markendee

All good thought provoking stuff. That exercise you put your students through is a beauty Merv. A mate installed a vacuum driven AH but not having a vac pump on the 912 it just fell over - now sits on a shelf. As a wing leveller (and perhaps a life saver) another way to go is a single axis auto pilot. Hit the button and the unit takes over. The unit I have seen even has the option of self returning to base and circling the home field. If a pilot was to become ill this could be a ripper feature. The one I have seen was $2000.00, around the price of a good gyro A.H.

I know most of us have read this before and flying blind has been done to death (pun intended) but while explaining why flying in cloud is so dangerous to a non flying friend felt a definite tightening in the stomach while re reading this article. [B]"After the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1999, there was a lot of talk about VFR (visual flight rules) pilots flying into IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) weather and a lot of people have become familiar with these terms. Here is a short piece entitled "178 Seconds To Live" that helps explain the subject and what can happen to these pilots.[/B] [B][COLOR=#ff0000]178 Seconds to Live[/COLOR][/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://www.ronleon.com/_themes/piechart/apierule.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] How long can a licensed VFR pilot who has little or no instrument training expect to live after he flies into bad weather and loses visual contact? In 1991 researchers at the University of Illinois did some tests and came up with some very interesting data. Twenty VFR pilot "guinea pigs" flew into simulated instrument weather, and all went into graveyard spirals or roller coasters. The outcome differed in only one respect - the time required until control was lost. The interval ranged from 480 seconds to 20 seconds. The average time was 178 seconds -- two seconds short of three minutes. [COLOR=#ff0000][B]Here's the fatal scenario. . . . . . .[/B][/COLOR] The sky is overcast and the visibility is poor. That reported five mile visibility looks more like two, and you can't judge the height of the overcast. Your altimeter tells you that you are at 5500 feet but your map tells you that there's local terrain as high as 3200 feet. There might be a tower nearby because you're not sure how far off course you are so you press on. You find yourself unconsciously easing back just a bit on the controls to clear those towers. With no warning, you're in the soup. You peer so hard into the milky white mist that your eyes hurt. You fight the feelings in your stomach that tell you're banked left, then right! You try to swallow, only to find your mouth dry. Now you realize you should have waited for better weather. The appointment was important, but not all that important. Somewhere a voice is saying, "You've had it -- it's all over!" You've only referred to you instruments in the past and have never relied on them. You're sure that this is just a bad spot and you'll break out in a few minutes. The problem is that you don't have a few minutes left. [LEFT][COLOR=#ff0000][B]You now have 178 seconds to live.[/B][/COLOR] [/LEFT] Your aircraft "feels" on even keel but your compass turns slowly. You push a little rudder and add a little pressure on the controls to stop the turn but this feels unnatural and you return the controls to their original position. This feels better but now your compass is turning a little faster and your airspeed is increasing slightly. You scan your instruments for help but what you see looks somewhat unfamiliar. You are confused so you assume the instruments must be too. You are now experiencing full blown Spatial Disorientation. Up feels like down and left feels like right. You feel like you are straight and level again but you're not. The spiral continues. [LEFT][COLOR=#ff0000][B]You now have 100 seconds to live.[/B][/COLOR] [/LEFT] You glance at your altimeter and you are shocked to see it unwinding. You're already down to 3000 feet. Instinctively, you pull back on the controls but the altimeter still unwinds. You don't realize that you are in a graveyard spiral and it only gets worse. Your plane is almost sideways you're just tightening the turn by pulling back on the yoke, but all you can see is that altimeter going lower, lower, lower. The engine is into the red and growling and the airspeed is dangerously high. The sound of the air passing by begins to resemble a scream. [LEFT][COLOR=#ff0000][B]You now have 45 seconds to live.[/B][/COLOR] [/LEFT] Now you're sweating and shaking. There must be something wrong with the controls; pulling back only moves the airspeed indicator further into the red. It's supposed to do the opposite! You can hear the wind tearing at the aircraft. Rivets are popping as the load on the wings and tail far exceeds design specifications. 1800, 1500, 1100 feet...... down you go. [COLOR=#ff0000][B]You now have 10 seconds to live.[/B][/COLOR] Suddenly you see the ground. The trees rush up at you. You can now see the horizon if you turn your head far enough but it's at a weird angle -- you're almost inverted! You open your mouth to scream but. . . . . . [LEFT][COLOR=#ff0000][B]Your time is up![/B][/COLOR] [/LEFT] [I][B]Next time:[/B][/I] [B]LEVEL THE WINGS, REDUCE THROTTLE AND PULL THE NOSE UP TO THE HORIZON! YOUR WINGS PRODUCE ALL THE LIFT BUT THEY CANNOT CARRY YOU OUT OF DANGER IF THEY ARE AT A STEEP ANGLE! GET YOUR EYES OFF OF THE ALTIMETER AND LOOK AT YOUR ATTITUDE INDICATOR. THEN LEVEL THE WINGS! LEVEL THE WINGS! LEVEL THE WINGS![/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://www.ronleon.com/_themes/piechart/apierule.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] Think about it before you press on into marginal weather without an instrument rating AND recent instrument practice or experience. It is just as important to keep your instrument skills current and honed AFTER you become rated. To a GOOD instrument pilot, the view outside of the airplane is of little or no consequence. We watch our trusty instruments using a good steady scan, never fixating on one or the other, constantly interpreting what each one is telling us and how it relates to all the others. If one does not look right, others will either enforce or negate what it is telling us. We strive to always see the "big picture" our entire instrument panel is giving us and fly the airplane accordingly. Someone once said, "Flying itself is inherently safe, but it is mercilessly unforgiving of error." Could there be a truer statement? This article seems all too vivid now with the recent death of John F. Kennedy Jr. on July 17th 1999. He was an aspiring pilot and IMHO, an all around good guy. But by all reports he never got a standard weather briefing from Flight Service nor did he call for an in-flight weather update. He chose not to file a flight plan nor did he reqeust radar flight following which is an option for VFR pilots. Had no more than 100-150 hours total time, less than 25 hours in his new plane, a complex Piper Saratoga. Although he had recently started his instrument training he flew into nighttime blindness with no instrument experience and the rest is history that none of us will ever forget. Very sad indeed for a family who has known this kind of tragedy all too often and also the Bessette family who lost two daughters, one of them an identical twin. I think it is the remaining twin, Lisa Ann Bessette who will suffer the worst."

