DevonDiver
N/A
AI Computer..... safety device or convenience device?
why hate safety devices?
- Thread starter Crush
- Start date
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Thanks you. My trouble is that I can get lost in the words, so although I know what I'm trying to say it doesn't always come out like that!
Purely a convenience device. It's not "unsafe" to use a separate SPG. When you're using multiple tanks it becomes an inconvenience device.
Paladin
Contributor
Yes, I know very well what that means. It means you had only your needle and ball, airspeed indicator and altimeter (and your feel of the plane) as tenuous guides for attitude control. A definite case of white knuckles and a tight...well, you know the old saying.
About twenty years ago, in January, I was flying my old Luscombe 8A back from a visit to my cousin down in Florida. Coming across the Blue Ridge, I hit a snow storm and went into white out. Before I could do a 180 to get out of it, my pitot tube and static pressure vent both clogged with ice. The plane had no gyros (no electrical system) and I was left without an altimeter or airspeed indicator. I managed to make the turn using the needle and ball and my magnetic compass. I listened to the slipstream to judge airspeed. The storm was moving pretty fast and I didn't have time to reach the nearest airfield. I set down in a big, open cow pasture, taxied up to a barn and tied the plane down. The owner of the field put me up for the night and I finished my flight the next day.
I don't have to tell you that I was doing some very earnest praying right up to the moment I pulled the mixture knob back!
OP
Crush
Contributor
If this is peterbj7's intent, then he and I are in violent agreement.
OP
Crush
Contributor
A convenience device (to some) which might serve as a safety device (to few) to give you an "oh, ****" moment when it beeps rather than an "oh, ****" moment when the breathing resistance climbs.
Paladin -
Lucky you were in wide open country. Do that in England and you'll be very lucky to survive - and your plane won't.
That flight in which my gyros tumbled was an interesting one throughout. Took off in Italy at 2am headed (non-stop) for England, after having got a complete weather report and forecast from the US Airforce (who owned the plane I was flying). Despite that, after I'd entered the Alps, flying of course below the peaks (the aircraft was a Warrior - no pressurisation, no de-icing) I flew into a thunderstorm. Couldn't see it of course at night, but suddenly all the ground lights went out. I tried to climb out of it, but the aircraft rapidly began to ice up and I started going down. I didn't know (exactly) where I was as this was pre-GPS and the normal navaids don't work properly in the mountains. I decided my only hope was to try to break the ice off by high speed, so with full power (restricted because I had to have carb heat on) I dived to VNE and held it until I saw and felt the ice starting to break off. The vibration in that aircraft was terrible. I have no idea how close to the ground I got..... That gave me some climb speed so I took it - I didn't know how much air was under me any more. Twenty minutes later it started again, and again, rather sooner this time, I went into a VNE dive. After that I again started to climb, and was amazed when I suddenly popped out on top, to see a beautiful moon-lit night. A bit high - I was at almost 15k ft - but manageable. Had to get special clearance to fly at that altitude in that direction - the French are normally bloody-minded, especially to the English, but evidently not where flying is concerned. Flew across part of Germany and then France, but learned from Paris air info that the cloud covered the whole of northern Europe. My gyros had already tumbled so I was looking forward to my descent with eager anticipation. I started my descent shortly after leaving Paris and as I said earlier had a horrible time. I was told the cloud went right down to the ground/sea, which encouraged me no end. But as I said it was a US military (light) aircraft, which meant I wasn't subject to normal UK civilian rules, and I was cleared in the air without having to land at Dover, which otherwise would have been mandatory. If I had landed I couldn't have taken off again until the gyros had been attended to. In dense cloud I then flew across southern England, past London (one of the most highly controlled bits of air real estate in the world), and then up towards the RAF/US military airfield at Upper Heyford (since closed down). I had intended refueling at Manston/Dover, but as I hadn't had to land I clearly hadn't done so. I flew north west from London with both wing tanks showing very nearly empty, so I hopped from airfield to airfield. Fortunately I was now out of the cloud and flying VFR, but I couldn't go above 1500ft which didn't give me a lot of gliding room if the fan quit. I eventually reached Upper Heyford, easily big enough to take an A380 if they had existed at that time (they flew Phantoms and Galaxies there), and touched down with a tremendous feeling of relief. That was very short lived however, as I had barely started down a taxiway when the engine quit due to total absence of fuel. As it was downhill to the fuel bowser I managed to get there and start refuelling before anyone noticed I was back. I got away with it, but I learned quite a lot on that flight.
