In flight emergency

saracelica

saracelica

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saracelica
Okay so I'm going to start on my IR this afternoon. I'm so excited. :)

I got to thinking about my PPL. All the simulated emergencies/fires and whatever my instructor could think of doing to me. I think he said "I am having a meat stroke" or something once. <sigh> But if I'm in IMC/under the hood...how would I know if the engine was on fire or it was smoking or anything? Would one of the gauges show that to me? Yeah I could ask my instructor in a couple hours but I figured I'd ask you gals/guys. :)

~K
 
The smoke coming into the cabin and the burning sensation around your legs and the orangish glow associated with it will be a good first indication. Other than that why dont we do some critical thinking here....
What gages are in your airplane?
How could or would they indicate problems?
 
I'd assume you could still see the smoke amongst the clouds. I've always wondered how engine failures are handled in IMC. If you can't see the ground how can you pick a landing site? And no, "pull the chute" is not the answer :)
 
ebykowsky said:
I'd assume you could still see the smoke amongst the clouds. I've always wondered how engine failures are handled in IMC. If you can't see the ground how can you pick a landing site? And no, "pull the chute" is not the answer :)
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I've thought about this too, and I think if you don't have power, the best thing you can do is glide until you can see....and then glide with a purpose.
 
ebykowsky said:
I'd assume you could still see the smoke amongst the clouds. I've always wondered how engine failures are handled in IMC. If you can't see the ground how can you pick a landing site? And no, "pull the chute" is not the answer :)
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If it was an in-flight emergency then you would still land as you would anywhere else using the instrument system. If it is a enginge failure and you are in the "soup" then you are going to be decending. Hopfully you can pop out the bottom and find a place to land. Maybe you can get vectors to an airport. Its all situational.
 
Have the normal 6 pack gauges.

Airspeed/AI/Altitude/VOR1/VOR2/DG

For whatever reason I'm at a loss of words for the dial that shows how fast you're climbing/descending and the one with if your wings are level. (Forgive me I'm at work and haven't transitioned to flight brain.

Would the oil pressure change?
 
saracelica said:
Okay so I'm going to start on my IR this afternoon. I'm so excited. :)

I got to thinking about my PPL. All the simulated emergencies/fires and whatever my instructor could think of doing to me. I think he said "I am having a meat stroke" or something once. <sigh> But if I'm in IMC/under the hood...how would I know if the engine was on fire or it was smoking or anything? Would one of the gauges show that to me? Yeah I could ask my instructor in a couple hours but I figured I'd ask you gals/guys. :)

~K
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You might see fluctuating ammeter readings if there are electrical issues (shorts) that could lead to a fire.

The main thing most people notice before signs of a visible fire is the smell. Electrical wires burning have an acrid smell, oil a different smell.
 
saracelica said:
Have the normal 6 pack gauges.

Airspeed/AI/Altitude/VOR1/VOR2/DG

For whatever reason I'm at a loss of words for the dial that shows how fast you're climbing/descending and the one with if your wings are level. (Forgive me I'm at work and haven't transitioned to flight brain.

Would the oil pressure change?
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Only if you have an oil pressure problem.

You also have engine instuments, correct? Oil pressure/Temp. Amp/volts?

Your six pack instruments are not going to tell you anything about an engine fire, Right?

If you don't see the flames coming out of the cowling then what else "might" happen to the indications?
 
saracelica said:
Have the normal 6 pack gauges.

Airspeed/AI/Altitude/VOR1/VOR2/DG

For whatever reason I'm at a loss of words for the dial that shows how fast you're climbing/descending and the one with if your wings are level. (Forgive me I'm at work and haven't transitioned to flight brain.

Would the oil pressure change?
Click to expand...

VSI vertical speed indicator

Oil gauge may show loss of oil pressure that could lead to an oil fire, but chances are the engine will quit first.
 
Turn coordinator is the other one.
 
I almost always can see the wings and cowling in IMC. I'm not sure why IMC would make a whole lot of difference in that. Under the hood, well I guess that's one thing the safety pilot ought to be looking for. There's good reason we require them to be pilots themselves.

There's probably three types of fires on board an aircraft:

1. (Aviation) Fuel related
2. Electrical
3. Cabin/cargo materials.

Electrical is usually accompanied by the characturistic smell and possibly something dying.
Recovery is usually as simple as removing electrical power. If VMC, no big thing, just kill the master and figure it out on the ground. In IMC, you may wish to use a more phased shutdown.

In a fuel fed fire, there's almost NOTHING you can do but get on the ground in the MOST EXPEDITIOUS way possible. In small aircraft without engine fire bottles, you're not dealing with it in the air. I'd be shooting for the absolute nearest airport and really considering whether I needed to put it down under control in advance of reaching it.

Cabin fires can go both ways. Some can be extinguished with some on-board fire fighting, others you're going to need to get down quickly.
 
flyingron said:
In a fuel fed fire, there's almost NOTHING you can do but get on the ground in the MOST EXPEDITIOUS way possible. In small aircraft without engine fire bottles, you're not dealing with it in the air. I'd be shooting for the absolute nearest airport and really considering whether I needed to put it down under control in advance of reaching it.
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Fuel selector valve to off and pull mixture back to idle cutoff. Idea is to stop the fuel from reaching the fire. If this fails Ron is correct. Things are going to get real bad in a hurry.
 
saracelica said:
Okay so I'm going to start on my IR this afternoon.
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And that constitutes an "in flight emergency"? :eek:

I think he said "I am having a meat stroke" or something once. <sigh>
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A "meat stroke"? In the cockpit? I don't even want to think about that. :eek::eek:

In any event, you should be aware rather quickly of an engine fire, and if that happens, you do the best you can under the circumstances. Just remember what equipment you lose if you shut down the engine (like your vacuum power), and also that the battery will last a lot longer than you can stay airborne in that situation, and the vacuum gyros may spin down slowly enough to stay reasonably reliable for that long, too, even if the suction stops.
 
Ron Levy said:
And that constitutes an "in flight emergency"? :eek:

A "meat stroke"? In the cockpit? I don't even want to think about that. :eek::eek:

In any event, you should be aware rather quickly of an engine fire, and if that happens, you do the best you can under the circumstances. Just remember what equipment you lose if you shut down the engine (like your vacuum power), and also that the battery will last a lot longer than you can stay airborne in that situation, and the vacuum gyros may spin down slowly enough to stay reasonably reliable for that long, too, even if the suction stops.
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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


Just speculation here but I'm guessing he said "heat stroke" but you know how airplanes are noisy and all... :rolleyes:
 
If he's having a meat stroke, he definitely doesn't have a girlfriend.

As far as fire goes, you'll see it or smell it.
 
EdFred said:
If he's having a meat stroke, he definitely doesn't have a girlfriend.
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Well, it depends on whether she's along or not. If she's the sole manipulator of the pilot in command, does she get to log anything?
 
How many posts does it take for a POA thread to start going downhill :)??
 
I remember doing a simulated engine out with one of my instrument students one day. We were flying along at about 3-4k and I pulled back his throttle and informed him he just lost an engine.

His reaction was to pull the hood off.

"Art, that ain't gonna work in real life. Put your hood back on and get us down safely!" I countered.

The process is the same whether you're IFR or VFR...Airspeed, Best place to land, and Communicate...in that order. Keep in mind ATC can be a great source in helping you find the best place to land, particularily if you're in radar coverage.
 
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meat stroke/heat stroke. Tomato/to-ma-toe

Thanks for your help. Love this group. With 1.8 hours I already feel in an elite club. Thanks for the warm welcome.
 
saracelica said:
I got to thinking about my PPL. All the simulated emergencies/fires and whatever my instructor could think of doing to me. I think he said "I am having a meat stroke" or something once. <sigh> But if I'm in IMC/under the hood...how would I know if the engine was on fire or it was smoking or anything? Would one of the gauges show that to me? Yeah I could ask my instructor in a couple hours but I figured I'd ask you gals/guys. :)
~K
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Not only will you smell smoke but you will get a good dose of adrenaline to go along with it.

When you are really in the soup, without the hood, many of the distractions of visual flight go away and at least for a while (many hours for me) you senses will be heightened a bit. Just like "over water engine roughness", you'll see things in the gauges and hear things over the normal racket that you didn't really notice before.

The key is to remember what to do when something really happens.

Have fun with it!
 
One thing that's good to know while in IMC is how to use the nearest airport function if you have a GPS. Also, the terrain display function, if any.
 
Palmpilot said:
One thing that's good to know while in IMC is how to use the nearest airport function if you have a GPS. Also, the terrain display function, if any.
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My CFII said I'll know the GPS (Garmin 430W) almost blindfolded by the time I do the checkride.
 
Tune in nearest ASOS and get the ceiling. Now you know (approximately) when you'll break out and how much time at best glide you'll have from the bases to the surface. glide towards nearest airport as best as your iPad (or whatever) shows. Don't panic, just fly.

You'll learn that part of your normal scan includes a glance to the right to check the engine instruments every so often.
 
None of the indications matter. If the safety pilot or CFI starts screaming thats a good indication somethings wrong :yes:
 
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