Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
Online Community of Zenith Builders and Flyers
Help getting comfortable flying down low
I have been flying for 30 years and have my IFR ticket.
However, during my private pilot training I was exposed to an abnormal number of flying deaths of people I knew (7 dead in 6 accidents over a period of a year and a half). Those accidents stay with me to this day.
That series of horrific experiences over such a short period of time led me to develop a very low risk tolerance. It was etched into my brain that unless I flew every flight as safely as possible - I was going to die in a plane crash. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, it's what has been stuck in my brain.
So one of my first rules of safety has always been altitude. Fly as high as reasonable on every flight. In my 601 I typically fly at 5500, and higher, when traveling any distance, with a minimum around 4500 feet for short flights. Altitude is life....
So I have 30 years of thinking that any flight below 1500 feet is going to get me killed (no, i'm not exaggerating!). However, I now live in a beautiful rural and scenic area with few, if any, obstructions over 100 feet. I have started wondering what it would be like to occasionally fly at 500 feet (this is scary low for me!) for a short scenic flight.
So, I'm sure many low and slow pilots on this forum have never really considered my predicament. For many STOL pilots flying at 500 feet, is high. I'm wondering if there are some pilots who have been in my situation that did have to learn to get comfortable flying down low, and if so, what suggestions you might have?
FYI - I have gotten very comfortable with handling my plane in all regimes. I can spot land it nearly every time. This is not an issue of learning my, or my plane's, capabilities. Its more over-coming fear of low flight.
So did anyone take some sort of progressive approach to low and slow flight? If so, any suggestions for me?
Maybe the real answer is just go out and do it until you get comfortable, but I thought I would ask the experts here first.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Clint L Gosch on
-
Gary- Jim made some great recommendations! I decided to instrument my fuel pressure and carb temp and set alarms on my EFIS for those and all other monitored engine parameters. I don't have a separate warning light like John, but the EFIS indication is quite attention getting by itself. I've found having some "smart" engine monitoring (and data logging) is really nice to help reduce in flight engine worries. I personally like to be no lower than 1200' AGL. Thanks for sharing your story, tragic but reminds us all bad things can and do happen. Very sorry you have those memories. Wishing you many hours of safe flying!
-
Permalink Reply by Gary Welch on
-
Thanks, Clint!
-
Permalink Reply by Jim and Amelia Isaacs on
-
Gary,
I just took a look and the only fatal Midget Mustang NTSB accident report I could find that may have been in the time frame you mention, that could have been anywhere near Petaluma, was near the Tracy, CA airport in 1989. However, the description circumstances of the crash and in particular of of the accident site, differ significantly from your recollection.
-
-
That's not it. Because it was an experimental, maybe it was called something else in the registration. Going to check my log book today for clues, I think. Part of me does not want to revisit this.
-
Permalink Reply by christopher fryatt on
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntvGE2qut_Q
I cant rationalize the 500' cub style cruising , but that's me I guess. I cruise 75% to as to low of about 90kias at 1000' or 1500 agl. Energy is my pal equating to zoom climb and being well away from stall until needed close up maneuvering
low flying much easier now days with gps. the skill of pilotage using ground references at 1000' agl takes practice
here are some guys doing an XC about 1000' agl.
imagine you are always on a normal downwind leg, also image a point as a base key of 500' agl as your way out for forced landing.
once again my 2 cents at 1000 or 1500 you have time to try restart, limited troubleshoot, pick field, land.
Below that is helicopter territory. find spot, land
-
-
All good points, and I’m not arguing altitude buys you more time to select the best spot while you descend, but if the engine fails, what are you doing with your time during that descent? To me, only one thing in my little 701 with near-helicopter performance- fly the airplane, executing only your last two steps: pick a spot, land. If my Rotax 912 just up and quits in cruise flight I’m not going to spend one second doing any inflight troubleshooting. The reason it quit in my 701 is not going to be related to fuel starvation, the typical cause of engines stopping in flight in our GA Part 91 world, unless I just ran it out of fuel in both wing tanks. I don’t have a header tank, complicated venting, or a left or right fuel selector, just a simple brass valve, on or off, connected to both tanks, and it won’t move on it’s own during flight. There is no carb heat to apply, as it’s always on in a tightly cowled 701 installation, being provided continuously by the heat emanating from the exhaust manifolds and oil cooler radiator. So (and this is just me personally) I’m not going to fiddle with an inflight restart attempt because most any other reason a 912 would just quit could be exacerbated to the point of increasing the danger to the occupants by engaging the starter. If I do end up with the luxury of having a few seconds available because a good landing spot is easily within reach, I’m actually going to spend a precious second or two shutting off the things that allow a restart attempt- fuel and electrical sources. Every other second will be spent flying the aircraft. Most of us will never have the opportunity to practice a true engine-off emergency landing in our aircraft, and the distance it glides- and lands- may be quite different from what we’re used to with the engine producing idle thrust, so this will be our first time if it happens. To me, that demands all of our attention be outside the aircraft. This is why I'm comfortable flying down low, usually between 500 and 1,000 AGL. As I take in all the interesting details I miss by cruising up high, I also identify potential landing sites, knowing that if she quits, I plan to instantly commit to spending all my time flying to that landing spot.
