Originally Posted by
chevvron
I seem to recall at some time during my proficiency course I was given a typed sheet of multiple choice questions to complete about various scenarios during training.
One of the questions asked you what to do if you had a cable break, the answer being
1 Operate the cable release
2 Hold the stick fully forward
3 Hold the spoilers fully open.
For which you needed 3 hands!!
That was the only written material we were given; we were never given the results and presumably it was just put in your file afterwards (if indeed we had individual files)
Well that rather makes the point about 'written information' I suspect that should have been a multiple choice question with one answer. The correct answer being pull cable release 3 times. Answers 2&3 would result in 2 :- bunting into the ground or 3:- pushing the wheel box through rear seat.
In fact the correct answer would have been Lowering nose, operate cable release, fly the aircraft , (that would take about 4 secs) check height and then 'depending on height' Land straight ahead, over 150 ft a dog leg turn and land. over 400 ft a mini circuit. As this was over 50 years ago I rest my case on that info, as it is memory, and fretwork fighter based. On a large airfield this could be more relaxed but on a hot day at Kenley it was fairly tight with no wind. The important thing was the cadets needed to be able to do balanced turns, once that was sorted they were in total control of most situations.
The intermediate CB was the important one to get right, and that was a very good lesson in real decision making, but by then Cadets were used to making final turns at 200 ft as the norm, so it was 'do-able'. Now with hindsight it seems amazing that it was considered normal, but it worked and stood the test of time. Of course it was very much a 'visual' operation requiring a clear horizon to take up the normal gliding attitude which was then checked against the ASI. (35). I think there was then an increase below 400 ft to (40) so as not to be slow in the final turn, then a slight increase to allow for wind. PFL's in the power world were a doddle after that.