Have you ever sent a mayday?
As far as microlights are concerned, in some countries the figure must be 90% at least.
Nothing wrong with that, seeing the low number of fatalities (which make the newspapers). An engine failure followed by an out-landing is a non-event to microlighters. Gliders are even better: they don't need an engine failure to justify an out-landing.
Nothing wrong with that, seeing the low number of fatalities (which make the newspapers). An engine failure followed by an out-landing is a non-event to microlighters. Gliders are even better: they don't need an engine failure to justify an out-landing.
Landed ahead on a nice long runway, while the glider behind avoided running up my tailplane.
Out of interest, did you wave off the glider or just dump the rope?
I noticed I had no airspeed indication during a takeoff one day, but with an open-class glider full of water behind me, I decided continuing was the better option.
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Wave off? wave off?
Piper Classic was TAKING OFF, towing a glider, when the engine quit, and landed straight ahead while the glider, presented with the interesting problem of a non moving obstacle in the way, managed to avoid it without groundlooping. Proper job!
INDIA FOUR TWO asks "did you wave off the glider or just drop the rope?"
As both tug and glider were still on the active runway, we can guess the answer!
Although the British Gliding Association advice to tugs is, if there is a problem, to wave off the glider by unmistakable maneuvering, at low levels this would be a really stupid thing to do! In a 150 Supercub, towing a K13 twoseater glider, saw in my rearview mirror (every airplane should have one!) that the GLIDER HAD THE AIRBRAKES FULLY OPEN. My airspeed was now about 45 miles an hour. No way do you wave your wings at this point.
We staggered up to 300 feet, and then I dumped the glider.
My knees were literally knocking together in fear; I landed back at the airfield and looked for the glider, expecting they would have landed back; no joy. Not realising the cause of the heavy sink was airbrakes, they had planked it nicely in a field in the valley, no damage to any person or airframe.
As a rule, most low level problems do not permit the luxury of a mayday call.
Piper Classic was TAKING OFF, towing a glider, when the engine quit, and landed straight ahead while the glider, presented with the interesting problem of a non moving obstacle in the way, managed to avoid it without groundlooping. Proper job!
INDIA FOUR TWO asks "did you wave off the glider or just drop the rope?"
As both tug and glider were still on the active runway, we can guess the answer!
Although the British Gliding Association advice to tugs is, if there is a problem, to wave off the glider by unmistakable maneuvering, at low levels this would be a really stupid thing to do! In a 150 Supercub, towing a K13 twoseater glider, saw in my rearview mirror (every airplane should have one!) that the GLIDER HAD THE AIRBRAKES FULLY OPEN. My airspeed was now about 45 miles an hour. No way do you wave your wings at this point.
We staggered up to 300 feet, and then I dumped the glider.
My knees were literally knocking together in fear; I landed back at the airfield and looked for the glider, expecting they would have landed back; no joy. Not realising the cause of the heavy sink was airbrakes, they had planked it nicely in a field in the valley, no damage to any person or airframe.
As a rule, most low level problems do not permit the luxury of a mayday call.
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Originally Posted by mary meagher
No way do you wave your wings at this point.
BB
Mary is quite right. I used one hand on the stick, one to pull the mixture then the mags, then I dumped the rope, and stopped in a straight line. The glider dropped the rope as well,and landed next to me. We were both in the air when the engine went tu. Of course, at a greater height, it would have been worthwhile turning off a mag to see which was the knackered one. Not at ten metres with a lot of runway in front.
I would always try and get a mayday out if humanly possible. Doesn't have to be the text book version (it rarely is). But given your priority is to survive the landing, a small back up incase someone needs to cut you out of any wreck is prudent in my view.
Never made a Mayday, lost count of the number of Pans (certainly more than 2 dozen).
Never made a Mayday, lost count of the number of Pans (certainly more than 2 dozen).
Slightly off thread.
A great many years ago a Vulcan in the radar circuit at RAF Waddington/Scampton broadcast a PAN* call regarding a crash the crew had seen between 2 cars on a remote Lincolnshire road - it was just as well as one of the drivers was rather badly knocked about I believe.
* In the days when the word PAN was only said 3 times!
A great many years ago a Vulcan in the radar circuit at RAF Waddington/Scampton broadcast a PAN* call regarding a crash the crew had seen between 2 cars on a remote Lincolnshire road - it was just as well as one of the drivers was rather badly knocked about I believe.
* In the days when the word PAN was only said 3 times!