-
Permalink Reply by John Austin on
-
Good points on both sides ... or should I say both altitudes! ;>)
Obviously, altitude is safety and when I flew my entire family in the 206, I routinely filed IFR and flew as high as practical considering the length of the flight. On a typical flight, I might have 4 seats occupied by me and my family with a dog or cat in a crate in the back, too - a lot of responsibility!
I now fly primarily for pleasure and I enjoy being "low and slow" as one can observe what's actually happening on the ground below and sometimes even interact with those on the ground - it was so fun on Christmas to chug along and when someone heard me, looked up, and waved, I'd give them a wing-wag to wish them a Merry Christmas ... can't do that IFR above the clouds! ;>) At a maximum, I can only have one passenger in the 750 STOL, and usually my altitude varies inversely with the passenger's pilot skills or lack of and if the passenger is a pilot, it usually comes out pretty quickly where their comfort level lies.
Perhaps one factor that provides comfort with "low and slow" to a number of Zenith pilots - especially STOL pilots - is the low total energy of the airframe in a forced landing. With the light weight and relatively slow airspeeds involved, there simply isn't nearly as much energy to dissipate when you contact an immovable object as there would be with a typical GA plane. Hopefully, we'll have a suitable out-landing spot close by (and I do fly higher proportional to the hostility of the terrain!), but if a misadventure on forced landing occurs and we bend the plane, seems the majority of these accidents result in very minor injuries, if any - probably no worse than riding down the plane with a whole aircraft parachute.
John
-
-
Bold face EP (emergency procedures)
engine failure
above 500'
Glide-establish
Mixture-Rich
Fuel Selector-- Fullest tank
Fuel pump-Select other
Carb Heat-Full On
Mags- Both, L, R
Below 500'
Glide-establish
Mixture-OFF
Fuel Selector-off
Fuel pump-off
Mag-off
Master off on final (loss of EFIS)
and all instruments in my glass panel bird including A/S and altitude. that's what eyes are for I think ((attitude plus power))
-
-
airplane is bye bye if one of the above situations occur.
1 life of me and pax
2 life of those below
airframe expendable ,of course don't aim for stuff!
-
-
having efis and ems is a great help ems gives audio alarms and having a carb air instrument has been well served in icing conditions
you high wing flyers have a little more look down time, us surfboard flyers cant see whats just below without altitude killing turns
-
-
Gary,
Maybe you should. Maybe the details of how or why it happened are not important anymore, but the best way to deal with this is to seek qualified help and talk through it. PTSD is not just something that happens to Soldiers.
-
-
I appreciate the thought. It's sad, I learned from it. I felt the one positive out of it was that it taught me a valuable lesson about flying and altitude. I've honored this pilot by never forgetting the lesson he taught me.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
New from Zenith:
Classified listing for buying or selling your Zenith building or flying related stuff...
Custom Instrument Panels
for your Zenith:
Custom instrument panels are now available directly from Zenith Aircraft Company exclusively for Zenith builders and owners. Pre-cut panel, Dynon and Garmin avionics, and more.
Zenith Homecoming Tee:
Flying On Your Own Wings:
A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design, by Chris Heintz
Builder & Pilot Supplies:
Pro Builder Assistance:
Transition training:
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty for all your building and pilot supplies!
How to videos from HomebuiltHELP.com
Developed specifically for Zenith builders (by a builder) these videos on DVD are a great help in building your own kit plane by providing practical hands-on construction information. Visit HomebuiltHelp.com for the latest DVD titles.
© 2024 Created by Zenith.Aero.
Powered by
