right after any takeoff. Doing this helps eliminate the deer-in-the-headlights reaction should the engine fail at a critically low altitude. When selecting a field from higher altitudes, if you have a map display in your aircraft, a quick scan for nearby airports or selecting the “nearest airport” function of a GPS would be a great way to begin your search. If an off-airport landing is required, consider the fields nearest the aircraft first, widening your scan as necessary until your best/nearest option is determined. Plan to land aligned with (parallel to) any plowed furrows (if present) but as much into the wind as possible, and preferably near a house or farm so you
28 / FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG
LANDING SITE SELECTION. For emer-
STEP TWO:
To a large extent, the altitude you have available when the engine fails will determine your maneuvering options. If the engine fails with only 500 feet available, you’re already on base or short final to whatever fields you see. A 180-degree turn from 500 feet is not advisable, or even possible in many GA aircraft. Above 1,000 feet, once a landing site has been selected, you should immediately visualize a plan that enables you to reach a point approximately abeam of the landing site at about 1,000 feet above the ground. This position, known as the “key position,” is where your final approach to a safe landing begins. Think of being abeam the numbers on the downwind leg of an airport traffic pattern. With plenty of excess altitude, reaching this key position might require one or more 360-degree turns over your landing site while descending to the 1,000-foot target. Be prepared to adjust your final turn radius to ensure reaching 1,000 feet agl at the same time you arrive at the key position. While gliding at best-recommended
glide speed, maximize the time you have by reducing all drag as much as possible: landing gear—Up; flaps—Up; propeller control—Low rpm. Avoid a plan that includes simply flying a straight line to the planned runway without any maneuvering; if you misjudge you could easily fall short of your selected field. The ability to consistently “connect the dots” by maneuvering from the point of the engine failure to arrive at the key position at the correct altitude requires excellent skill and judgment and is the most challenging aspect to master, but it is absolutely essential to a consistently safe and effective completion of the engine-out emergency procedure.
established in your maneuvering plan to reach the key position, you can begin to confirm whether you truly need to be making an emergency landing at all. Statistically, most engines fail because of pilot-induced fuel mismanagement. Begin your engine restart attempts by adjusting (enrich and/or lean) the fuel mixture, turning on the fuel boost pump (if installed), and selecting a different fuel tank. This leaves only a few other corrections that might possibly bring life back to your engine: carburetor heat or engine alternate air—On; ignition switches checked—On; fuel primer—In and locked; magneto— Both. Outside of pumping the throttle to
ENGINE RESTART FLOW. Once you are
STEP FOUR:
http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - May 2012
Flight Training - May 2012
Weather
President’s Perspective
Right Seat
Letters
Working Class
How It Works
News Training Products
After the Checkride
News
Since You Asked
ASI News
News
News AOPA Action
Final Exam Member Products
Flying Carpet
You Were Ready for This
The Right Stuff
Jesse and David's Excellent Adventure
Technique
Checkride
Flight Lesson
Game Changer
Career Advisor
Tech Talk
Atta Boy!
What Is Stick-And-Rudder Flying?
Where Was I?
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - May 2012
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flight Training - May 2012 (Page Cover1)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flight Training - May 2012 (Page Cover2)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flight Training - May 2012 (Page 1)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flight Training - May 2012 (Page 2)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flight Training - May 2012 (Page 3)
Flight Training - May 2012 - President’s Perspective (Page 4)
Flight Training - May 2012 - President’s Perspective (Page 5)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Right Seat (Page 6)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Right Seat (Page 7)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Letters (Page 8)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Letters (Page 9)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Working Class (Page 10)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Working Class (Page 11)
Flight Training - May 2012 - How It Works (Page 12)
Flight Training - May 2012 - News Training Products (Page 13)
Flight Training - May 2012 - After the Checkride (Page 14)
Flight Training - May 2012 - News (Page 15)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Since You Asked (Page 16)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Since You Asked (Page 17)
Flight Training - May 2012 - ASI News (Page 18)
Flight Training - May 2012 - News (Page 19)
Flight Training - May 2012 - News AOPA Action (Page 20)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Final Exam Member Products (Page 21)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flying Carpet (Page 22)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flying Carpet (Page 23)
Flight Training - May 2012 - You Were Ready for This (Page 24)
Flight Training - May 2012 - You Were Ready for This (Page 25)
Flight Training - May 2012 - You Were Ready for This (Page 26)
Flight Training - May 2012 - You Were Ready for This (Page 27)
Flight Training - May 2012 - You Were Ready for This (Page 28)
Flight Training - May 2012 - You Were Ready for This (Page 29)
Flight Training - May 2012 - The Right Stuff (Page 30)
Flight Training - May 2012 - The Right Stuff (Page 31)
Flight Training - May 2012 - The Right Stuff (Page 32)
Flight Training - May 2012 - The Right Stuff (Page 33)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Jesse and David's Excellent Adventure (Page 34)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Jesse and David's Excellent Adventure (Page 35)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Jesse and David's Excellent Adventure (Page 36)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Jesse and David's Excellent Adventure (Page 37)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Technique (Page 38)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Technique (Page 39)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Technique (Page 40)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Technique (Page 41)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Technique (Page 42)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Checkride (Page 43)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Checkride (Page 44)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Checkride (Page 45)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Flight Lesson (Page 46)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Game Changer (Page 47)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Career Advisor (Page 48)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Career Advisor (Page 49)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Tech Talk (Page 50)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Atta Boy! (Page 51)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Where Was I? (Page 52)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Where Was I? (Page 53)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 54)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 55)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 56)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 57)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 58)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 59)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 60)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 61)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 62)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Advertiser Index (Page 63)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Debrief (Page 64)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Debrief (Page Cover3)
Flight Training - May 2012 - Debrief (Page Cover4)
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/20120304_clone_2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/20120304_clone
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/archaeology/20120304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/ft_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/newtrack/loq_20120304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/newtrack/st_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/journalpubs/northcarolina_2012travelguide_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/binghamton/researchmag_2012springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/test_scenarios/wj_april2012
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com