mattpilot, I'm sure your idea of trimming full down will work fine in your 152, but I'd be wary of advising anyone to use this technique in another aircraft without trying it at altutude first - preferably with an instructor - since the trim on different aircraft is bound to behave differently. In fact, even in an aircraft where you say you've tried it and you know it works, I'd suggest people try it for themselves at altitude before they rely on it, since the controls will no doubt feel different...
Chimbu chuckles, thanks for the advice on the 180-degree turn, however I think I'll steer clear of it for now. There was another thread somewhere on PPRuNe very recently where some people with more experience than I'll ever have were saying that the 180-degree turn is only appropriate in certain types, that military instructors were allowed to do it so long as they practiced it every week, and that military students were never allowed to do it, or something like that.
Should you really be taking off from a field where you have no emergency landing options? Some of the runways at White Waltham are pretty close to built up areas, which is why the standard circuit for runway 07 includes a turn onto 010 degrees as soon as it's safe. Even then, if the engine quits it won't be pretty, but you'll be in the woods instead of in the houses. But the 180 degree turn certainly doesn't sound like the kind of thing I'd like to try in an emergency, even if the only other other option is a built up area. I'd rather be able to control where my aircraft crashes than try to turn back and stall/spin. As your instructor said, you have no right to fly an aircraft into someone else's living room - so it's essential that you maintain control of your aircraft for as long as possible. If they were the only two options, I'd rather fly into someones living room in a controlled manner than go spinning into somones living room.
It's always a danger describing flying techniques on a forum like this - I know I've just stopped myself from doing it several times, and there are probably even more times when I've been guilty of doing it without noticing. But please, anyone who reads this thread, don't try any of these techniques alone without first consulting the POH, and then flying them with an instructor. And if you really feel like you need to ask for advice on how to handle emergencies, you probably need to book a couple of hours dual with an instructor. IMHO.
FFF
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