NPPL question - taxiing emergencies?
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I have observed a taxiing emergency happening to someone else who was unaware they had one.
I was on short finals at a fairly quiet little airfield with an exceptionally narrow runway which meant the one aircraft taxiing towards the hold for my runway was quite clearly in view. Despite concentrating on my landing, something odd about the aircraft in my peripheral vision caught my attention.
Happily bouncing about behind it was a large bucket-shaped piece of concrete, still attached to the rear tie-down.
Maybe not strictly a taxiing emergency but certainly about to become one...
I was on short finals at a fairly quiet little airfield with an exceptionally narrow runway which meant the one aircraft taxiing towards the hold for my runway was quite clearly in view. Despite concentrating on my landing, something odd about the aircraft in my peripheral vision caught my attention.
Happily bouncing about behind it was a large bucket-shaped piece of concrete, still attached to the rear tie-down.
Maybe not strictly a taxiing emergency but certainly about to become one...
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Individual brake failures are a favourite of mine, especially when taxying too fast with a tailwind 
Student/examinee is desperately trying to steer the aircraft, stamping on the pedals and getting nowhere. All the time we are racing towards a fence/hedge with the strimmer still turning at 1000rpm.
Ask me why I often do that one.
... and that leads me nice on to pilots riding the brakes.......
.........which also leads me on to pilots 'riding the flaps'. "Oh, I need more drag to increase my ROD so I'll use more flap". No thought of reducing power first.
Student/examinee is desperately trying to steer the aircraft, stamping on the pedals and getting nowhere. All the time we are racing towards a fence/hedge with the strimmer still turning at 1000rpm.Ask me why I often do that one.
... and that leads me nice on to pilots riding the brakes.......
.........which also leads me on to pilots 'riding the flaps'. "Oh, I need more drag to increase my ROD so I'll use more flap". No thought of reducing power first.
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What I mean is, based on his post it looks like CGB somehow deactivates the brakes suddenly, so that the student is confronted with non-functioning brakes. I wonder how that's done.
Or do you simply tell the student, "Listen, you now have a brake failure. Deal with it."
Or do you simply tell the student, "Listen, you now have a brake failure. Deal with it."
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"Listen, you now have a brake failure. Deal with it."
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Thinking about this a bit further (while doing some necessary but boring DIY to the house)...
Aircraft like a PA28 and C172 have a parking brake lever where the hydraulic pressure is supplied by pulling on the lever. But the DR400, for instance, has a system where you press the toe brakes, and then "lock in" the pressure with a knob. In the latter system, is this a straight valve, or is it a one-way system? In other words, if you pull the knob without applying pressure, do you effectively "lock in" zero pressure, with no ability to brake anymore?
(Sure, I could try this myself easily, but not until Tuesday...)
Aircraft like a PA28 and C172 have a parking brake lever where the hydraulic pressure is supplied by pulling on the lever. But the DR400, for instance, has a system where you press the toe brakes, and then "lock in" the pressure with a knob. In the latter system, is this a straight valve, or is it a one-way system? In other words, if you pull the knob without applying pressure, do you effectively "lock in" zero pressure, with no ability to brake anymore?
(Sure, I could try this myself easily, but not until Tuesday...)
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In other words, if you pull the knob without applying pressure, do you effectively "lock in" zero pressure, with no ability to brake anymore?
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Two tailwheel taxiing troubles
I had a great ILAFFT moment when I started to taxi an Emeraude at Biggin and found (rather belatedly I admit) that that the rudder springs were not connected to the tailwheel. I was supposed to turn the plane into the narrow gap in the fence but the heel brakes weren't very effective and I faced a crash into the fence... the only time I ever groundlooped, and it was intentional. I shut down and went in search of the owner, who said that one of his friends may have borrowed the springs to put on another plane.
Needless to say I paid a lot more attention to preflighting the tailwheel assembly after that!
Notwithstanding this extra caution, I failed to see that there was something wrong with the tailwheel of a Super Cub I flew at Mona years later. There was a fair amount of wind and it was extremely difficult to taxi; the Cub constantly wanted to break to the right for some reason. When I returned after the flight I remarked on it and got back a lot of laughter. Apparently this was a known issue (to them, not to me; it wasn't in the snag list or the logbook): some months ago the plane had been operated with the tailwheel erroneously mounted causing the rubber to wear down unevenly, causing it to be lopsided after it got remounted in the correct position, and this gave the plane a strong tendency to veer to the right.
Needless to say I paid a lot more attention to preflighting the tailwheel assembly after that!
Notwithstanding this extra caution, I failed to see that there was something wrong with the tailwheel of a Super Cub I flew at Mona years later. There was a fair amount of wind and it was extremely difficult to taxi; the Cub constantly wanted to break to the right for some reason. When I returned after the flight I remarked on it and got back a lot of laughter. Apparently this was a known issue (to them, not to me; it wasn't in the snag list or the logbook): some months ago the plane had been operated with the tailwheel erroneously mounted causing the rubber to wear down unevenly, causing it to be lopsided after it got remounted in the correct position, and this gave the plane a strong tendency to veer to the right.
