I just got my PPL, and I'm planning a flight from Cedar Rapids, IA to Mancelona, MI here in a couple of weeks in a Piper Cherokee 180. I'm debating whether I should fly over the lake or just to go down south around Chicago. If I were to fly up north across the lake, I would take the thinnest part (about 52 miles by my calculation) - but even from 10,000 feet I won't be able to glide to land if my engine quits in the middle of the lake (it turns out the Cherokee doesn't make a very good glider
That and I'm not even sure I can legally fly over the lake without the proper life boats and such. According to FAR 91.509 I can, but I've been told by other pilots that it's not allowed unless I can glide to land.
Any advice from the wiser, more experienced pilots of POA?
Part 91, and not fractional, if you're legal to fly over land, you're legal to fly over the lake.
I've flown over the lake a number of times, including several in a single. My personal "lake protocol" is as follows:
1) Between July 1 and Labor Day. The lake is warmest later, but during this time period it's warm enough to last a little while, and there are a lot of boats in the water so even if you can't make shore, hopefully you can ditch in front of one. This works best on weekends, of course.
2) As high as possible. The *lowest* I have ever crossed in a single is 12,000 feet. I have gone to 13,500. I usually cross the shoreline in the neighborhood of 9,000 feet, and I begin descending when I'm easily within gliding range of the other shore. I haven't used oxygen - If I had it, I'd maybe even climb higher. I cross from Manitowoc to Muskegon, which results in about 44nm over water.
3) Either IFR or on VFR flight following. I want to be already talking to somebody if something goes wrong, to get emergency services launched ASAP.
4) KNOW thy airplane! Whoever said "maintain a 500fpm descent" is either flying a very slick airframe, or hasn't tested what their plane will do power off. I have done a lot of "test piloting" in the planes I fly relating to best glide, and in an Archer I get about 800 fpm power off, while in the 182 I get close to 1000fpm at "best glide" and 800 or so at an approximation of minimum sink airspeed (which will gain you time, but take away some of the distance you can glide). I even made a spreadsheet to figure out what altitudes I'd need to fly for zero exposure. The Archer turned out to be about 13,700 feet, the 182 was a couple thousand higher. I figure I have only around two minutes of exposure time at 13,500 in the 182.
5) KNOW where the exact turn-back point should be (that will get you to the closest shore). I did a bunch of measuring on a line on the sectional to find the halfway point - Once you do that, adjust for winds aloft. Preferably, use a GPS to determine actual winds aloft in flight and readjust. This is also a good reason to have a GPS, as you can then tell exactly where you are in relation to the turn-back point. Monitor this until you cross it so you know instantly whether to turn around or keep going if something happens. (Engine may quit, or not - Fires, medical emergencies, whatever...)
Finally, I do have a GPS-equipped 406MHz PLB, and usually carry life jackets in the plane when I make the hop.
There are those who say "the plane doesn't know you're flying over water" but failures do happen, and in this case the penalties can be severe. A cold bath sounds like a highly unpleasant way to die. As with all flying, while you can't eliminate risk entirely, the steps above make the risk level acceptable for me. Hopefully they'll help you to come up with your own criteria when you decide to try the crossing.
OBTW, just for kicks, pull the power and do a sustained power-off glide at Vg in the Cherokee to see how it performs. My glide spreadsheet is posted on the board somewhere, you might be able to find it in a search. That'll tell you a lot.
Oh man " a little furry" Just snarfed on my desk. Tabrina welcome to POA!!!
