foxy

i agree. Practising an engine failure up to 500 ft, or to just before touch down is pretty pointless. its all well and good to know how to glide the aeroplane back safely...but what then?? if the student hasnt been taught how to actually LAND the thing with the fan stopped....(at idle obviously)...then how are they going to cope if it happens as a real scenario....???? as in every training situation, everything will be handled with complete caution, but as i said in my post re: practising this sorta stuff......learning how to do this correctly....to the complete point, could be what saves your life. no matter whether it be a light aircraft, or one of the massive boys, if the engine decides to no longer play the game.......u wanna live to tell the tale. cheers, liz

tomo.... have found a few areas lacking. mainly with stalls. on a few occasions ive had ailerons usad to recover a wing drop....an aoutomatic reaction i know....but reminding the guys of the reasons not to use them....astounding at what people forget, and how quickly. with the plf's is always the guy trying to pick theire landing area, or make a mayday (pretend obviously) call, before remembering that they have to keep flying the aeroplane!!! i explained to one dude, that id rather land the plane safely, having not done a mayday call if not sufficient height, instead of making a call and not 'land' at all.... ill admit that berfore my instructing days...even though id only had my license for only a short time before starting the instructor rating....i didnt practise them. now i can see just how important the skills are. if by asking this question means that only one guy goes and starts practising.....means that's one guys life potentially saved!!

simply if you don't make a point of practising these manouvers regularly, you will no doubt lose the skills...... Maj, That's exactly why Ive asked the question....I've seen the skill level for these types of things not at all at a level they should be for license holders! I was hoping with this thread, it might just remind a few people to go out and do some refreshing!! cheers.

hey aiko....welcome! hafta say i agree with david re:time consumption of commuting each week. Unless you have a few days before and after the times you need to be in the work areas, to account for weather not being on your side. Dont know if you've heard it yet, but there's a little saying that is used for navigation and whether or not to....."time to sapre? go by air" so in other words, if you have to be there, the same day you leave, etc....go the big boys!! just remember...dont rule out the 170 or 230 as a take-away option if you have the time up your sleeve......they were built to fly and fly they should.....:big_grin: liz

Hi guys, This is just a general enquiry to the flying public, to satisfy my own curiosity. After all the posts re: steep turns and stall speeds etc, and after taking a few guys out for conversions to do some P.F.L.'s, and stalls etc a few weeks ago, and finding out how much i had to re-teach him, and even in some cases, having to save us from entering some pretty hairy situations, begged the question....how often, as licensed pilots,do we practice things like steep turns, stalls and practice forced landings?? In essence, the things that may one day save our lives. Its surprising to me having taken a few guys up that have their licenses, for conversions, and asking them if they practise these things.....the amount of times i have heard....NO, not since i did them during training. So, i wanted to find out if there are many guys that do this as a regular exercise during their days flying. Im lucky in the fact that teaching these sequences keeps me current, but, it should be something that we all try to practise. At least every now and then. Just for my own curiosity.... Thanks, Liz

I'll undertake to let you know WHEN I have "Nailed" my landings. Nev lol, nev. the one thing i always am aware of, is that regardless of how many hours you have flown, or in how many different aircraft, every time you get up in the air, it is a learning experience. there is always something new to figure out, or a better way for each person to approach an aspect of flying. liz

well done pete...fly high on the elation of achieving that accomplishment... (pardon the pun!!!) liz

Exadios, im a little bit surprised to not see a response to the post from motz about using 45-50 degree turns as regular turns in the circuit......is there a reason for that?? Are you honestly saying that you believe it to be a clever way for students, and indeed even experienced pilots, to fly, by perform steep turns in the circuit?? And lets be honest here, anhything above 30 degree angle of bank, IS classed as a steep turn! i wont go into all the details about speeds and stalling and such, as motz has clearly pointed out how this is affecting the aircraft, but im curious to see if you have an answer for those particular facts on the speed increases in the steep turn, and why you would choose to put yourself into a position being in a steep turn when the engine fails. the one thing any of my students will be able to tell you, is that whatever im teaching them, ill almost ALWAYS use the expression- "always err on the side of caution!". they would easily be able to quote me on that, as it is something i teach, and fly by myself. i would have thought that all pilots would be the same!! Liz

BigPete.... such a sad thing to hear. Thinking of you with deepest sympathies. Remember that your angel will soar with you wherever you are. Liz.

a couple of thoughts to the above threads. one thing i notice from the original post, was the reference to guessing the drift and speed of the aircraft. for a nav to work in any situation, you need to follow the correct flight plan procedures. these being that the wind direction needs to be proplerly accounted for and the track and ground speed corrected from that. its no good just using your judgement, as this could het u into a power of trouble. as for using the google maps to find the places to look for...a personal opinion of mine, is that whilst its a good idea...i dont think it makes for good navigation...as when you plan your nav, you read your map...its not 3D, so what you're looking for on your map, is not the same as what google maps will show you. the whole idea of map reading is so that you can navigate using that map as your primary source of navigation. the map is there to get you where you're going, using your own outside observations. i also agree with listening to your instructor, however they teach your nav's as sticking to the one path of information is vital to your own learning. its easy to cloud your judgement with the multitude of information thats out there. stick to what you are being taught. it will keep you on the right path! sorry for the length. liz.

hey rach... well i havent 'recently' done my first solo nav, but i can recall it as though it was yesterday. i got a little unsure of my position, but managed to find my way out again. and when i touched back down, even though i had a bitta trouble, i was over the moon at the fact that i was able to navigate myself back to the right place. reassuring me of the reasons on why i wanted to do it in the first place. whenever u go off for the first time on your own, it is quite a daunting experience. remember the first solo circuit you did...the excitement and thrill were there...but be honest, so was a little concern!! but then again...now bring your mind back, to just after take off, still feeling a tad uneasy.....to when your wheels touched the ground beautifully, and remember the feeling of complete accomplishment. remember how good of a pilot you are, and you have, as youve said yourself, successfully found cessnock, and home, on your own...im assuming without any imput from rob wot so ever! just imagine that he is there with you...talk to yourself as though he were sitting in the seat next to you...and imagine the elation you will feel when you touch back down at wollongong, having completed your solo nav!! have faith, rach, you have your mojo for a reason....dont let it go!!! liz

good onya lloydster. remember the fun and thrill of it all....even in the times ya get a bit overwhelmed. the keener u are...the easier it is to pick up!! keep us all involved!!

*****Mounts on the front windscreen somewhere, either deflects it away, or supposedly chops it.***** dunno if that sounds really all that much of a fix....could be more dangerous than not having....seeing as though you've now got something mounted, surely in your line of vision at some stages of the flight, that will supposedly take away the probability of hitting power lines. surely allowing yourself to believe that this "sword" will remove the probability of hitting powerlines, is far more dangerous, as it would also remove the situational awareness that the pilot should have throughout his flight?? one would think that the best way to avoid the powerlines is to keep that situational awareness 100% of the way through your flight, regardless of weather it be looking for aircraft or wx, or powerlines. i would think that a pilots own means of avoidance, is better than a temporary "fix". ....just my own thoughts. liz

thats sad to hear. its a very trying job, i guess, doing crop dusting and mustering...any type of low level airwork. extremely difficult to see powerlines and such, whilst trying to maintain ur eyes on your work, as well as the aircraft attitude and possible hazards. commiserations to the family of the pilot involved....

yay pow!!! when does the next adventure take place??? hope it was all that was expected after reading posts by everyone else!!:big_grin: