Scudrunners

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviat ... 071&akey=1

[quote]both number 2 cylinder intake valve springs were broken.
Visible rust was observed on the surfaces of the springs.

The broken valve springs were replaced and the engine was run again.
After replacing the valve springs, the engine was capable of operating
normally at full power

The fractured inner and outer intake valve springs from the number 2
cylinder were subsequently examined by investigators.

Both springs showed fatigue fractures originating from rust pits on the surfaces[/quote]

Now, has anyone ever mentioned internal corrosion of piston
engines before?

[img width=375 height=500][/img]

I know.  Fourth post.

Food for thought.  The most important thing to
any pilot, is a greaser landing.  Presumably it's
more important than anything else, to baby that
oh-so-delicate landing gear.

I think we can agree this was one of the worst,
most violent landings you've seen lately.  But
scroll up to the top of the page and look at the
main landing gear on the wrecked aircraft.

It's fucking perfect.

So much for the goddamned "fishing for a greaser"
landing technique, which if you're lucky, will make
you hydroplane off the end of a wet runway.  Or
more likely, it will induce a PIO in pitch that will
easily wipe the nose gear off, because you probably
approach much too fast anyways.

[youtube][/youtube]

[b]Flare to land, squat to pee[/b]

See what you mean ... a more expert attention to a more calculated squat onto that even field (at their weight) might have allowed a better "job" at the expense of their main gear ? The happiness in the photo is different ...

I'm happy the pilot did not stall/spin during
the steep turn before the touchdown - hear
that stall warning horn? - and that he was
able to touch down on a reasonably
obstacle-free area.

This could have gone much, much worse.

Even if the jumpers could have gotten out
at (e.g.) 200 AGL, deployment of their
parachutes would have been doubtful.

When the engine dies after takeoff, preservation
of the hardware is the lowest priority, and
a survivable crash is most important.

At least it is for us old guys.  I am willing
to admit we have different priorities than
the facebook generation.

Before 100% of my military flights, we brief as a crew.


We define what constitutes a "land as soon as possible" vs "land as soon as practicable"
First being, "primary consideration is the survival of the occupants"
Second being: " urgency of the emergency."


If we can limp it home, we'll try.  We have some pretty awesome crashworthy protection on the bag of bolts Igor designed back in the 70's.

Classic - pump those elevators for all they are worth.


I always tell people - "hit the target" - nothing else -- "hit the target" - who gives a fuck about greasing it on. An arrival is much better than runway behind you or overrun under you - hit the fucking target - we got oleos  >:D

Here's a short field landing from last weekend,
in an airplane I never fly:

[url=http://www.pittspecials.com/movies/7GCAA.mov]www.pittspecials.com/movies/7GCAA.mov[/url]

500 foot landing distance with no wind, made
the first turnoff.

Fuck the greaser shit.  Any PPL ought to be
able to do that - a 500 foot no-wind landing -
in nearly any certified SEL aircraft.

I wince when I watch people approach far
too fast, and float and float, touch down at
least halfway down the runway, then lock up
the brakes and flat-spot the tires to try to
not run off the end of the runway. 

You know, a typical Mooney approach.

I had the pleasure of riding in the back of the now "mystical" every canadian pilot wannabe wet dream -- 400 --8 (really!!) anyway landing in YQT I watched so much real estate go by I realized that it amounted to about 50% in the rear view mirror before he/she managed to make contact with some friction and you guessed it, my dick snapped forward and to the right(I dress on the left) as we strained against our seat belts -- well done folks and I can testify that the runway was bare and dry. My concern is that amongst that group of companies it seems it must be SOP -- damn - no wonder the Island is a challenge for them.