Centaurus
14th Dec 2020, 05:28
I was reading a book called Beer & Skittles by former RAAF and Airline pilot Bob Birch. He flew many types from Spitfires and Hawker Typhoons in the Royal Air Force to Convair 240's in Trans Australia Airlines and Boeing 727's with Air Nauru. He died in 2013.
The following extract will be of interest when discussing the basics of unusual attitude training or Upset Prevention and Recovery Training.
Quote:
"About six months after starting with TAA on DC3's I went to Mackay, Queensland, to collect a Tiger Moth to be ferried back to Melbourne for a company staff private group.
A control box assembly error that could have been present for years produced a problem with elevator movement. Having watched from the ground the previous day's first flight after cyclone damage repair, I failed to notice the problem. As big drains for wet season use ran across the field, all activities were restricted to runways, something of a Tiger Moth handicap on a hard runway surface. A young local lad who had been of considerable assistance was given a passenger ride while I refreshed on type.
On take off the machine waddled down the runway then leapt into the air of its own accord. At about 50 feet the aircraft nose was still rising, 30 knots 'on the clock,' the mainplane leading edge slats standing open like the clutching claws of fate, and the control stick full forward. Not a promising start to the day.
Lowering the machine's nose was essential to increase airspeed and to avoid a stall. Banking the craft about 70 degrees to the left lowered the nose and increased speed but initiated a left turn that could not be corrected with full right rudder. The latter was not a problem in itself as a circuit would be needed to return for landing. However, the uncontrolled turn took us towards a group of about half a dozen high frequency radio masts complete with guy wires. A small reduction in bank gave a hop up over that obstacle, a slipping descending turn took us back to a landing position but, as the wings were levelled again for landing, the nose popped up and we were climbing again. Second time around was a repeat of the first, except that speed was reduced for the approach...not sufficient so the third circuit was on.
Third time round proved lucky. The aircraft completely stalled onto the runway in the landing attitude, no damage was done. Three circuits with the stick fully forward in something less than two minutes must have been some sort of record.
Being rather annoyed with the whole business, I gave one tyre a good kick and returned to Melbourne. To be almost brought to grief by the simplest of machines was not good for the ego. After rectification, the aeroplane flew normally, and several weeks later I did the 3-day ferry from Mackay to Moorabbin. Back at TAA Essendon I said nothing of the event because of the probability that one of the three licensed mechanics who worked on the machine would have been unfairly criticised. From working on Tiger Moth repair in the hangar at Ansett, I knew exactly what had happened, and that desigb construction would have concealed the error from ordinary inspection.
Thirty years passed before I mentioned the happening to others - the three would have been retired by then. Someone must have talked, as I myself never mentioned the matter to TAA. Shortly afterwards, I was transferred onto the Convair CV 240, something of a promotion that caused ill will with a number of more senior co-pilots, any one of whom would by normal company practice have taken the opening. Perhaps the Mackay business had something to do with the promotion, but I was never informed one way or the other."
Unquote..
Bob Birch's action in immediately rolling 70 degrees hard left to get the nose down and increase airspeed when it was obvious a severe uncommanded pitch up had occurred, saved the day. This basic manoeuvre is published in the Boeing 737 Flight Crew Training Manual under the title of Upset Recovery Nose High, Wings Level. The following is an edited extract:
"If normal pitch control inputs do not stop an increasing pitch rate, rolling the airplane to a bank angle that starts the nose down should work. Bank angles of about 45 degrees, up to a maximum of 60 degrees could be needed. Unloading the wing by maintaining continuous nose-down elevator pressure keeps the wing angle of attack as low as possible, making the normal roll controls - up to full deflection of ailerons and spoilers - may be used. The rolling maneuver changes the pitch rate into a turning maneuver, allowing the pitch to decrease. Finally, if normal pitch control then roll control is ineffective, careful rudder input in the direction of desired roll may be required to induce a rolling maneuver. Only a small amount of rudder is needed. Too much rudder applied too quickly or held too long may result in loss of lateral and directiopnal control. Because of the low energy condition, pilots should exercise caution when applying rudder."
