Matt Reeves [mattreeves@yahoo.com] wrote:
> Although all of my instructors taught me to crack the door open in a Cessna or Piper if you're going
> down, they also taught me NOT to actually do it unless you are really going down, just review it in your
> mind and on your checklist.
I question this technique for reasons I've already stated. Let's try this from another angle...
What is the goal of opening a door ahead of a crash? Is it to make it "easier" to egress, or to make it "easier" for rescue personnel to get to you?
Given the flimsy materials these aircraft are made from, I can't imagine the door of a spam can getting jammed such that it couldn't be forced open with very little effort. Let's say the (near) impossible does happen, however, and the door becomes jammed, or the position of the fuselage is such that the door can't be opened. The side windows in the average spam can are so thin you could probably pop one out (or break it) with a sharp blow from an elbow. Bracing your back on one side of the cockpit and pushing with your foot would probably be even easier. A rescuer would have little difficulty kicking one in from the outside.
The Legacy is a little different. If the aircraft overturns and breaks the vertical stab off, the full weight of the fuselage will likely end up sitting on the canopy. If you haven't modified your kit to allow for removal of a baggage window you aren't going anywhere until help arrives -- opening the canopy ahead of the landing does nothing for you in this situation. The small cockpit makes any ax large enough to be effective on the thick plexiglass useless. The small "resuce hammer" you'll find in the automotive section of your local Wally-World has a short handle and a sharp, metallic point intended to break safety glass -- it's unlikely this tool will work on plexiglass.
If you wind up inverted and the vertical stab is intact, it might leave enough room to open the canopy part way, and there might be enough opening to squeeze yourself out -- assuming you aren't injured...
Our aircraft have such high landing speeds, the impact is going to be severe unless you find a smooth, hard surface free of obstructions on which to touch down. Your best chance to walk away from an off-airport landing is to keep your wits, choose the BEST AVAILABLE landing site and fly the aircraft all the way down. A landing at the lowest possible speed with the wings level gives you and your passenger the best chance at survival.
Just about any other scenario will render the canopy open/closed argument moot. Unless you are very lucky, you will be dependant on someone else to get you out of the aircraft because your injuries will preclude any egress attempt. In this case, I want a canopy there to give me as much protection as possible from debris, fuel or fire until help arrives.
I say don't waste your time worrying about the canopy if your engine quits. Instead, focus on the priorities:
Fly the aircraft
Best glide
Fly the aircraft
Choose the BEST AVAILABLE landing site
Fly the aircraft
Set up approach
Fly the aircraft
Troubleshoot malfunction (time permitting)
Fly the aircraft all the way to the surface
... and don't forget to FLY THE AIRCRAFT!
Regards,
Mark Sletten