I have an ABC Wide World of Flying tape (at least 10 years old) that has
a segment on making the turn back to the airport done by Barry
Shiff. I think he recommended a 45 degree bank as the optimum for
the 180+ turn. Even though steeper was better when it comes to altitude
loss, it was too difficult to execute.
Another thing to keep in mind is stall speed doesn't increase in a bank
IF you let the plane descend and maintain one G. It's not the "tilting"
of the wings, it's the G's that increase the stall speed.
I know that I have been a little nonchalant about the
takeoff. And after reading about the latest accident, I added a
"straight ahead vs. turn back" altitude to my pre-takeoff checklist. I
just check the altimeter, add 1,000 feet and make a mental note before taking
the runway. I hope to never use that altitude to make a life and death
decision. More importantly, I hope that a few months from now, when the
latest accident is out of mind, that I don't go back to taking a "normal
takeoff" for granted.
I really feel I had set myself up to be a "statistic" not a
"survivor"
Mike Easley
N815MK Super ES