Originally Posted by
StickWithTheTruth
I'd sure as hell never pax with you Sunfish!
Are you saying you would not turn more than 30 degrees to right or left in an EFATO scenario? Scary. Where do you draw the line? 70 degrees is nothing from 400ft and sure as hell nowhere near 180.
Not sure when you were taught but I've had the "impossible turn" mantra drilled into me since 1971.
AOPA is still talking about it relatively recently.
Knowing your particular aircraft's typical height loss per 90 degrees of turn angle is critical to understanding how much manoeuvring you can do with the height and speed you have left after an engine failure in the critical phase. The wind direction and velocity can also have a huge part to play especially if the terrain is not level.
The 30 degrees either side of the centreline is (or was) a maxim taught to new PPL trainees to keep them from trying anything overly ambitious while they were still inexperienced. At training airfields where the "land straight ahead" rule simply wasn't an option, I've seen special manoeuvres taught pre-first solo. At RAF Kenley, which was then Britain's smallest gliding airfield, I was shown by an instructor how to do a 90 degree turn in a glider after a simulated cable break at 50 feet where I could hear the wingtip clipping the long grass. Too close for my liking but the instructor and I inspected the wingtip and wiped the chlorophyll off with a rag...