Vintage Instructor THE
BY Steve Krog, CFI
We don’t know, what we don’t know Here’s a question for both “seasoned” and relatively new or low pilots. While on a cross-country flight en route to a fly-in, you encounter a problem: The engine begins running a bit rough, the tachometer is showing a 500 rpm fluctuation, and oil pressure and temp both seem to be normal. There is an airport 15 miles ahead, another 12 miles behind you, and a shorter turf runway airport just 2 miles to the right of your flight path. You’ve been cruising at an altitude 3,500 feet above the reasonably level but unfamiliar terrain. What would you do? Why? This question and similar others are now part of the new FAA Practical Test Standards required to be used by FAA and Designated Flight Examiners alike, as of June 1, 2012. In addition to being able to demonstrate normal flight maneuvers, student applicants are now required to analyze and respond correctly to scenario-based situations while in flight. The FAA theory behind scenario-based training is to better prepare a student for possible real-life flight situations. So, we instructors are now required to teach scenario-based situational flight challenges. With little or no practice, how many of you seasoned as well as low-time pilots could take and pass today’s sport or private pilot scenario-based checkride? Sitting in an easy chair enjoying a cold refreshment at day’s end and thinking about flying (isn’t that what all of us do who have been struck by the flying gods?), it is fairly easy to analyze the situation presented above and draw a conclusion as to how we would handle the problem. But put yourself in the airplane in real time and now what would you do? Do you continue to the airport ahead? Do you make a 180 and fly to the closer airport behind you? Do you pick the shorter turf runway 2 miles away? What things might you consider in making that decision? Prior to departure, did you check the METARs for actual and forecast surface winds along your route of flight? How about the forecast winds aloft for the area? These factors will all come into play in arriving at a sound plan of action. You might be dealing with a 10to 12-knot head wind slowing your groundspeed. Think
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about it for a moment. Do you know the glide ratio of your airplane? How far can your airplane fly or rather what is the rate of descent on partial power? No power? You’ve got 3,500 feet of altitude to work with, an indicated glide speed of 75 mph, but due to the head wind, the groundspeed is 65 mph. Can you make the airport 15 miles ahead of you? What if you opt to turn around and take up a heading to the airport 12 miles behind you? Can you make it to that airport now that you’d have an 85 mph groundspeed and a dozen miles to cover before using up every foot of that precious 3,500 feet of altitude? That is assuming the engine continues to run providing partial power. Many of us would probably make the wrong decision initially, causing a greater problem. That decision would be to start changing the throttle setting. When is a “sick” engine most likely to fail? When power adjustments are inputted! The worst thing one could do is change the throttle setting on a “sick” engine, as it can lead to a complete engine failure. If the problem truly is the engine, trying to save it by throttling back won’t do any good. It is already turning to junk, so use what is left of it to safely get you to a safe landing site. The very first thing to remember is always have an out for any in-flight situation encountered. In this case, it is strongly recommended that turning toward and flying to the turf runway 2 miles away is the first step in dealing with this problem. At least then we have the option of landing on a runway rather than a farm field, or worse. Many of us might forget to fly to the nearest runway and begin fumbling with the throttle. Then the engine quits and several minutes have been wasted, causing the loss of perhaps a thousand feet of precious altitude, which further adds to the problem. After turning to and flying toward the nearby airport, ensuring it can be reached even without power, then and only then should one begin checking off your engine options. Editor’s Note: There are always exceptions to most every rule, cardinal or otherwise, so for the sake of this example I’ll stick with the basics.
