WARNING, do NOT attempt a PFL When..

[Deano777]

The light is deteriorating, took off yesterday at 3:30 for some general handling in the south west, done lots of stalls steep turns etc, was only 10 miles south of my airfield so light wasnt that much of an issue as it was a nice afternoon, thought Id finish with a PFL before heading back at 4:10, light wasnt bad but wasnt good either, anyway, carb heat goes on, powered back, maintained best glide speed, picked a field then done the mayday etc and reasons why engine had stopped, was getting lower to my field, a bit high, full flap selected, was going to go lower when I noticed 2 great big pylons either side of the field, time for a swift go-around, it was safe enough, I wasnt in danger as I saw the pylons but I saw no wires at all, my point is, is that it could have been so different had I not noticed the pylons, no more PFLs for me unless the light is brilliant.

A nice dusk landing back to airfield prevailed though, never flew in that light before, gees the Anti Collision light certainly is dazzling reflecting off the wings, cant wait to do a night rating after my IMC.

Dean.

[RichyRich]

Dean

Two great things happened:
1. You made it back in one piece
2. You went flying :ok:

Rich

[Deano777]

Thanks Rich

It wasnt as bad as it sounds in my original post, I had at least 300ft to go before being level with them, I saw them early and saw them well, but didnt see them when I selected the field :)
Just made me think about it thats all :ok:

D.

[Circuit Basher]

One of those ILAFFT moments, eh, Deano??!! :)

Just remember what you were taught to look out for on one of those nice high downwinds on PFLs (coming down from high key)! Also, the fact that an extra pair of eyes in the cockpit is always handy!

Well done for noticing - just keep on filling up the epxerience bank account without going overdrawn on the luck one!! ;)

[RodgerF]

Dean,

I don't know if you were flying a club aircraft, if you were the CFI might have been interested in your actions.

Firstly if you had been night qualified you would have known that it can be light at altitude and much darker close to the ground.

Secondly I hope you had an alternate airfield that you could reach before the onset of official night.

Get that qualification or take care close to the end of these short days. So glad you enjoyed it, flying close to sunset can be rewarded with some of the most beautiful views.

[Deano777]

Rodger

It wasnt night when I came back, it was 'getting dark', i was with 5 minutes of the airfield at all times, the CFI signed me out at 3:15 knowing i was going for an hr, I landed well before the onset of official night and know the rules and know about it being dark closer to the ground, had it been a ****ty cloudy day I wouldnt have even took off at 3:30, i would have canned it for another day.
I just thought Id share my experiences, I was more than aware of the light and the need to head back, safety first is how I fly, but thanks for the comments :)

D.

[QDMQDMQDM]

20 minutes before that I was trying to shoot an approach into a farmer's field which I walked and drove on Sunday. I knew where the wires were, but could barely see them, even with prior knowledge.

250 metre field is OK, but not with wires across each end. Obvious, really.

QDM

[Mike Cross]

A tip I was taught early on:-

It's a lot easier to see a line of posts or pylons than it is to see the wires between them.

The area of ground round each post or pylon tends to be different as well due to grazing/planting/harvesting restrictions which also helps visibility.

The regularity of the spacing is also helpful in highlighting them against the irregular background.

One other trap for the unwary. Due to the prevailing wind in the UK it is common to be landing in a westerly direction, which puts a low sun smack in your eyes at the end of the day.

However there is little to beat the still air and beatiful views of sunset.

Mike

[ToryBoy]

I'd like to know where Deano is based. In my part of the South West I was plugging holes in the hangar roof at that time yesterday 'cos the rain was torrential.

[DFC]

IMHO, there are three learning points from this exercise;

1. Has already been discussed.....lower light near the end of the day can cause problems when spotting power cables in the event of a power failure or an approach to an airfeild with them on final approach or in the overshoot.

2. "It wasnt as bad as it sounds in my original post, I had at least 300ft to go before being level "

We will all assume that having spotted the cables, your subsequent climb ensured that you cleared them by a minimum of 500ft. :)

When making a practice forced landing, we must remain within the requirements of the low flying rules. The most likely way to get caught out here is a late or non-sighting of pedestrians walking behind the hedge in your chosen field. If flying with a flying instructor, they will carry out a careful check and constantly be scanning for such problems. However, when on your own, you have other things to do so vigilence is essential.

3. Most important learning point...........ask yourself......if that had been a real engine failure what would your actions have been? and how successful would the outcome have been?

Regards,

DFC

[Whirlybird]

Wires are horribly horrendously ridiculously difficult to see, even in good light. All helicopter pilots know this, since we land off airfield quite a lot, so looking for wires is extremely important. I still remember what I got told on my R22 Safety Course soon after getting my PPL(H) - if it's a brown sticky-uppy thing without leaves on it, it'll have wires attached!!! Always remember that, and fly safe. Thanks for reminding us Deano.

[Spikeee]

I was driving up towards Blackpool a few weeks ago and seen a pylon painted the same colour as the field on one side, normal on the other.

Not the greatest of help to a/c.

n1 Deano i'm sure we'll all be more vigilant with PFL's.


Spike

[Tinstaafl]

Powerlines are one of the biggest accident causes for ag. pilots.

In the country in Oz single wire earth return (SWER)systems are common. As the name says, it use a single wire. Very, very difficult to see.

As others have said, look for the poles, terrain that has a different 'look' to the surroundings etc. Also note buildings. Just about every building & structure in the western world is wired for electricity. It has to get to the building somehow so use the building's presence as a heads up about powerlines.

[Deano777]

Originally Posted by ToryBoy
I'd like to know where Deano is based. In my part of the South West I was plugging holes in the hangar roof at that time yesterday 'cos the rain was torrential.

It wasnt yesterday, it was Monday, check to post time ;)


Originally Posted by DFC
We will all assume that having spotted the cables, your subsequent climb ensured that you cleared them by a minimum of 500ft.


I saw the pylons waaaaay before I was close to the field, I was way above them when I initiated a go-around, like i stated earlier the whole thing just made me think about it a bit more, the pylons were more than ½ way into the field so even if i had a real engine failure I would have landed way before them and under them.
And as per the 500ft rule, there was no houses, roads, people, cows, sheep, barns, this was in the middle of Beautiful England, and certainly no lower a PFL that I executed on my GFT :)

Thanks for your comments guys anyway, its always good to discuss things like this hopefully to make us a better pilot/more aware etc etc.

Dean

[yakker]

I remember practicing a PFL with my instructor, after getting to 500ft, and the instructor happy we would have made the field okay, we climbed away. I climbed and circled until above the field I looked down and saw a Jaguar pass under us, exactly over the field I was PFL'ing into just a few minutes before. Another lesson learnt about low flying!

[QDMQDMQDM]

500 feet is an absurd height from which to abort a PFL. Everything can happen between 500 feet and the ground. 500 feet is my average circuit height and if I chop the power on downwind I do not hesitate to admit that I don't get it in every single time without a little 'engine warming' or else some sideslip with full flap.

50-100 feet is an appropriate height to go around.

QDM

[yakker]

We also practised cutting the engine at 2000ft above the airfield and completing the PFL with a touchdown on the runway