"Difficult" Fields

[paulo]

A few of us fly from interesting fields. For this I don't mean the heroes landing in 10ft on ice in their back pond in a reputedly deadly taildragger that was banned roughly about the time it first flew.

No, what I'm more interested in is any thoughts on "hard choices" for regular peeps. e.g. "my EFATO options are [school/pilons/CAA Big Cheese's Shed]

Place I fly from, well it's a ******. BIG steep forest from one departure. Hmmm.

[Keef]

Home is Southend - extremely easy.

Difficult: Catalina Island (Avalon).

There are some I've seen that are harder, but that's the hardest I've done.

[paulo]

Keef - cheers for chipping in - funny you mention Southend. I did training there. What would you do off the end where it's "school field" or,err, houses, or err... bit nasty as I remember.

[Fujiflyer]

Would that be Rochester R20 by any chance, Paulo?

[Evo]

I'm not sure what i'd do with an EFATO on Bembridge's Runway 12, and Compton Abbas looks 'interesting' too :ooh: :ouch: :{

As for Goodwood, wish they had put the Rolls-Royce factory somewhere else. Still, it has a grass roof... :)

[FlyingForFun]

If lack of EFATO options is "difficult", then White Waltham would have to fall into that category. Especially runway 07, but 03 isn't much better.

But actually, I doubt that many people would claim to fly from a "difficult" field. That's because when you do something regularly, it becomes less difficult, so most people would probably regard their home field as easy. Right???

FFF
--------------

[Hersham Boy]

Evo - you'd go swimming, mate ;)

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I regularly take the Chippy into 'strips', but I'm only aware of one that we visited this year which the CAA had officially declared 'difficult'. That was the DH Moth rally, Woburn Strip. It seemed no worse than many farm strips - tall trees and lakes to avoid, and (IIRC) 550m.

As for problamatic EFATOs, 09 at Barton offers limited choices. I had a partial EFATO last year - and it was off 09!

SSD

[Hairyplane]

The main problem with Woburn is the extremely rough surface.

Whilst it has been improved, it has improved only from 'appalling' to 'pretty dreadful'.

However, the event is a must! Pure nostalgia!

A big garden party complete with lots of old planes (almost exclusively DH types), lots of flying going on, straw boaters, big frilly frocks and lashings of double cream.

If you fly in - you need to be on the case. In fact, you really really need to be on the case on departure - so easy to get thrown into the air prematurely on a bump and thereafter attempt to keep the thing in the air on the back of the drag curve.

Easy enough in a modern machine - tricky as a box of frogs in an old one, especially in a 90 crosswind as prevailed throughout the weekend.

Looking forward to next year already!

HP

[Pilotage]

Popham Runway 26 in still air or a gentle Southerly, particularly in a moderately fast aeroplane routinely scares me.

Otherwise, since unfortunately I'm the infamous pilot who pulled the gear off a PA28 after avoiding them - I'm never going near Chatteris again, any runway, until the farmer next door has finally bowed to legal and moral pressure, and removed the poles he's put up to obstruct landing aircraft.

P

[drauk]

I reckon Heathrow would be quite tricky. Anything approach related is probably quite easy, but departure again would be pretty tricky in small single.

[topcat450]

EFATO at Sheffield going from 27 would be interesting.

Netherthorpe...runway 36 is 380m - not fun if your used to loads of tarmac

[IO540]

EFATO in Cambridge on the south-pointing runway (forgot the #) would be certain death - IIRC it's solidly built-up.

[Keef]

Well, Paulo, that got 'em thinking!

EFATO at Southend off 24: land ahead (it's a long runway), otherwise right turn and into the fields.

Off 06 - land ahead, after which there's plenty of grass about.

Done those (not recently) when Ivan reckoned I needed to know what to do.

[paulc]

Southampton - 02 you have the M27 / Ford factory / built up area - although you might be able to reach Bitterne Park if sufficient height.
20 - railway works / built up area - may be able to reach cricket pitches on Chickenall Lane, again if sufficient height.

[Evo]

I seem to remember a C152 (?) ending up in a sewage works after an EFATO from Southampton's runway 02 - SlipSlider, did you tell me about that one?

HelenD (or other EGHIer) - what do you get taught to do?

[jackyboy]

How about 36 at Clacton?? Plus landing there is always interesting with a public footpath running across to which the public have the right of way !! Anyone on it and you have to go around.

Not been to many but this has to be my most interesting.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Yep, Woburn was quite rough - but I reckon Barton's 09 is currently worse. As I taxied out a week ago today, approaching the holding area the bumps were just the wrong distance apart for the Chippy. Even at walking speed they hit a certain frequency where the whole aeroplane was bouncing bodily up and down in the level attitude - very uncomfortable for the 'larger gentleman', and my helmet banging on the canopy structure didn't help!