LiFePO4 in Savannah I have one in my incomplete Savannah. Am very close to firing it up. Will give it a good workout from initial run - lots of starts and stops, being winter it will sort out the men from the boys. I will be happy to report on it's performance. So far all I can say is it is light, compact and the fact it does not give off hydrogen and it cannot leak or cause corrosion was enough for me to give it a go. Mark

Mazda, I realise all my comments are open to interpretation. eg, an engine maintained by the book (or beyond) can still fail. Would rather my engine run rough than cut out though. All I want for myself is that if I should become an unfortunate statistic to know that I had done everything possible to avoid such a situation and minimise the risk. And to have fun. Mark

Thanks Mathew and Merv. Isn't it nice to be able to communicate our respective positions without becoming personal or malicious? After the kerfuffle of the past few days it is very refreshing. It is exactly situations such as this that provokes adult discussion and is food for thought. Merv, you are right in respecting our old mate Mr Murphy. In this way the forum helps us all. Regards, Mark

Hi all, All good points and yes I do appreciate that an aircraft engine can fail at any time. In fact any engine can fail at any time. Looking out for a safe place to land and having a plan for the event is a major part of every bit of every trip. I have known of many Rotax engines that have failed in flight. I would very much like to see the official (not anecdotal) statistics of two to four stroke Rotax failures. (and the true reason. Design or error?) Honda CBR engines can and do chew up cam chain tensioners and as a Honda Motorcycle and Power Equipment dealer for the last thirteen years I have seen this many times - but not on an engine that was properly serviced and one that was not giving some sign this was about to happen - noise particularly, low, poor quality or old oil another reason. For an engine to fail because of poor design is extremely rare or they all would. I might say at this point that I would not fly an aircraft running an engine with a cam chain or a belt driven gearbox - that's just me) If an aircraft engine is built so lightly that it's design makes it highly susceptable to failure then give me one that is heavier every time - will gladly trade fifteen kilos for my life. Remember these engines are designed to perform within those parameters - hence the price. Merv, I respect your words and the manner in which you offered them but most of the reasons you listed for engine failure are pilot/maintainer error. You even mention that being maintained by humans is an issue. (might need to find some other humans to do it for you) Merv maybe when flying around locally over wide open plains one can inadvertently turn off the wrong fuel valve and live to chuckle but please don't blame the engine and please read the label on the valve if over more inhospitable terrain. Another tip is whenever you reduce power put on the carby heat - should help a bit. I do appreciate your posts and I do always know that an engine can (and does) fail at any time. My point is that we are in a higher risk situation when flying, minimise the risks (check sheets are a wonderful thing) service the engine to beyond book standards, filter all the fuel (Mr Funnel even prevents moisture passing through) don't take silly risks and remember there is nowhere you have to be. I see engines that have failed every month of my life as part of my day to day business. Not one is because the engine was not capable of performing to the manufacturers intentions. ( I am of course referring to high quality machines, not chinese copies) This is different from being worn out and no longer up to scratch - in that case it is still running but time for some serious reconditioning. Regards, Mark (still watching those pressure and temp gauges like a hawk)

