Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Perkel
Engine Failure on Take-off
Establish glide speed, wings level, mixture off, switch off, land straight ahead, is standard procedure. (Ejection if military; always was envious of that capability!) Everyone is taught this.
The problem becomes for people when faced with this situation, is that the self preservation instinct, is not to crash into what's ahead. It must be a truly mental anguish moment, but not one with time to mull over. This one has to be thought out in advance, and mentally reviewed on each and every flight.
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Joe,
No offense intended and I will try to phrase this carefully. This is an area that I am very passionate about, which often makes me sound too intense. I suspect you have already considered all of this, and hopefully will be more for encouragement of others.
Been flying since '72, and an AME. Doesn't make me an expert, just knowledgeable. The problem is NOT failing to think it out in advance, although reviewing in the mind is a good thing. It is a failure in flying it the way it needs to be flown, and that comes from
inadequate practice.
The most important thing a pilot can do to prevent most injuries in an accident is to maintain adequate airspeed (in fact AOA more accurately) for the condition of flight, and especially not try to stretch the flight path. The second most important is maintaining coordinated flight, which will do tons to prevent that low altitude spin. But a pilot only does quickly and regularly that which he has done before.
AOPA has an array of excellent online short courses. They are good resources. Get the download from AOPA on "Stall/Spin: Entry point for crash and burn?", look at their course "Aerodynamics-Stalls Spins and Safety" as a nice audio/visual as well, but go practice maneuvering.
If I have not done it in PRACTICE I will most likely fail to do it in an emergency. That is because when our startle reflex is activated, we take several seconds to recognize we are truly in trouble, then a second give or take to decide what to do, then ~3/4 of a sec to do it, before we have to reassess what the effects of what we just did are. Low to the ground, we look at the immediacy of that terra firma, and are slowed even further. If I don't already do it reflexively, I am likely to move the stick in the direction I WANT to go - up - rather than the direction that continued flying DEMANDS - down.
Practice (in ANY plane you are "comfortable” with first, and I recommend with an instructor so you can get corrective feedback initially) an engine failure or 30.
Take a look at the biennial flight review requirements and fly them regularly. We encourage practice flying our annual re-qual (we call it a Form-5 ride in the CAP) which is basically the same thing, as a training flight regularly. Take some unusual attitude training, practice it regularly and consider refreshing it just before you fly the Baby the first time – your first flight in it, not it's first in the air. Consider having someone with LOTS of experience in floats, biplanes and hopefully both to do the flight testing (I seem to recall your background is a bit limited there, but forgive me if I am underestimating your background). And if possible, that bench seat you mentioned may not be so bad. Even with one set of controls, a qualified instructor might be helpful.
I hope this has helped.
On a separate note, what would be lacking in the Rotec 3600?