From: Lancair Mailing
List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf
Of Taylor, David
Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:52
PM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Re: Turn back to
the Airport after engine failure
Amen to Bill Kenedy.
You make a good point. All Lancair pilots need to practice and do
training on non-powered flight to a landing and very few do it. The
results are fatalities on a regular basis.
If you have not
pulled the power on your Lancair and glided it down to a landing and you don’t
practice this regularily you are an accident waiting to happen.
Remember, you need
best glide speed (the book says 135 knots on a Legacy which is pretty close),
and you need to fly the airplane and get the gear down land it and that’s
it. Don’t worry about anything else! Practice it on a nice
long runway if you like.
Oh, and pull the
prop out. This is critical. The glide ratio on the Legacy is about
doubled with the prop pulled out. The Legacy actually glides pretty well
like this – handles nicely and has a decent glide ratio and hence decent
range without any power. You have plenty of time to decide where to land
in an emergency. (You have all practiced and tested all this stuff
right?)
Dave t.
Legacy 523x
From: Lancair Mailing
List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf
Of Bill Kennedy
Sent: Friday, 05-16-2008 14:23
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Re: Turn back to
the Airport after engine failure
You're right, the turn won't be successful started at 200'
AGL. From 500' AGL (with fixed pitch prop and engine running in idle) you have
enough time/energy to line up on the runway for a normal landing. My priorities
are airspeed, continuous monitor; coordination, double check a couple of times;
bank angle, comfortable, no burble (approx 60); watch for roll-out/reversal
point; check configuration for landing.
My guess is that most of the stall-spin events are caused, not by attempting to
return to the departure runway, but by not allowing the aircraft to glide. Even
"landing straight ahead" is going to result in a stall-spin, if the
pilot won't let the plane glide. Even timid pilots can practice the transition
from high-power climb to low/no power glide without risk.
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 08:20:13 -0400
From: Sky2high@aol.com
Subject: [LML] Turn back to the Airport after engine failure
Attached is an EXCEL spreadsheet to
calculate data about turns - just fill in the colored entry with the airspeed
in Kts.
Using Dom's scenario: At 100 Kts and a 60
degree banked turn, the turn rate is about 18 degrees per second or
about 10 seconds to do a 180. If your prop was left in coarse pitch, the
rate of descent is about 1500 fpm (100 KIAS is good enough since our Lancairs
best glide is about 105, depending). In 10 seconds it will have
descended 250 feet, 50 feet below the surface of the planet - Oh, and it
will still be 500 feet off the runway centerline but the wreckage will be easy
to find since it will be so close to the airport.
Bill, your training may kill you by
creating false hopes. Of course, you do practice with the engine turned
off, don't you? Prop in coarse pitch?
In a message dated 5/15/2008 1:27:58 P.M.
Central Daylight Time, domcrain@tpg.com.au writes:
OK Bill – You’re on the
take-off R/W length 1000 metres (3280’). You’re at say,
200’ passing 100 KIAS Gear is UP, Flaps retracted – engine dead
cuts. Where to?
I think your scenario is fine if you have a
significant amount of breathing gas under, but then – can you still make
the airfield?
Your scenario is seriously debatable, I
believe.
Cheers mate
Dom
VH-CZJ
-----Original Message-----
From: Lancair Mailing List
[mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Bill
Kennedy
Sent: Thursday, 15 May 2008 8:39
AM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Re: Crash, fueling
nozzles and training
I
practice these simulated engine failure turns from time to time. I'd far rather
land on or parallel to the runway than in the whatever off the ends of the
runway. There is a big difference between a maximum performance turn at 100
KIAS and a 60 degree bank turn. My experience suggests that the turn rate is so
fast at max performance, that timing the rollout becomes a problem. Max
performance puts you on the edge of a stall, so brain overload is a problem
too. However, a 60 degree bank produces a very brisk turn rate without overtaxing
my brain. I can still hold my 100KIAS and time my rollout perfectly.
To reiterate:
1. Max performance turns at low altitude suck.
2. 60 degree bank turns are easy if you maintain your airspeed.
3. Practice, or don't plan to do it for real. The key things are to maintain
your airspeed and keep the ball in the middle.
Almost all say they'd land "straight ahead". Almost all attempt to
return to the airport when it actually happens. The one's who don't practice
often die.