Landing in tall crops (Corn)

[GrantR]

Landing in tall crops (Corn)

How would you go about making an emergency landing in corn or other tall crops?

The best way to do this in a fixed wing is to fly it into the corn and round out like making a normal landing without the tall crops being there.

Rounding out on top of it in a fixed wing turns out bad as you drop in from 7 to 8 feet. I talked to someone about this and he recalled 2 planes having to land in corn. The one that flared on top of the crop wound up with a hurt back and a badly damaged airplane. The one that flew it down into the corn and flared walked away and the plane was ok.

Then there are other clingy crops like beans that like to wrap around the wheels. In my area, the main things grown are peanuts, cotton, wheat, corn, green beans and soybeans.

How many of you have had experience with landing in such crops and how did you perform the landings?

[fiveboy]

I seem to recall this having been discussed. My sense is that a soft field landing where you drop the last 5 feet or so wouldnt be that bad and minimizes roll and the opportunity to flip.

Do I recall correctly?

Not too unlike having to land on top of a jungle canopy, but much closer to the ground?

[Harry_S.]

For tall corn eg, TRY to make the approach as you would for a zero roll landing but...consider the tops of the corn to be the ground...when at zero speed on the tops, fwd. stick to level the rotor and let 'er plop straight down.

The rotor blades will be choppin' the corn as you're slowly lowered...hopefully. The blades will be shot, probably, but you should be okay.

I didn't do this procedure over corn, but I did accomplish it over water.


Cheers :)

[RotoPlane]

Depends on the maturity of the corn.....young small soft ears and an enclosed airframe....maybe.
Mature ears...no-way I'd do a "normal" landing….only a flare at tassel height.

Perhaps I'm a weenie, but those corn ears are hard, heavy and will beat my body to bloody pulp!

[GrantR]

By normal landing I didn’t mean rolling. I meant normal as landing on the runway vs corn.

For the zero airspeed flare would you fly into the corn then flare or treat the top as the ground of fly into it a little then flare? Lining up with the rows and aiming for the middle would be best to avoid getting slapped by the corn. I am talking about full mature tall corn. I think the gyro is tall enough so that the rotors would not go very deep into the corn so maybe not much damage of any since the tops are not that hard

[scottessex]

Grant, just stick to flying over cotton and soybeans. I fly over lots of Hay! :)

[brett s]

Personally I'd want zero groundspeed before anything hits the crops or soft ground - whether it's the gear or the blades first. My experience is only with helicopters, but the end result is probably pretty similar - rollover and/or blade strike on tailboom is pretty common if you're not fully stopped before touchdown.

The odds of rolling over increase greatly with any groundspeed at all, doesn't take much. Like Harry said, if tall corn you're probably going to trash the blades anyways but that still beats rolling it over!

[GrantR]

Maybe I need to hookup my roundup sprayer on the gyro and buzz a few corn fields. That will take care of it. :)

I am a bit surprised that no one has made a corn landing before in a gyroplane.

[Harry_S.]

Perhaps I'm a weenie, but those corn ears are hard, heavy and will beat my body to bloody pulp!



The corn reminds me of my first p'chute jump from an airplane.

After an intensive ground school, I went up for my first static line jump. The ground school paid off.

I was to be the first out of the C-182 at 2500 ft. I got out on the step, the jumpmaster asked if I was ready, I nodded a yes, he said "GO."

I stepped back and assumed the "spread eagle" and started counting...to six, per the ground school, at the six count I looked up to see what kind of chute I had...my look up was interupted by a rather gentle "tug" and then I saw a fully developed round canopy.

Anyway, I was going to come down well short of the intended landing zone. I looked down and all I saw was one huge field of corn. As I thought I was at the top of the corn, I bent and flexed my knees for the landing. I stayed upright on landing and I looked up to see corn stalks at least 2 ft. over my head...and I'm over 6 ft. I think I only took out about a half doz. stalks, with mature ears.

It took me about 15 sweating min. to pull in the shroud lines, canopy and walk out between the rows, to where I thought the landing zone was. Didn't get a scratch from the corn!!

