Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net> (Marvin Kaye)
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:43:06 -0500
Message-ID: <redirect-2893055@logan.com>
Reply-To: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@earthlink.net>
From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: IV/P 360 deg  overhead approach
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I hesitate to comment, even in the slightest, on Charlie K's very thorough
last post re: the engine out overhead approach however I'd like to add one
little tid-bit to the final check list, after you've tried everything you
know to restore power.

Once you're definitely committed to land, power-off, and within a few feet
of touch-down, be sure to pull the throttle all the way off. The last thing
you want to happen is to the engine roaring back to full power when you
least expect it and you're concentrating like hell on making as good a
landing as possible, missing cows, fences and the like.

Most likely, under the circumstances, you've cranked in a lot of nose-up
trim and a sudden application of power will catch you unawares, resulting in
a spectacular vertical zoom, a stall at maybe 50 or so feet and an even more
spectacular dive into the turf.

I hadn't given this much thought early on but some time during my test
program, this very thing happened to a Lancair pilot (who shall remain
un-named). Seems the engine went quiet while in the pattern and while trying
to get it restarted, he left the throttle full in. Got the airplane around,
got the gear down and made a pretty good, if fairly hard landing. The bounce
must've done something to clear the problem and the engine came back to full
song in the middle of the bounce. The resulting Zoom! - Splat! was awful.
Fortunately, the pilot wasn't hurt too seriously but the airplane was
trashed.

Dan Schaefer