We here in the Goulburn Valley fly over tiger country each time we leave our backyard. Be it the Barmah Forest, the Great Divide or even Kaw Swamp. I cannot remember the last time my engine failed in any of my cars. I mean any of them even going back thirty years to the time we all drove old Holdens. In fact the only time I have ever had to walk was when out of fuel. (My fault for being stupid) Why do we have the occasion to doubt our engines in our aircraft? My Rotax cost more than a whole Honda CBR1000R - with a high tech engine that never quits, plus all the rest that goes with it. We service our engines, we filter our fuel, we inspect daily so what is the issue here? The little plane does not know when it is over tiger country. If I have to worry that I cannot glide to an empty paddock I will give the game away. Not into unnecessary risks but let's have a go. Mark

Thanks for the informative answer JayKay. I have a 296 and when I asked the seller about the auto software he suggested a $500.00 Navman is better value for the car. It seems a waste to have such a nice bit of gear sitting in the plane doing nothing. If I don't leave it in the plane it is going to be in my car anyway. Your point of theft is a good one but so is the advantage of the automotive software in the air. Thanks again. Mark D

1/2 a Savannah

Has anyone on the forum purchased the auto software for their Garmin 296? If so was it good value?

Redair, Will take a photo of the mates wing tips showing the access plate he fixed the unit to within a day or two and post it here. Cheers, Mark D

Another good one to mention is brevity.

Redair, The mate mounted his power units on a plate cut into the tip. He can remove the plate and withdraw the unit for maintenance. - works well. Mark

DUNNO .

Would have thought the airshow would take precedence over a car race.

Nothing wrong with swervy, much better than upside downy.

I have found that there are three things one should never cheapskate on. Tyres, batteries and radiators. The cheapest are the dearest and the dearest are often the cheapest. Think about it.

What would you say? You are at an aerodrome without taxiways except for up to 36 threshold. (09,18,27 & 36) You are intending on taking off from 27. Taxi along 36, turn right into 27. The taxi call is ..............? Remember you are entering at 36.

Hope our forum members don't miss this report by John Gilpin on their trip to the Camel Cup. (13 aircraft, pretty good effort) He added it to the existing thread which makes it a little bit hard to find. Have a look and a read over a coffee - well worth it. http://www.stolspeed.com/camel-cup/ JG writes well and there are always tips to make our flying safer and more fun. Mark D

This bloke won't curry any favours with the police. I hope they give him curry. Perhaps he is the worlds fastest indian. I hope he isn't an indian giver. Or maybe he is the bloke who rings all the time at 6pm to tell me he has a great deal for me.

Fantastic report Thanks for the great trip report John. 13 aircraft a good result. Where and when is the next one? Our group is forming (six Savannahs) Four flying and two nearly there. Hope you won't mind some Goulburn Valley company in the future. Regards, Mark

When we hear of an incident that results in injury the comment is often made along the lines of why would someone take off and attempt a flight under those conditions. (weather, health, engine problem or whatever) I have thought about this and this is what I have concluded. We have all got away with it before. An experienced commercial pilot may have flown a thousand time under adverse weather conditions and only come to grief once - that once is enough. We have the 'it won't happen to me' attitude and it is possibly not a bad thing or else we would be afraid to walk out the door. It is horrible for all concerned when a serious incident occurs. Your thoughts?

Hey there Ian, Nice pictures of your Savvy. Mark D

Hope you didn't get in a flap Pete. Still look at the bright side, think of all the avgas you saved.

It seems as if this product is deliberately difficult to deal with. I am a retailer who sells Shell oil but cannot access this new oil. We have decided to continue using Shell Advance VSX4. Mark D