On takeoff, as Haireyplane says of Woburn, one gets launched by a big bump before take off speed is fully acheived. The Chippy is actually quite forgiving of 'back of the drag curve' take offs provide you don't attempt to climb away until a safe speed is achieved.

However, if the 'launch' is way too early, holding it in the air while the speed builds can use up precious runway - it's better to let it land again after the bump and accept a launch off a later one - when speed may be a tad higher.

SSD

[RichyRich]

Evo:

Perhaps its my really lousy memory, but I haven't been really taught to do anything off R20 except pray it doesn't happen: nothing there until you get to 500' or so. Take full backtrack!

Off R02 I think there are options off to the left. Man, I've gotta fly from elsewhere before it does become my turn :ouch:

RR
(Another EGHIer)

[SlipSlider]

Evo, affirm! That was a practice EFATO on 03 (now 02) where the FI actually stopped the engine, and then couldn't re-start. FI left the club fairly soon afterwards .....

On 21 (well, it was 21 when I was learning!) at Southampton I got in the habit of back-tracking at least to the 1000' markers, and preferably a full back-track to the pan, to give more height at the boundary and therefore more options. However, now that EGHI is much busier, requesting a full back-track might at times leave you holding rather than flying. Like so many things in flying, its risk assessment and management.

Slip

[big.al]

Topcat450 - dead right about 36 at Netherthorpe. Just about impossible in a C150 without a stiff headwind with two up unless the fuel tanks are very low! Not to mention the wooded area on the climbout making things interestingly bumpy.

Even more challenging (my opinion) is landing on the reverse runway. Dumping it down quickly onto 18 after clearing the trees certainly makes it interesting - and very important to land 'on the numbers'.

I remember an instructor taking me up from runway 18 with no flap set at takeoff, just to prove that the aircraft would 'only just clear the hedge'. He was right... we did.... just.....

[TheKentishFledgling]

Fly quite a bit from Rochester - EFATO on any runway wouldn't be fun.

On my first solo, after training at Manston (went to Rochester for solo, 16th birthday). During the circuits pre solo, was told to "go for the runway, with the traffic" if something went wrong.

Great fun! :rolleyes:

tKF

[HelenD]

Well 20 has a mandatory full backtrack reckon you could make the carpark in the factory - its usually empty at weekends, you may even make the runway to land on. As someone said there is a railway line to land on if on 02 and there are a few small fields. As always I hope it dosent happen but I do think about what I would do If it did. Staverton has houses off of one of their runways so it isnt much better.

[Fuji Abound]

Everyone mentioned EFATOS - not sure if that was strictly the only original question just more demanding runways.

My thoughts would be the Scilly Isles - the first time I thought the hump presents a very unusual profile and Alderney on a windy day when the down draughts getting you working hard.

[QNH 1013]

Big Al,

Interested that you prefer landing 36 at Netherthorpe (to landing 18), because I prefer exactly the opposite. I prefer 36 for t/o but find landing 18 even easier than landing 06. Probably depends on whether your aircraft has flaps or not.
nb. For anyone not familiar with Netherthorpe, its all down to the slopes, and all the runways are short by the standards of other airfields.

To get back to the original topic, my list of difficult fields would include Lundy Island, Oxenhope, and for interest; Nayland. A lot of microlight strips are quite a challenge in a flapless group A aircraft However, they can let you get much closer to your destination. I know a helicopter would be better, but I've never even sat in one of those.

[paulo]

EFATOs was on my mind when I posted, but anything goes... I think the sentiment was the things regularly that make you think 'eek' despite the fact you are doing 'ordinary' flying.

My home field is Wellesbourne. The main runway, nice and long, means you are either doing an approach over high ground all trees or, you are climbing out over them.

The approach can be dealt with if you are ok with being high - full flap, power idle and you can basically pile it in 'from above'. Climb out though is a bit of a clock watch though... just looking for that comforting 6-700 :suspect:

[SKYYACHT]

Keef,

I agree with you about Avalon - Catalina Island, as that sheerr cliff, and the hump in the runway make it mighty strange.....together with sink/curl-over in the final stages! Its easy to discover the colour of adrenalin!

Another one for fun is Big Bear, which is about 7,000 amsl (AFAIR) and is accessed from the west by having to climb to about 11,000 amsl.....I had never been so high in a light single before, and rates of climb were down to about 150fpm with full power....and that was in an Arrow!

The Take off to go back to Long Beach was also a sphincter testing experience, as we seemed to eat up LOADS of runway and had about 90kts on the clock before we lifted off.......


I cant wait to go and do it again.


:D

[SlipSlider]

Helen D, your comment re EGHI ..."20 has a mandatory full back-track" .....

I've not heard of any ATC mandated instruction to that effect, so is that a club rule? I only fly rarely from EGHI nowadays, with friends who have private a/c based there.

Slip