Bill Freeman wrote:
Paul,
After working with the FAA on a crash investigation
about 10 yrs ago (dual fatal VariEze) my most cogent
comment is - maintain control and hit whatever you
have to *under control*. The VE hit in a 45 left bank about
30 deg nose down, in a plowed field. Instantly fatal due
to very high sink. I have thought it out many times and
I believe the pilot was unwilling to deal with damaging
the A/C (his pride and joy, after all - he built it) and
insisted on attempting an undoable return to the field.
Sometimes life hands you a situation where the only
choices are guarenteed fairly bad and a 1% chance at OK
wrapped in a 99% chance of getting creamed. Many
insist on avoiding the certain bad and jump on the 1% chance,
and, of course, usually getting creamed. Very sad, they
were very nice people.
The C182 climbs like a banshee when light and when it
is cool. With little fuel, you'll be at 500 ft by the end of the
strip. Many engine failures occur at first power reduction,
stay at full power, don't do the roll back to climb power until
you are guarenteed to make it back to the strip. I found
that a flat rudder-it-around saves a little altitude with a C150
but looks like hell and is very unatural. May not work as
well in the C182.
Stay over the riverbed, it looked pretty good to me,
sandy and very shallow, reasonably smooth, IIRC. If you
have a failure at 100 ft, aim at the (preselected) softest spot,
maintain min safe speed and take it. I have had several
friends hit the tops of trees in a C172 and get only beat and
bruised while expending the A/C. Not fun but no permanent
injuries. Use your belts, esp shoulder and consider borrowing
a helmet if you are really concerned. Looks silly, but if you
actually need it you'll be glad you did.
**Don't stall**, use min speed, stay wings level, and get
some refresher training in a C182 the week before you do it,
like at least 3 hrs in the pattern on a couple of days. Better if
it is the same field and looking over "good spots", there might be
some that you didn't know were there. I imagine you're
a bit rusty, but I might be wrong. :-)
Best of luck, and I've done one off-field landing
(partial engine failure) and one on-airport emergency
landing (partial engine failure, different A/C). Focuses
the mind wonderfully. Not so much as scratched the
paint in either one, flew one on to destination 1 hr
later, one the next morning.
Take care,
Bill
PS Do you have Chris Cosman's mailing address? It
was partially illegible on the sat dish package and I owe him
for the shipping (works great, Thanks !! Chris).
Long EZ builder & pilot
mechanical engineer
Chris?
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