Sorry for the thread drift:
Quote:
True deadstick, no - and I hope not to have to, but I'm expecting significantly worse glide performance
I suggest you find an experienced instructor and give it a go.
Kiwichick:
I'd be interested to, however you're rather lucky to find an instructor who will even contemplate deliberately stopping the fan in flight - it leaves little option if the scenario doesn't go according to plan. I'd take bets that 99% of pilots are in the same boat as me!
Maybe I'm in a better place than most in being an active glider pilot, or maybe I'm just cruising for a fall (hope not!), but I can't see the biggie - the whole plan is you have to work to what the aeroplane is achieving in the glide; fly a different plane, and the parameters change, as they do having a truly dead engine. Forget the formal rectangular circuit, and fly the circuit to get you there - roughly a constant angle to aiming point. Should be quite achievable.
I'm more concerned about what happens when: 1) It coughs on final with full flap and a 1500rpm powered approach. 2) What if the fields along the nice straight course you're flying aren't very landing friendly? I'm told to trust the engine, but low hours powered, and still flying with a slightly different mindset!
While on that: how many have actually touched down in a paddock on a (P)FL? Have done a few live landouts myself, though never in a fan assisted aeroplane.
Incidentally, I was lucky enough to spend some time gliding in kiwiland recently (Omarama). Probably one of the prettiest, and scariest places I've flown - hanging in almost silence at 15000ft over mt cook will stay with me for a long time!
Shadowoneau - ah, the old 13. Fond memories
Crack those brakes open, and it's a LOT worse than a 172. I think the duo on with brakes is almost a better glide than the 172, which is what I was (jokingly?) digging at