SandL
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 1,390
- Location
- Royal Wootton Bassett... UK
- Aircraft
- Bensen Merlin dragon wings Rotax 532
- Total Flight Time
- 400hrs (4,000 instructional launches) gliding, 200 fixed wing, 100 gyro
I went to the strip a few days ago.
not having flown for a while I went over the gyro with a fine tooth comb
air in the tyres, fueld up and ran the rotax for about 15 mins at various throttle settings while checking temps.
all was ok
I then had a big think through the flight and what I would do in case of engine failure on take off followed by a short drive along the hard track running parrell with the undulating grass runway to look at grass length and anything else that could be a problem. I checked wind sock a steady at roughly 10 kts straight along the runway and checked other airfield activity (none of significance).
whilst preparing for my flights (flying suit on, install GPS booking out my flight in the shed etc) a couple of aitcraft landed cherokee 140, J3 cub and a cessna cravan.
I taxied out, did an extended run up and considered where to go incase of engine failure on take off. all sorted I looked out, pre spun, radio call and taxied along the grass runway down hill, over the collapsed land drain then gradually increased ground speed watching the blades increase speed nicely in the 10kt wind and gradually increasing ground/air speed. Temps looked good, engine perfect all ok as the blades became a blur gradually increased engine rpm up to full throttle at 6,800, nose became light and was about to haul it off as I usually perform a soft field take off.
the gyro suddenly veared off to the left, rudder did not seem to have any effect, the nose wheel (or mains) had sunk into a boggy rut which too me off at an angle of about 10-20 degrees from the runway center. it appeard to skid me slightly sideways. so instant decision , go or no go ?
I decided to go as if I had stopped then all the weight would have shifted and I did not like being stuck in these "tram lines", the nose was light and considered it was not a gyro fault and gyros are mostly better in the air than on the ground.
so I went for it and all was ok. but I just thought that had I aborted at that point maybe I would have had a tip over.... causing people to think "gyros are dangerous"
Along time ago I had 2 fixed go /no go situations , both I decided to no go and neither were pretty, nothing broken , but quite unpleasent
one in a glider where I let the student drop a wing into long grass on a winch take off , I released and the glider ground looped. The other was a take off on a water logged down hill grass runway where the C150 would almost get up to lift off speed then hit a boggy puddle (this happened twice on the same takle off attempt), take off was aborted along way along the runway, then being boggy and running down hill the brakes were virtually useless, we slid to a halt just yards from the boundary.
not having flown for a while I went over the gyro with a fine tooth comb
air in the tyres, fueld up and ran the rotax for about 15 mins at various throttle settings while checking temps.
all was ok
I then had a big think through the flight and what I would do in case of engine failure on take off followed by a short drive along the hard track running parrell with the undulating grass runway to look at grass length and anything else that could be a problem. I checked wind sock a steady at roughly 10 kts straight along the runway and checked other airfield activity (none of significance).
whilst preparing for my flights (flying suit on, install GPS booking out my flight in the shed etc) a couple of aitcraft landed cherokee 140, J3 cub and a cessna cravan.
I taxied out, did an extended run up and considered where to go incase of engine failure on take off. all sorted I looked out, pre spun, radio call and taxied along the grass runway down hill, over the collapsed land drain then gradually increased ground speed watching the blades increase speed nicely in the 10kt wind and gradually increasing ground/air speed. Temps looked good, engine perfect all ok as the blades became a blur gradually increased engine rpm up to full throttle at 6,800, nose became light and was about to haul it off as I usually perform a soft field take off.
the gyro suddenly veared off to the left, rudder did not seem to have any effect, the nose wheel (or mains) had sunk into a boggy rut which too me off at an angle of about 10-20 degrees from the runway center. it appeard to skid me slightly sideways. so instant decision , go or no go ?
I decided to go as if I had stopped then all the weight would have shifted and I did not like being stuck in these "tram lines", the nose was light and considered it was not a gyro fault and gyros are mostly better in the air than on the ground.
so I went for it and all was ok. but I just thought that had I aborted at that point maybe I would have had a tip over.... causing people to think "gyros are dangerous"
Along time ago I had 2 fixed go /no go situations , both I decided to no go and neither were pretty, nothing broken , but quite unpleasent
one in a glider where I let the student drop a wing into long grass on a winch take off , I released and the glider ground looped. The other was a take off on a water logged down hill grass runway where the C150 would almost get up to lift off speed then hit a boggy puddle (this happened twice on the same takle off attempt), take off was aborted along way along the runway, then being boggy and running down hill the brakes were virtually useless, we slid to a halt just yards from the boundary.
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