2 unscheduled landings in 1 day

Ron,

Sounds to me like you know your two strokes quite well.

Checking for scoring and a compression test would be my first places to look.

The next would be that darn fuel pump.

I have a two stroke all last year was giving me the same exact symtoms Shawn described.

The fuel pump turned out to be the culprit.
 
Its the Rotary forum

Its the Rotary forum

Raton,

After being burned at the stake over some common sense issues I suggested to "friends" . I have come to the conclusions:

1. You cannot suggest anything of a safety or common sense issue. You will only get static for your efforts no matter how well meaning.

2. Explains the high body count.

3. Darwin is in full effect.

Your take is well meaning and well thought out but to each his own.

Reactions here are exactly why I DO NOT donate to the flower fund.

All big boys know what they are doing so why feel bad when they buy it ?

Jonathan




...but an engine out in a light single seat gyro is realy no big deal for an experienced flier over open terrain...

Any engine failure should be a HUGE deal even for the most experienced pilot…even if he is flying a gas balloon..!

raton
 
Raton - I don't think you get it. As long as you have a place to put the aircraft down safely dead stick (no engine), than a dead stick landing is no big deal. I have over a thousand dead stick landings - and I am still alive !!! How do I have so many dead stick landings? Because I was flying hang gliders for many years. In a glider EVERY landing is dead stick. Do you know that gyros can land safely in places where fixed wing planes and fixed wing gliders can't? They may not be landed anywhere a hang glider can land, but they can land in places where most planes and fixed wing gliders cannot land. Every aircraft has it's own requirements for emergency landings and gyros are one of the easiest! With his level of experience, Shawn is more than capable of making good aviation decisions and from what I am reading I do not think he took any chances. He did the right thing - both times.

Udi
 
....You cannot suggest anything of a safety.....
This is not so much about safety, it is rather about 2 categories of flying / hobbies:

1. Fly with uncertified engines = fly where you can land.
2. Fly with certified engines = go buy a plane with a certified engine.

Don't mix these 2 games - you will ruin no 1.
 
Many on this forum need to consider....Is raton right or wrong? If raton is correct then what is the problem? Is it all about egos and a dint has been put in your armour?If raton upsets you,take a deep breath and relax partically to those high post members.
Relax.
Kym.
 
The main problem with Raton is it doesn't sound like he's very familiar with gyros or their capabilities.
 
Shawn

All this nonsense second guessing aside. YOU were the PIC, YOU made your best determination and you survived. Glad dude.

What is it the Indians say? Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes....
 
Here here.

Sorry it seemed to get into a pissing match. Regretted and not intended. I apologize to all.
 
I'm actually learning a lot from all these discussions. Keep in mind that in BOTH instances.. My engine NEVER actually quit.. As mentioned, the first was a powered landing to check things out.. My departure was based on the fact that I knew the entire route home and could have put it down safely, anywhere along the way. I'm not scared of a forced landing, I just try to avoid them.... The decision to fly home after a check of the engine was based on the fact that I personally felt safe and comfortable landing on the way home again, if need be. If the terrain was in any way unsuitable, I would have hiked home.
Part of it was experience and the other part was "gut feeling". Both proved to serve me well and I do not regret anything from that day.. And, at the end of the day, my gyro is sitting in the hangar intact and I am sitting at home typing on my computer. You can't beat that... Thanks for everyone's support.
 
Raton, I suggest training in a Mac powered Bensen. It got me over the engine out tension rather immediately.

The best way to know your fuel burn time, is to fly till you run out of gas.

Phil.
 
I still wanna know, was it bad feul,bad pump,carb ice

Next week, I'm going to pull the engine and go over it completely.. I'll post results when I find out the definite cause....
 
Shawn, I had three engine failures in my Mac and then I bought a Rotax. Glad all your landings were good ones. Thanks for posting as it may help someone else. I probably would have done the same as you did.
 
Illinois Valley

Illinois Valley

Shawn, Glad your OK, happy for you, was a non-event.
Paul Block told me you were at the Illinois Valley airstrip, putting on a flying exhibition for him a few months ago. He told me you were a hell of a pilot. He said your gyro
was quite a performer. He was impressed.
 
Humm, when most people flew MAC's I thought having the engine quit was just assumed. You landed, restarted it and flew again for a few minuets.
 
Great job! I went through similar decisions after my engine out, which yes Raton, was a subaru.
I flew back sucessfully and have had no problems now with about another 50 hours of engine time so.......
Raton, these engines are not aircraft certified. They can quit. We all try to learn the best way to deal with this with engine out practice.
And yes, we all accept some level of risk. That's life!
The alternative is to sit home on our safe sofa watching T.V. Your choice.
 
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Great job! I went through similar decisions after my engine out, which yes Raton, was a subaru.
I flew back sucessfully and have had no problems now with about another 50 hours of engine time so.......
Raton, these engines are not aircraft certified. They can quit. We all try to learn the best way to deal with this with engine out practice.
And yes, we all accept some level of risk. That's life!
The alternative is to sit home on our safe sofa watching T.V. Your choice.

Any kind of flying is a risk I am well aware of this. I don’t know what is the point keep hampering this issues, made my comments and that’s it, happy the guy is ok and getting a new engine. But…It had nothing to do with the choice of engines whether it is certified or not any having a certified engine doesn’t lesser the risk of flying, all engines can and will quit. My choice is to make any flying safe as practically possible..

raton
 
Raton, I'll join the cantor here, first of all it's not what you say but how you say it. And with that said, you can choose to have people listen to your advice by softening up the tone or have them automatically react to another insult. Automan offers a lot of good advice, unfortunately he does it as a negative. If you want to intentionally insult someone, go for it. If you truly want to offer valued input take the high road and offer it in a positive light.
 
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