..........Waiting wankers
 

Impulse used to be bad for sitting on the runway for up to 5 minutes, they also used to call downwind 15 miles out. Bad airmanship is not good for aviation.

You never see Dash 8's sitting on the end of a runway doing checks, they turn around and roll. You never hear Dash 8 blokes wingeing about an AG machine doing a legal low level circuit. I'd rather see the Aircraft in the circuit than the approaching Aircraft fly 5 miles out call downwind then not turn on to final for 5 minutes.

It's all a matter of working in with others, if your going to be in the road then stretch a bit and let others in. If your flying a 5 mile circuit don't get too upset if somebody cuts inside you and is on the ground and shut down by the time you turn onto final.

The last thing somebody who has just done 10 hours for the day wants is some clown backtracking at a walking pace then sitting on the runway doing runups. It's good for you blokes who need hours to prolong every minute in the Aircraft so you can log that extra .1, professionals who consider other aviators don't.:8

I cant say that I have any problem with anything said here. It seems that I am in the midst of some practical thinking people that apply common sense to operating different types of A/C. Just allow me to throw a spanner in the works, just for a sec.

I grew up around c180's, 182's and 185 operators, mostly in the ag industry. Some of the operators were private operators in 182's flying for business reasons. I was brought up to get a clip under the ear every time I allowed the elevator to drop 1/4 inch from full back whenever on the ground, and rightly so. Operating costs reduced by such a simple method of operation, why the hell would you not do it. It really erks me to see supposed instructors, mostly at GAAP ad's considering them selves above such menial habits that make a good pilot. "Just get em past the test"

Enough qualifying.

I was a fairly low time pilot on a long trip over two weeks. Departing early one morning with a deadline for the day, I followed the same principals as I would for any A/C. No other traffic around, runnups on the runway after waiting for Cyl Hd Temp in the idle position. Both engines in the runup speed and through the checks, then both engines back to idle for the rest of the taxi. Just then I lost all back pressure on the LHS. Odd but still in control I heard a passenger say, "Hey the wheel is on fire".


Immediate action; Shut down and evacuate. Extinguish fire.

Pondering what to do, we pushed the AC off the RW. Being MBZ my luck would not hold out with having the AP to my self for too long. After some time I taxied back to the apron and PX walked happily behind. On inspection, the Break calliper piston had actually popped out of position and allowed the hyd. oil to flow over the hot disk and catch fire. The oil also set fire to the tyre so it was then US. I spent the next days going over the incident in my head. I didn't feel that I was excessive on the breaks with regard to pressure or time. Perhaps other would argue, but I did the checks as fast as possible because break pad wear was also an important consideration in my upbringing.

Now in hind sight, is see the incident as tuition. I was lucky for several reasons. Had I been alone the wheel would have burnt away after TO with me none the wiser until it blew out. Had I been in a low wing, no one would have noticed the problem but me (I hope I would have aborted the TO when breaks were lost, I think I would have but, I was very low time when this happened, I will never know). And had I not aborted, or not noticed the full effect on the break peddle. lastly, if it were a retractable AC, I well may have put a burning wheel assembly away after TO.

Now days, it is runnups in the bay, or one at a time on the move for the first flight. I know they say it is hard on the nose wheel but I would rather it collapse in the absolute worst case, than find a wing on fire just near the fuel tanks in flight. Subsequent flights, it is easy enough to do a mag check at idle. If they work they work. If they are fowled then abort the TO. If the csu is us on one of the subsequent flight I don't feel that it is life threatening to come back and land when you find out at 500".

I still don't have a lot of hours and I would love to hear from some of you CP's ex CP's and very experienced people what you think about the reasons for my procedures at this time.

OBJ.

IMO entering an active runway without being prepared for an immediate takeoff is not only bad airmanship, it's rude to others in the circuit.

Even in small airfields you can find someplace safe to perform run-ups and final checks.

That's why it's called a runway, not a runupway.


VHCU

I take it then you are all for static run ups? Most of the other contributions in this thread seem to disagree. I see no problem with run ups while back tracking and many I know agree.

There is no delay to other AC. There is also no prop damage.

If you believe there is always a clear place to do runups at every strip, then you just go on teaching that at what ever academic institution you are lecturing at.

Reguards TMX.

When brake pads wear too much you often get leakeage of hydraulic fluid. Look for dripping brakes on tour preflight.

Worn pads usually just mean brakes not much chop, worn discs can give you crap brakes as well as pistons coming out too far allowing leakage.

Nothing wrong with doing runup's backtracking, gives the oil a bit more time to warm on those frosty mornings.