99s Flour Drop

[Richard]

Today at KEED Needles, CA the Rio Colorado 99s had their annual flour drop/spot landing contest. Breakfast, competition, catered lunch.

RWY 29 in use. 220v26021G31PK38. Just before the last drop the winds settled down to 25012G25.

The rules were 2 drops from 100 agl minimum and one landing. I guess some pilots didn't hear the 100 agl in the briefing. And a lot of pilots weren't making any wind correction for the drop. It was funny to see them bomb the taxiway 200' downwind.

Everyone had a lot of fun and it was good to meet new faces.

#1 The peanut gallery -- set up in the "kill zone" just down wind from the target.
#2 The first drop of the day...the guinea pig didn't know the drift....
#3 That's CAP Maj. George Molitor on the left. He flew the first Lanceair checkride then taught the FAA how to. The Maj has been in aviation a long time and has many first hand accounts of notable aviation achievements.
#4 A runner to retrieve the unexploded drop bag from the taxiway. Gotta' make that wind correction....

 

[Richard]

#1 Pilots judge landings harshly. No pressure! This is one of many semi-stabilized landings this day.
#2 What does 100 agl look like?
#3 He's a wing span from his shadow.
#4 Every group has one who does 90% of the work, this is her. She's a Pvt pilot who just bought a Cardinal but didn't fly so she could be more efficient as an organizer.

 

[Richard]

#1 This shows the drift correction.
#2 There are two more out there below the ridge. And two on downwind.
#3 Snapped the pic a bit early. Her drop landed on the taxiway.
#4 He's NOT landing, he's flying a perfect line for the DZ. On the left is one of four CAP cadets who helped with the ground ops.

 

[Richard]

#1 This pilot is not landing, he's on the bomb line which in no wind would be 70' to his right.
#2 The stall horn had to be bleeping but still she carried 154' past the line.
#3 Jeff Carlson, CFI. He flew while I dropped.
#4 The plaque, very nice laquered teak. The color is a bit off in the pic, it's actually a deep maroon.

My 2nd drop was 11' off the mark. First place was 10'11". Then the very last drop hit the bulls eye.

My landing was the closest except I DQ'd because I landed on the wrong side of the line. I was 2' short. The next closest was 34'. A EMS King Air came in and NAILED the line! If he paid the entry fee he could've won 1st place.

 

[AdamZ]

looks like a good time Richard. How does one do a flour drop from a low wing such as he cherokee in the photo?

 

[Richard]

looks like a good time Richard. How does one do a flour drop from a low wing such as he cherokee in the photo?

This pilot had a cannister rigged beneath his tail with a nylon string leading down through the overhead vent and to the front left seat. Where the line made a bend he rove it through teflon grommets.

Otherwise, you would toss the bag out the spit window with a flick to aft of the wing.

I still have to get in the mode of taking pictures of things like this.

 

[Richard]

I found a pic....

 

[gprellwitz]

I found a pic....

Did she get an STC for that?

 

[poadeleted20]

Based on a lot of years of experience helping run these things, I strongly recommend that anyone running a flour bombing event require a minimum altitude of 200 AGL, minimum airspeed of 80 knots, and flaps UP. I have horror stories to tell on all of these issues if anyone needs convincing.

 

[Richard]

Based on a lot of years of experience helping run these things, I strongly recommend that anyone running a flour bombing event require a minimum altitude of 200 AGL, minimum airspeed of 80 knots, and flaps UP. I have horror stories to tell on all of these issues if anyone needs convincing.

No convincing needed here but I'm always eager to hear some stories.

To add to what you imply, my attention was piqued when I saw how some pilots cleaned up after the drop. Or how they delayed in configuring for the climb after the drop.

Several pilots got the Power/Pitch/Clean up out of order. Those were the guys who lost altitude while holding a climb attitude.

The Cherokee was consistently the lowest agl alt. But he carried full power the entire time. He was moving at Bonanza speeds on the downwind leg. He's owned that bird since '77, after talking with him I think he was very comfortable. I think he just had a need for speed. Then again, that level of performance was not conducive to going with the flow of the event. He flew to his level, not that of the event.

 

[bluesky74656]

We need to get something like this set up for Wings... sounds like a whole lot of fun.

 

[poadeleted20]

To add to what you imply, my attention was piqued when I saw how some pilots cleaned up after the drop. Or how they delayed in configuring for the climb after the drop.

Several pilots got the Power/Pitch/Clean up out of order. Those were the guys who lost altitude while holding a climb attitude.

Now you know why we have a "FLAPS UP" rule at the AYA competition -- no need to tell you a story you already know. Either they retract the flaps without pitching up or they pitch up before adding power. Another involves the pilot trying to push the canopy closed with the right hand while holding the yoke with the left -- right hand forward, left hand aft -- at 80 knots and 200 AGL. The level flight rule comes from watching folks try to fly a "normal" landing approach angle and then either miscalculating so they pass 200 AGL before the release point and/or forgetting to pull up quite quick enough while doing something like grabbing for the canopy or trying to spot their hit.

 

[AdamZ]

We need to get something like this set up for Wings... sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Well Todd, I'd love to do a flour drop at Wings or a spot landing contest but as you can see from Ron's post these are the types of contests that take a full breifing before doing them. You can't just have folks do them as they fly in. Not sure we have the time to do all that is necessary for those contests or the time to jockey all the planes. Although I'd really love to do it.
Are you comming to the FLYBQ this year? Didn't see you signed up.

 

[poadeleted20]

Well Todd, I'd love to do a flour drop at Wings or a spot landing contest but as you can see from Ron's post these are the types of contests that take a full breifing before doing them.

In addition, some aircraft types are less suitable than others -- the Grummans with their slide-open canopies and the high-wing Cessnas are good for it, but it's a bit trickier with a Bonanza.

 

[bluesky74656]

Well Todd, I'd love to do a flour drop at Wings or a spot landing contest but as you can see from Ron's post these are the types of contests that take a full breifing before doing them. You can't just have folks do them as they fly in. Not sure we have the time to do all that is necessary for those contests or the time to jockey all the planes. Although I'd really love to do it.
Are you comming to the FLYBQ this year? Didn't see you signed up.

Yeah, I understand. Still sounds like a heck of a lot of fun.

Right now I'm trying to work out some scheduling issues, at this point I'd say I'll probably be there, but I'm not sure yet.