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Well, Perry, I've only turned the engine off once (intentionally that is)
and I was at 4000 ft right over an airport. With plenty of altitude the key
thing is timing your arrival such that you have options to turn base at any
time to make the runway. Straight in long approaches are probably not the
best (says the "expert") because if you misjudge short - well, I need say no
more.
An overhead might be OK (in fact it might be the best if you normally do
this type of approach) but then you are doing a lot of turning with no fan
out front (or rear in your case) and most folks don't normally do it for
landing. So engine out may not be the best time to practice it {:>).
So all in all I have found (based on vast experience {:>) of 3 engine out
landings) that getting on the downwind leg at the opposite end of your
approach end with 400-500 feet more altitude than your normal pattern
altitude is (for an RV) about right.
Start your timing as you go past the end of the runway. You will lose (in
the RV) approx 500 -750 fpm of altitude at say 90 mph ground speed (you are
on down wind remember). (so in one minute to drop the 500 ft to pattern
altitude at 120 ft/sec x 60 sec = 7200 ft would take you almost 1 1/2 miles
- theoretically) ft distance from the beginning of your downwind leg. A bit
too far I think you would agree (unless of course you have a 10,000 ft
runway to land on)
So at the rate of descent of 500 fpm and 90 mph groundspeed at the 30
second point you are at pattern + 250 ft and 3600 ft from where you first
started paralleling the runway on the downwind pattern. So assuming you are
landing on a 5000 ft runway, I would think now is time to start thinking
about your base turn. I mean thinking HARD about it.
I found it's a natural tendency (at least in my cases) to want to get close
to the runway (I wonder why) when you are paralleling it with the FAN
stopped, but that is then going to require a tighter turn to make 180deg
back to the runway - you really don't want a tighter turn under these
conditions -believe me. So try to stay about your normal distance from the
runway on downwind.
Naturally, you'll need to consider the wind and length of the runway. Once
I begin my base turn I continue it - I make a sweeping turn and do not try
to square the turn from base to final. The very most important things at
this point I have found are:
1. With no fan, the turn to the runway will bleed off your airspeed much
quicker than normal - believe me! - watch the airspeed!!!
2. With no fan, you will likely find your rate of descent higher than
normal - watch the rate of descent (I have been surprised to find it up to
1000 fpm just a few hundred feet above the runway in a turn, but keep your
airspeed, its most important at this time
3. With no fan, you DO NOT want to tighten the turn, lose more airspeed and
do a snap roll into the ground - better to land on the grass if you can't
complete the turn to the concrete and are low on airspeed
4. Lowering the nose will increase your airspeed and (while very hard to do
with the ground staring you in the face) may give you sufficient energy to
flair - keeping the slower airspeed and high sink just about makes a
certainly of a hard landing - but, you'll walk away from it.
5. The objective is not to save the aircraft but your butt, hopefully both,
but don't misplace the priority.
At least something along those lines of logic and numbers for your aircraft,
the calculations may put some limits on when and at what altitude to turn.
I'm no test pilot, so some of you professional military (test) pilot types
can correct or add to my suggestions for engine out.
Ed
Ed Anderson
Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered
Matthews, NC
eanderson@carolina.rr.com
http://www.andersonee.com
http://www.dmack.net/mazda/index.html
http://www.flyrotary.com/
http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm#N494BW
http://www.rotaryaviation.com/Rotorhead%20Truth.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On
Behalf Of Perry Mick
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 3:41 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: 10 Years Rotary
>Congratulations, Perry
>10 years and 720 hours is some achievement - how much was the ducted fan
time?
>However, I must point out - you missed some of the fun with no glider time
{:>)
>Ed
>Ed Anderson
Thanks Ed. I had to go out and fly this morning before work to mark the
anniversary.
I've not experienced the engine out glide performance in a Long-EZ yet
except in X-Plane. Haven't had the guts to turn off the engine in flight
although it would probably be good thing to do with the appropriate
planning.
The first 500 hours were ducted fan.
Perry
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