Posted for "Andres Katz" <bucker131@hotmail.com>:

on the subject of overhead approaches I agree with all contributors and have my 2 cents to add. I have been using this approach frequently and after 800 hrs on my T-6 have honed the maneuver well. there are some do's and dont's that i have accumulated over the years. Having been witness to at least 2 fatal accidents during airshows while doing formation flying there is one major flaw to the overhead approach that no one has discussed. my T-6 in level flight stalls at 85 knots, during the brake for the overhead some suggest a sharp bank to 80-90 degrees. If the conditions are such that one ends up short of the runway due to quartering winds or miscalculation in the turn, loading the wing by pulling on the stick will immediately lead to a stall condition. Under no circumnstances one should be put in a position to require +G on the plane. The T-6 on a 90 degree bank stalls at 240 kts, the maximum cruise speed for the airplane is 160 knts full power, therefore there is not enough power to prevent a stall if one loads the wing. I have committed this mistake once in my life at low altitude during a break and once the knee shaking stopped God was kind enough to keep me alive. The stall was vicious and the spin entry was prevented by full stick forward and barely avoiding the ground. The IV-P I am sure (I have not attempted this maneuver at altitude since I do not like the stall characteristics of the IV-P) will also have a vicious entry into this maneuver. Therefore when aiming for the high point one preferably will be in the initial, lined up with the runway and the break should be gentle, 50-60 degrees at the most, power off after the turn and the turn should be (in practice) 500 feet after the threshold so undershooting does not occur. It is preferable to land long than short to avoid getting into the above situation. One needs at least 2500 on the IV-P as demostrated by Charlie K who instructed me well on this maneuver. The break allows one a great view of the entire traffic area and the runway and there is opportunity for avoiding traffic by modifying the circle appropiately. I am able to cut the power off on the t-6 and make a 3 point landing 95% of the time with excellent stability as long as the stick is pushed down. (-g). the IV-P needs at least 2500 feet and gear and flaps should be up with the prop feathered to make the runway since it glides like a brick. The problem is that one cannot practice this unless the field is not active. if there is traffic around one gets in the way. Most civilian pilots do not understand the concept of an overhead approach. If there is a plane waiting to take off they usually will cut on the approach since they do not understand that once the break occurs landing will follow almost immediately. After multiple encounters with the other guys in my field, Mesquite, someone complained to the FAA about my overhead approaches. The answer was direct and from the FAA, the letter was posted for along time at the field. overhead approaches are safe, they provide an excellent way to land and they encourage the use of such technique
andres 18ak close to 200 hrs and still going