Fixed-pitch
Wood and Metal
Propellers
Auto-indexing
Composite
Propellers
Our 3-blade Rotax
propeller features lightweight
metal-edge hollow composite
blades with easy, accurate, and
foolproof pitch indexing.
Touch the stop
to the pin, tighten
the bolts, and it’s adjusted!
www.sensenich.com
813-752-3711
Lancaster, PA Plant City, FL
ROBERT N. ROSSIER
have enough altitude, a quick and relatively steep
angle might get us turned around safely. Studies performed in simulators and in light aircraft determined
that a 45-degree bank is usually optimum.
If we’re too close to the ground, a steep turn is
almost certainly a death sentence. Maintaining airspeed during the turn means lowering the nose, and
pilots wary of the ground often fail to lower the
nose sufficiently. When pilots attempt to rush the
turn, they tend to overbank and end up uncoordinated in the turn. The result is often a fatal stall/
spin accident.
Turning back is impossible if a pilot doesn’t
react quickly and correctly, following well-practiced procedures. If the pilot’s reaction time is too
long, altitude and airspeed are wasted, and the
chances of an optimum outcome are diminished.
Practice is essential to develop and maintain the
skills required to maneuver the aircraft at low altitude without power. Turning back to the runway
should never be a reaction. If attempted at all, it
must be planned, practiced, and attempted only in
ideal conditions.
Practice is essential to develop and
maintain the skills required to ma-
neuver the aircraft at low altitude
without power.
Making a Believer: The Drill
For those who need more convincing—one way or
the other—regarding the emergency turn-back, the
best way to decide is to try the maneuver. While
practicing the maneuver from an initial takeoff is
obviously foolhardy, there are ways to practice the
maneuver safely.
The best way I’ve found to complete the emergency drill is to start at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500
feet above a ground reference, such as an intersection
of roads or other suitable landmark. Configure the
aircraft for departure, and initiate a climb at best
angle (VX) or best rate (VY) over the ground reference,
which simulates the departure end of the runway. As
you reach the initial altitude (of 2,500 feet), reduce
power to idle and attempt to maneuver the aircraft
back over the ground reference in the opposite direction. As you complete the maneuver and arrive over
the reference point, note your altitude loss. You
might be surprised.
