ZipItyDoDa
08-22-2003, 07:19 PM
This is from YaHoo Posting:
Hello everybody!
Well at just 100 hours of flying, I started practicing engine out
landings last week. I know I should have been practicing these
sooner...I have just been nervous about doing them. What I was
doing, is just reducing the power to idle and ligning up with the
runway. About 10 feet or so before landing, I would go full flare,
then pull in even more line to make a nice, soft, nose high landing.
Well as luck would have it, Last night I got to actually put my
training to use. I was taking up the wife of a fellow who just
soloed but was still doing some training via radio. The wind was
light and variable. I went to full throttle to bring the chute up,
back down to just below half throttle to my rolling pre-flight. Chute
is centered, cells inflated, lines clean...full throttle. Climb rate
was not so great. Hot, humid day. Climbed to about 300 feet or so
and began turning right...staying in the right hand pattern. At just
past midfield, I began to reduce the throttle. However, I lost power
immediately. No reaction at all from the throttle. Engine is at idle.
Right before this happened... My battery went dead in my intercom. So
I switched from the intercom, to my hand held radio so I could listen
in on the instructor talking to his student.
So Im now not able to talk to my student and explain what is
happening. I key up the radio to talk to Brian (the other
instructor) and I very calmly said, "Brian, I have lost power and I
am making an emergency landing." He moved the other PPC traffic out
of my way. The problem now is where to land. I am in between 2
runways... And in between there is really grown up brush and weeds. I
have the North/ South runway which I can make easily, but it will be
downwind slightly, or I can try to make it in the tall grass and weeds
and that would be upwind. So I opted to go with the nice, smooth and
very long grass runway. I have all the room in the world I need to
make it. My ground speed is around 35 mph. Not sure what my rate of
descent was though.
I get ligned up with the runway, and at around 10 feet, begin to go
full flare, and pulling in extra line. Landing is a little hard, but
nothing breaks and we both are OK. I turn around and tell my
passenger that we just made an emergency landing. She says "Really??,
I just thought we were landing for the heck of it!" She had no idea
what was going on!
SO... here is what happened. On take off, when I went full throttle,
the outer cable slipped out of the cable housing. SO the throttle
was temporarily stuck in the open position. When I decreased
throttle, it came back through and was unable to function at all.
THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED IS>>>>>> ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS DO A THOROUGH
PRE-FLIGHT THAT INCLUDES CHECKING THE THROTTLE LINKAGE. I always do
a pre-flight...but sometimes it isnt that thorough. Luckily I was in
an area that I could make a good landing.
OH...after I landed I radioed Brian to ask if he had a 3/8 wrench
with him (I had one on me, but needed an extra since there are 2 on
the throttle housing) He didnt have one, but a guy that has been
wanting to take an intro flight showed up out there and he happened
to have some tools. He came out to where I was, helped me get back to
flying and I ended up taking him for a nice little flight around the
field!! ( no charge of course!)
I hope my lesson will be read and will save some folks!
Happy Flying!!
Josh Wooding
Hello everybody!
Well at just 100 hours of flying, I started practicing engine out
landings last week. I know I should have been practicing these
sooner...I have just been nervous about doing them. What I was
doing, is just reducing the power to idle and ligning up with the
runway. About 10 feet or so before landing, I would go full flare,
then pull in even more line to make a nice, soft, nose high landing.
Well as luck would have it, Last night I got to actually put my
training to use. I was taking up the wife of a fellow who just
soloed but was still doing some training via radio. The wind was
light and variable. I went to full throttle to bring the chute up,
back down to just below half throttle to my rolling pre-flight. Chute
is centered, cells inflated, lines clean...full throttle. Climb rate
was not so great. Hot, humid day. Climbed to about 300 feet or so
and began turning right...staying in the right hand pattern. At just
past midfield, I began to reduce the throttle. However, I lost power
immediately. No reaction at all from the throttle. Engine is at idle.
Right before this happened... My battery went dead in my intercom. So
I switched from the intercom, to my hand held radio so I could listen
in on the instructor talking to his student.
So Im now not able to talk to my student and explain what is
happening. I key up the radio to talk to Brian (the other
instructor) and I very calmly said, "Brian, I have lost power and I
am making an emergency landing." He moved the other PPC traffic out
of my way. The problem now is where to land. I am in between 2
runways... And in between there is really grown up brush and weeds. I
have the North/ South runway which I can make easily, but it will be
downwind slightly, or I can try to make it in the tall grass and weeds
and that would be upwind. So I opted to go with the nice, smooth and
very long grass runway. I have all the room in the world I need to
make it. My ground speed is around 35 mph. Not sure what my rate of
descent was though.
I get ligned up with the runway, and at around 10 feet, begin to go
full flare, and pulling in extra line. Landing is a little hard, but
nothing breaks and we both are OK. I turn around and tell my
passenger that we just made an emergency landing. She says "Really??,
I just thought we were landing for the heck of it!" She had no idea
what was going on!
SO... here is what happened. On take off, when I went full throttle,
the outer cable slipped out of the cable housing. SO the throttle
was temporarily stuck in the open position. When I decreased
throttle, it came back through and was unable to function at all.
THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED IS>>>>>> ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS DO A THOROUGH
PRE-FLIGHT THAT INCLUDES CHECKING THE THROTTLE LINKAGE. I always do
a pre-flight...but sometimes it isnt that thorough. Luckily I was in
an area that I could make a good landing.
OH...after I landed I radioed Brian to ask if he had a 3/8 wrench
with him (I had one on me, but needed an extra since there are 2 on
the throttle housing) He didnt have one, but a guy that has been
wanting to take an intro flight showed up out there and he happened
to have some tools. He came out to where I was, helped me get back to
flying and I ended up taking him for a nice little flight around the
field!! ( no charge of course!)
I hope my lesson will be read and will save some folks!
Happy Flying!!
Josh Wooding