Sunfish
4th Aug 2005, 05:14
One thing that bugs me is the practice of doing short field touch and go's on short (750m) gravel strips. I have some misgivings about the safety of doing this.
I've done the numbers for the aircraft concerned and the strip is acceptable for short field takeoOff OR Landing.
However, doing a short field touch and go bothers me because after landing with full flap, you have to select the correct takeoff flap by feel (Piper Arrow 25 deg., or Cessna zero or ten deg.depending on model)), without taking your eyes off the strip, keep it straight on the gravel and select full power.
Now I've had one expereince with a Cessna flap switch that almost got the pair of us doing this manoeuvre (C150's don't fly well at all with 40 deg) and I'm wondering if the exercise isn't a little more risky than it needs to be. One or two little mistakes and you are through the fence or into the trees.
It appears to make more sense to me to do a full stop short field landing followed by a short field takeoff. OK, it takes longer, but I think it provides better training and even the opportunity of a cup of tea or a loo stop.
I also wonder if its better training as well as less risky. Assuming I've done a reasonable prec search and cleared off the Emu's and roo's, why would I want to do a go around after touching down on terra firma in the right location? Well if I bounce I might want to go around, but I'm airborne when I start the procedure.
Assuming it is something that needs practice, I think one needs to be very very clear when the decision must be made to reject or continue the takeoff, and I think there is a great deal of room for confusion here. I'm not sure how to deal with this possibility.
For example the strip has a decision point midway by which one is required to have full power for a go around. Well what if you don't? I think a conscious decision has to be taken somewhere to continue the takeoff or start braking immediately.
Similar decision for a late touchdown.
To put it another way, are we training to do a go around? If so, and we stuff it up, shouldn't the corrective action be brake and stop?
Over to you.
I've done the numbers for the aircraft concerned and the strip is acceptable for short field takeoOff OR Landing.
However, doing a short field touch and go bothers me because after landing with full flap, you have to select the correct takeoff flap by feel (Piper Arrow 25 deg., or Cessna zero or ten deg.depending on model)), without taking your eyes off the strip, keep it straight on the gravel and select full power.
Now I've had one expereince with a Cessna flap switch that almost got the pair of us doing this manoeuvre (C150's don't fly well at all with 40 deg) and I'm wondering if the exercise isn't a little more risky than it needs to be. One or two little mistakes and you are through the fence or into the trees.
It appears to make more sense to me to do a full stop short field landing followed by a short field takeoff. OK, it takes longer, but I think it provides better training and even the opportunity of a cup of tea or a loo stop.
I also wonder if its better training as well as less risky. Assuming I've done a reasonable prec search and cleared off the Emu's and roo's, why would I want to do a go around after touching down on terra firma in the right location? Well if I bounce I might want to go around, but I'm airborne when I start the procedure.
Assuming it is something that needs practice, I think one needs to be very very clear when the decision must be made to reject or continue the takeoff, and I think there is a great deal of room for confusion here. I'm not sure how to deal with this possibility.
For example the strip has a decision point midway by which one is required to have full power for a go around. Well what if you don't? I think a conscious decision has to be taken somewhere to continue the takeoff or start braking immediately.
Similar decision for a late touchdown.
To put it another way, are we training to do a go around? If so, and we stuff it up, shouldn't the corrective action be brake and stop?
Over to you.