Deano77:
O.K. I will attempt to explain my methods of power control and why.
Remember I was responding to comments about moving the pitch control to full fine on the downwind.
" The bottom line is, why wait until you are in the flare before applying max RPM? the increase in RPM when you put it forward at a low MAP setting has a negligible effect on your aeroplane anyway, so why not include it in your "REDS BLUES 3 GREENS" check on finals, I just can't see any issues with doing it this way, but I can see "potential" problems doing it when you are in the flare, and personally, and it is personally I think that is a ridiculous time to be applying it, whether you are in the go around or not "
O.K. lets argue this your way.
You claim I am being pedantic when in fact I feel I am being exctly the opposite as my thoughts on how to fly come from decades of experience and learning from experience, and not from the myopic world of ab-inito training, teaching like one of Pavlovs dogs so as not to offend someone who checks everyone in the structured dummned down world of the puppy mill mentality of a lot of flight schools.
First lets use a senario where go arounds are 100% of our approaches when we are actually working the aircraft.
I was a heavy water bomber Captain for fifteen years and my method for approaching the fire for the retardent/ water drop on said fire was to leave the propellors in cruise RPM for the run in to the drop and if the ground was relatively flat for the exit from the fire....in other words the whole proceedure including the go around was done using cruise RPM unless there was an obstacle that required climb power to climb above said obstacle.
I would like to add that ocassionally the turbulence or the exit from the fire drop area was signifigant enough that I would need climb power to exit the drop zone and there was the odd time I would select climb RPM just prior to the drop....so please, please save me all the hand wringing about how turbulent the air can get approaching a runway.
Now for some more comments that are not meant to be pedantic.
Aircraft engines are subject to wear in direct porportion to the amount of heat generated and by friction caused by the number of RPM's over a given time frame.
When driving an airplane down hill I see no advantage in wearing out my engines by using unnecessary RPM when something as basic as pre planning the approach based on conditions will allow gravity to generate the velocity I require aided with a small bit of thrust from the engine/s.
Just to clear this up, if there was an extenuating circumstance where I felt I needed climb RPM, good airmanship will prevail and I would select the required RPM/ power just prior to needing same......I do not motor around the sky with the propellor driving me crazy with noise.
Oh, I almost forgot I flew as a Ag pilot for eight years and never used full RPM during all the many thousands of times I climbed from two feet above the ground to climb over trees and power lines....
" but I can see "potential" problems doing it when you are in the flare, and personally, and it is personally I think that is a ridiculous time to be applying it, whether you are in the go around or not "
We are all entitled to our own opinions.