There's more to the story. :cool:


Cheers :)

[AirHorse1]

Maybe I need to hookup my roundup sprayer on the gyro and buzz a few corn fields. That will take care of it. :)

I am a bit surprised that no one has made a corn landing before in a gyroplane.

Actually, this has happend before and I witnessed the end of it. It happend at Mentone in 2005. I was flying with Jim Logan and as we were headed back to land we spotted it in the corn field near the runway on the edge of the cornfield near the road. It was maybe 20-30 ft into the cornfield from the road. It was a Sparrowhawk and I believe it was its maiden voyage after getting it AW cert. I cant remember whose it was but I believe it encountered an electrical problem while in flight. I believe they got it out and was pretty much undamaged except for the green rotors.

I think it was another instructor or experienced pilot that was test flying it for/with the owner but I cant remember who it was. I'm guessing that the pilot is a member of this forum, so maybe he will chime in and give us the details of this experience.

[docrob]

When I was an instructor at Ft. Rucker, a guy in my section lost an engine in an H-13 (Bell 47.) The only thing in sight was a field of mature corn, so he set up his approach parallel to the rows, and made a normal auto rotation. He put the tail rotor down between the rows, and the main rotor was above the tops of the tassels. Maintenance came out and fixed the machine, and chopped corn down around the helicopter with machetes. A test pilot picked it up and flew it back to the heliport. (Local regs said if you had an off-airport landing, a maintenance test pilot had to fly it out.) Not a mark --- not even any green stain --- on it. (I'm not sure whether there was any brown stain on it or not.) Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Dr. Rob

[GrantR]

Thats good to hear!

[Greg Mitchell]

G'Day Ed,

I'm recalling I was over there in 2005 for Mentone and Oshkosh.

I believe it was Allan Wardill of Australia flying in the Sparrowhawk. Perhaps it was Rob Dubin's upgraded RAF2000, which had the stepped keel etc from the Sparrowhawk manufacturers.

Anyway I recall Allan was flying and his US counterpart was happy for Allan to keep flying it all the way down to a successfull landing. Yes, there was considerable vegetable matter about. Though I doubt it was full grown at the time.

I shall look for my Mentone pics and post.

Cheers,

Mitch

[Greg Mitchell]

Hey Ed,

I just remembered. I think it was maybe Terry Eiland, who landed in or near the corn near the road.

It was Allan Wardill that landed straight ahead of the runway, in what I thought was immature bean field.

Mitch.

[Greg Mitchell]

Heres a pic of where Allan landed. You can see the tyre tracks from the recovery vehicle.

Cheers,

Mitch.

[RotoPlane]

Yep, you're spot-on Mitch. Those rows are too narrow for corn, nor tall enough for that time of year….soybeans. The guy was fortunate it wasn't corn.

[Not Yet]

I just remembered. I think it was maybe Terry Eiland, who landed in or near the corn near the road.

It was Allan Wardill that landed straight ahead of the runway, in what I thought was immature bean field.

Mitch.

Yes some one landed about 10 yards inside the corn field. I helped recover the gyro. It was either Sparrowhawk or a upgraded RAF2000.
It was undamaged, but the rotor cut a few ears of corn in half.

I saw it go in but can’t describe whether he was flaring for the ground or the corn tassels.

[skyking]

I was in the air with Larry Boyer and I remember it was Terry Eiland and it was the maiden flight of the fire engine red SparrowHawk. I forgot the name of the builder but know he was from New England (Maine/Vermont or New Hampshire). Since I am building a SH I, I took several pictures of his machine and asked Terry way too many questions on the ground. Larry will most likely remember the name of the owner but when we flew over the cornfield, all you could see is the rotorblades; the corn swallowed the SH.

[GrantR]

So the corn did not damage the blades? What kind of baldes did he have?

[skyking]

They may have been Sportcopter blades and he flew with them the following day.