Bob Birch learned to fly on Tiger Moths in the 1940's. It goes to show that if unusual attitude recoveries were considered essential flying skills training for ab-initio student pilots in those days, why is it that these manoeuvres are now only part of an instrumernt rating syllabus and not included in PPL or CPL training?
The following extract will be of interest when discussing the basics of unusual attitude training or Upset Prevention and Recovery Training.
Quote:
"About six months after starting with TAA on DC3's I went to Mackay, Queensland, to collect a Tiger Moth to be ferried back to Melbourne for a company staff private group.
A control box assembly error that could have been present for years produced a problem with elevator movement. Having watched from the ground the previous day's first flight after cyclone damage repair, I failed to notice the problem. As big drains for wet season use ran across the field, all activities were restricted to runways, something of a Tiger Moth handicap on a hard runway surface. A young local lad who had been of considerable assistance was given a passenger ride while I refreshed on type.
On take off the machine waddled down the runway then leapt into the air of its own accord. At about 50 feet the aircraft nose was still rising, 30 knots 'on the clock,' the mainplane leading edge slats standing open like the clutching claws of fate, and the control stick full forward. Not a promising start to the day.
Lowering the machine's nose was essential to increase airspeed and to avoid a stall. Banking the craft about 70 degrees to the left lowered the nose and increased speed but initiated a left turn that could not be corrected with full right rudder. The latter was not a problem in itself as a circuit would be needed to return for landing. However, the uncontrolled turn took us towards a group of about half a dozen high frequency radio masts complete with guy wires. A small reduction in bank gave a hop up over that obstacle, a slipping descending turn took us back to a landing position but, as the wings were levelled again for landing, the nose popped up and we were climbing again. Second time around was a repeat of the first, except that speed was reduced for the approach...not sufficient so the third circuit was on.
Third time round proved lucky. The aircraft completely stalled onto the runway in the landing attitude, no damage was done. Three circuits with the stick fully forward in something less than two minutes must have been some sort of record.
Being rather annoyed with the whole business, I gave one tyre a good kick and returned to Melbourne. To be almost brought to grief by the simplest of machines was not good for the ego. After rectification, the aeroplane flew normally, and several weeks later I did the 3-day ferry from Mackay to Moorabbin. Back at TAA Essendon I said nothing of the event because of the probability that one of the three licensed mechanics who worked on the machine would have been unfairly criticised. From working on Tiger Moth repair in the hangar at Ansett, I knew exactly what had happened, and that desigb construction would have concealed the error from ordinary inspection.
Thirty years passed before I mentioned the happening to others - the three would have been retired by then. Someone must have talked, as I myself never mentioned the matter to TAA. Shortly afterwards, I was transferred onto the Convair CV 240, something of a promotion that caused ill will with a number of more senior co-pilots, any one of whom would by normal company practice have taken the opening. Perhaps the Mackay business had something to do with the promotion, but I was never informed one way or the other."
Unquote..
Bob Birch's action in immediately rolling 70 degrees hard left to get the nose down and increase airspeed when it was obvious a severe uncommanded pitch up had occurred, saved the day. This basic manoeuvre is published in the Boeing 737 Flight Crew Training Manual under the title of Upset Recovery Nose High, Wings Level. The following is an edited extract:
"If normal pitch control inputs do not stop an increasing pitch rate, rolling the airplane to a bank angle that starts the nose down should work. Bank angles of about 45 degrees, up to a maximum of 60 degrees could be needed. Unloading the wing by maintaining continuous nose-down elevator pressure keeps the wing angle of attack as low as possible, making the normal roll controls - up to full deflection of ailerons and spoilers - may be used. The rolling maneuver changes the pitch rate into a turning maneuver, allowing the pitch to decrease. Finally, if normal pitch control then roll control is ineffective, careful rudder input in the direction of desired roll may be required to induce a rolling maneuver. Only a small amount of rudder is needed. Too much rudder applied too quickly or held too long may result in loss of lateral and directiopnal control. Because of the low energy condition, pilots should exercise caution when applying rudder."
Bob Birch learned to fly on Tiger Moths in the 1940's. It goes to show that if unusual attitude recoveries were considered essential flying skills training for ab-initio student pilots in those days, why is it that these manoeuvres are now only part of an instrumernt rating syllabus and not included in PPL or CPL training?