Dead Stick Landing...An Auspicious Start on the Journey to Johnson Creek

[mvivion]

As I recall Randy recounting this episode, the rate at which the plane sank with a completely dead engine, not one idling, pretty much took his breath away but he responded with his training and was able to get it down safely.

Good point, Darrel. We practice "dead stick" landings (or at least we should) but with the engine at idle. When you actually have an engine failure, your glide is a good bit steeper, due to the drag associated with having to turn that engine over with the prop and air flow. Surprising how much thrust that engine produces, even at dead idle.

I really like Randy's physics reminder on light refraction......good tool.

MTV

 

[pittsdriver]

Yep, things happen fast. I took off in a C-140 and at about 200' it quit cold. Shoved the nose over and almost immediately flared. Lucky I also had a 8000' runway. Don

 

[WindOnHisNose]

I think I mentioned in the narrative that when that prop stopped it was not at all like the "power off stall" that I have practiced many, many times. I had to push that stick forward RIGHT NOW to keep airspeed up. Fortunately, my first flight instructor taught me that "any runway you leave behind you is runway you cannot use!", so I don't accept intersection departures. Period. I taxi right up to the end of the runway and proceed from there!

The glide characteristics of a heavily loaded (of course, within the envelope) super cub is surprisingly not so great. This gave me a whole different perspective on the difference between a power off stall and what happens the big fan stops.

I didn't have time to switch fuel tanks and attempt a restart. Rather, I just flew the plane down, keyed the mike to tell the tower of my problem, and put her down.

Randy

 

[coxcub]

Randy's point about runway full length take offs brings to mind what I was taught long ago.........."Runway behind you is as good to you as fuel that's still in the truck"

Frank