[Scary Gary]

When I was a kid I landed a Cessena 150 N66208 from a company called Associated Air Activities in Lansing Ill on a very narrow strip in Indiana . And I had not landed there in a long time . But as I was flairring I started taking what sounded and felt like what I could only imagine was 20mm fire . I figured that I had somehow angered the farmer who owns the strip or that he was trying to make it clear that he no longer welcomed company . So I figured that an immediate emergency departure was in order . So as I did my 180 at the end of the strip and lined up for my immediate departure , like I had accidently landed my A-1 Skyraider on some North Vietnamese MIG Air Base , I notice all this corn laying on the strip that was not there then I was landing . Then I thought " what kind of sick bastard would throw ears of corn at a landing plane " ? Then this realy realy bright light bulb came on . Your wingtips are extending into the corn field you dumb shlt . I was so glad to see that corn , cuzz I knew Cessena made a tough plane but I didn't think it could take many more 20mm hit's then it already had .
I thought it prudent to depart in an expeditious manner anyway .

[MrGrey]

That is funny Gary, PRA Chapter 18 (my chapter) is based at that airport and Associated Air Activities is still in buisness there and I got my FW instruction from them.

Guys lets also not forget about mast height and its effects on a tall corn landing. A sparrowhawk will easily clear august corn while a small single seater will not. Grant, just don't fly over what you can't land over and you are done worrying about it. If you go over too tall of corn then carry altitude to glide you outta there.

I had an engine out and ended up in chest deep beans with 6 inches of flood water and came out ok in my gyrobee. If you do not level the rotor disc over any kinda crops then you are likely to grab the crop with your rotor and you will flip over and loose your machine and possibly worse.

[Greg Mitchell]

Here you go Gents, perhaps we can narrow it down from these pics.

Mitch.

PS.....one of the best months of my life visiting the USA, 2005. Mentone and Oshkosh and two weeks in Texas with Larry Neal and Heron Souza.:D

[Scary Gary]

That is funny Gary, PRA Chapter 18 (my chapter) is based at that airport and Associated Air Activities is still in buisness there and I got my FW instruction from them.

Guys lets also not forget about mast height and its effects on a tall corn landing. A sparrowhawk will easily clear august corn while a small single seater will not. Grant, just don't fly over what you can't land over and you are done worrying about it. If you go over too tall of corn then carry altitude to glide you outta there.

I had an engine out and ended up in chest deep beans with 6 inches of flood water and came out ok in my gyrobee. If you do not level the rotor disc over any kinda crops then you are likely to grab the crop with your rotor and you will flip over and loose your machine and possibly worse.

I was in chapter 18 at that time .
And old Wade Palmer is probably still having nightmare's about me and Tommy .

[fiveboy]

When I was a kid I landed a Cessena 150 N66208 from a company called Associated Air Activities in Lansing Ill on a very narrow strip in Indiana . And I had not landed there in a long time . But as I was flairring I started taking what sounded and felt like what I could only imagine was 20mm fire . I figured that I had somehow angered the farmer who owns the strip or that he was trying to make it clear that he no longer welcomed company . So I figured that an immediate emergency departure was in order . So as I did my 180 at the end of the strip and lined up for my immediate departure , like I had accidently landed my A-1 Skyraider on some North Vietnamese MIG Air Base , I notice all this corn laying on the strip that was not there then I was landing . Then I thought " what kind of sick bastard would throw ears of corn at a landing plane " ? Then this realy realy bright light bulb came on . Your wingtips are extending into the corn field you dumb shlt . I was so glad to see that corn , cuzz I knew Cessena made a tough plane but I didn't think it could take many more 20mm hit's then it already had .
I thought it prudent to depart in an expeditious manner anyway .

I think what you heard was.....




the corn popping. :drum::puke:

[Scary Gary]

I sounded like what I imagined 20MM hitting my 150 would sound like

[Jerry_Forest]

I had an engine out in my Bensen B8M over a corn field about 20 years ago in the fall of the year, i.e., tall corn. Came in at the usual 45 mph, beginning flair at the top of the corn, then let it settle nose a little higher than normal. No nose over at all, length of corn cut only about 50 ft. Felt nothing unusual on the joystick. Worst part was pulling the machine out of the cornfield by hand and over the fence (flagged down a pick-up with 3 guys who helped out). No damage to machine or pilot. Should note that this is Canada, so the corn was only about 6 ft high, eh?!!:yo: