AdamZ
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2005
- Messages
- 14,869
- Location
- Montgomery County PA
- Display Name
Display name:
Adam Zucker
The engine out thread got me wondering. Sometimes engine issues are not total engine outs at least not right away. Sometimes they give you warnings sometimes they let you know they are sick but not if they are dying.
Where I live in SE PA its a suburban area that gets more populated to the east. Mountainous to the north flat farms to the west then mountainous again as you had toward Pittsburg. KLNS is a big destination for us good restauraunt, great pilot shop only 30 to 40 min depending on wind. Lancaster is FLAT and I mean FLAT like midwest flat. When ever I fly home from LNS or west toward Pittsburg I am very aware of when my options run out should I need to put down.
So lets say you are over flat land lots of farms and your engine starts acting up. Rough or loss of RPM or lets say it sounds ok but Oil pressure drops and temp goes up. The closest airport is either in a populated area to the east or mountainous to the west if thats the way your going.
At what point do you say I am putting this plane down in that farm field and not risking it konking out over the suburbs or trees and hills?
Were not talking a dead engine here were talking one that is still running but with issues. Granted I assume that if you can't maintain altitude because the rpms are so low and you can't glide to a runway you put down. Thats not what I'm talking about. When do you say its better to put down in the field while I still have power than risk the engine dying over a bad area?
Where I live in SE PA its a suburban area that gets more populated to the east. Mountainous to the north flat farms to the west then mountainous again as you had toward Pittsburg. KLNS is a big destination for us good restauraunt, great pilot shop only 30 to 40 min depending on wind. Lancaster is FLAT and I mean FLAT like midwest flat. When ever I fly home from LNS or west toward Pittsburg I am very aware of when my options run out should I need to put down.
So lets say you are over flat land lots of farms and your engine starts acting up. Rough or loss of RPM or lets say it sounds ok but Oil pressure drops and temp goes up. The closest airport is either in a populated area to the east or mountainous to the west if thats the way your going.
At what point do you say I am putting this plane down in that farm field and not risking it konking out over the suburbs or trees and hills?
Were not talking a dead engine here were talking one that is still running but with issues. Granted I assume that if you can't maintain altitude because the rpms are so low and you can't glide to a runway you put down. Thats not what I'm talking about. When do you say its better to put down in the field while I still have power than risk the engine dying over a bad area?