Lucky you were in wide open country. Do that in England and you'll be very lucky to survive - and your plane won't.
That flight in which my gyros tumbled was an interesting one throughout. Took off in Italy at 2am headed (non-stop) for England, after having got a complete weather report and forecast from the US Airforce (who owned the plane I was flying). Despite that, after I'd entered the Alps, flying of course below the peaks (the aircraft was a Warrior - no pressurisation, no de-icing) I flew into a thunderstorm. Couldn't see it of course at night, but suddenly all the ground lights went out. I tried to climb out of it, but the aircraft rapidly began to ice up and I started going down. I didn't know (exactly) where I was as this was pre-GPS and the normal navaids don't work properly in the mountains. I decided my only hope was to try to break the ice off by high speed, so with full power (restricted because I had to have carb heat on) I dived to VNE and held it until I saw and felt the ice starting to break off. The vibration in that aircraft was terrible. I have no idea how close to the ground I got..... That gave me some climb speed so I took it - I didn't know how much air was under me any more. Twenty minutes later it started again, and again, rather sooner this time, I went into a VNE dive. After that I again started to climb, and was amazed when I suddenly popped out on top, to see a beautiful moon-lit night. A bit high - I was at almost 15k ft - but manageable. Had to get special clearance to fly at that altitude in that direction - the French are normally bloody-minded, especially to the English, but evidently not where flying is concerned. Flew across part of Germany and then France, but learned from Paris air info that the cloud covered the whole of northern Europe. My gyros had already tumbled so I was looking forward to my descent with eager anticipation. I started my descent shortly after leaving Paris and as I said earlier had a horrible time. I was told the cloud went right down to the ground/sea, which encouraged me no end. But as I said it was a US military (light) aircraft, which meant I wasn't subject to normal UK civilian rules, and I was cleared in the air without having to land at Dover, which otherwise would have been mandatory. If I had landed I couldn't have taken off again until the gyros had been attended to. In dense cloud I then flew across southern England, past London (one of the most highly controlled bits of air real estate in the world), and then up towards the RAF/US military airfield at Upper Heyford (since closed down). I had intended refueling at Manston/Dover, but as I hadn't had to land I clearly hadn't done so. I flew north west from London with both wing tanks showing very nearly empty, so I hopped from airfield to airfield. Fortunately I was now out of the cloud and flying VFR, but I couldn't go above 1500ft which didn't give me a lot of gliding room if the fan quit. I eventually reached Upper Heyford, easily big enough to take an A380 if they had existed at that time (they flew Phantoms and Galaxies there), and touched down with a tremendous feeling of relief. That was very short lived however, as I had barely started down a taxiway when the engine quit due to total absence of fuel. As it was downhill to the fuel bowser I managed to get there and start refuelling before anyone noticed I was back. I got away with it, but I learned quite a lot on that flight.
I don't know about "violent", but I think it's pretty clear that we don't agree on this topic. Part of my attitude has been borne of making rather a lot of dives. Early on in my diving career I had all sorts of gadgets and gizmos. It's just that later on I realised I didn't need them. I now dive with the most basic and apparently worn out gear you could imagine.
Paladin
Contributor
Somebody was watching out for you that night, my friend.
I once had the magneto drive gear fail on a Cessna 172P. I was lucky I was on final at the time. It seems the mechanic forgot to put the Carter pin back in during a recent annual inspection.
There is an old saying that is definitely true: Flying is hour upon hour of pure boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror!
We need to get together sometime and do some old-fashioned hangar flying!
Edit: Compared to Cessnas or my old puddle-jumpin' Luscombe, Cherokees have the glide angle of a streamlined brick!
I once had the magneto drive gear fail on a Cessna 172P. I was lucky I was on final at the time. It seems the mechanic forgot to put the Carter pin back in during a recent annual inspection.
There is an old saying that is definitely true: Flying is hour upon hour of pure boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror!
We need to get together sometime and do some old-fashioned hangar flying!
Edit: Compared to Cessnas or my old puddle-jumpin' Luscombe, Cherokees have the glide angle of a streamlined brick!
Which is why I graduated to aerobatics, mostly in a 260hp Slingsby. I recall once with my instructor being instructed to rejoin the circuit (pattern) inverted (800ft AGL), and only roll over when I turned base. You can't be bored with that going on!
The later ones (which I was flying) glide rather better than the early ones. In fact, the first time I landed one I nearly overshot the end of the runway as the damned plane wouldn't settle.
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