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- Jan 22, 2009
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I'm not advocating fixating on therunway behindyouafter an engine failure on takeoff, but who has practiced theturn back, and how much altitude does it take? What bank angle, airspeed, and loading are you using during the turn?
Itried this ataltitudeyesterdayafternoon. I set up a trimmed Vy climb at my normal 100mph, and pulled the power to idle from a reference altitude and did nothing while counting to three (hopefully simulating the delayed reaction time likely to happen in a true emergency). In those three seconds, the airspeed dropped to 80 mph, and I pitched the nose down and rolled into a 60 degree bank, pulling the nose through the turn as hard as would prevent an accelerated stall. The turn was kept as level as a power-off glide would allow. Airspeed wasabout 90 mph indicated.I was able to get the the 180 done, plus a shallow turn aligned back with the runway with the sink arrested in 400' of altitude.
Incidentally, and not that I'm advocating this, but using the same procedure as above, I pulled into a half-turn spin after the three-count and was able to reverse course in 400' as well. I did this only out of curiousity. It would be nonsense and veryfoolishto try this in a real emergency.
Disclaimer: I think all options (straight-ahead landing, 45, 90 turn, etc.)should be well calculated before take off. For any airport you take off from, it think it pays to know the airport's surrounding area and decide what you would do beforehand if your engine quits on T/O. Practice the turn and establish a go
o-go decision altitude with a safe margin. If every takeoff includes the constant thought, "what would I do right now?" you'll likely already have a plan of action and not be subject to those few seconds of denial, followed by a panicked reaction, which gets a lot of folks killed.
Eric Edited by: grassroots
Itried this ataltitudeyesterdayafternoon. I set up a trimmed Vy climb at my normal 100mph, and pulled the power to idle from a reference altitude and did nothing while counting to three (hopefully simulating the delayed reaction time likely to happen in a true emergency). In those three seconds, the airspeed dropped to 80 mph, and I pitched the nose down and rolled into a 60 degree bank, pulling the nose through the turn as hard as would prevent an accelerated stall. The turn was kept as level as a power-off glide would allow. Airspeed wasabout 90 mph indicated.I was able to get the the 180 done, plus a shallow turn aligned back with the runway with the sink arrested in 400' of altitude.
Incidentally, and not that I'm advocating this, but using the same procedure as above, I pulled into a half-turn spin after the three-count and was able to reverse course in 400' as well. I did this only out of curiousity. It would be nonsense and veryfoolishto try this in a real emergency.
Disclaimer: I think all options (straight-ahead landing, 45, 90 turn, etc.)should be well calculated before take off. For any airport you take off from, it think it pays to know the airport's surrounding area and decide what you would do beforehand if your engine quits on T/O. Practice the turn and establish a go
o-go decision altitude with a safe margin. If every takeoff includes the constant thought, "what would I do right now?" you'll likely already have a plan of action and not be subject to those few seconds of denial, followed by a panicked reaction, which gets a lot of folks killed.
Eric Edited by: grassroots
