would you do this?
 

You're flying over the sea from A (europe) to B (north of england), at night, in a (high performance) single engined aircraft.

Suddenly you get an engine malfunction, which isn't an immediate catastrophe, but you need to get on the ground pretty darned quick.
You're high, so you've got time to prepare, and you divert to the nearest available airport.
The approach is a bit exciting, as you're not sure if the engine will keep running, fortunately the weather is good and ATC radar is available to give you accurate height and distance guidance all the way down.
In the end the landing is uneventful and you taxy in and park in an area where the lighting isn't particularly good for anything but taxying or walking around.

You and your experienced colleagues get out the torches and spend the next 20 mins or so inside the engine.
Very obvious fault found, ultimate consequences could have been fatal, but hey - it's easily fixed and although it was the sort of problem that could lead to others, now we'll be on our way thank you very much!

So off you go.
Intended destination is some 130 miles away, the direct track takes you over a considerable amount of open sea, and the rest of the route is over land but with only one available diversion airport open (and that's some 20m miles from the destination).
You are asked there's anyone expecting you at destination or if there's anyone you'd like notifying of your departure time and expected arrival time at destination (no FPL filed) - no and no thanks.

This is not a direct critisism of the people involved - their aeroplane, their call.
However, I can't help thinking that they were taking a hell of risk, when, for £100 or so they could all have stayed overnight, and had a good look at the aeroplane the next day, in daylight and with the assistance of another engineer.

I must admit, if I'd diverted in the middle of the night like that, I'd probably cut my losses and stop the night - and have on a couple of occasions (usually due to weather, so a more straightforward decision).

But, of the three aeroplanes that I routinely fly for myself, two of them I know well enough that I'd be content making that sort of decision on my own engine without resorting to outside assistance.

Which basically means, it depends.

G

It wasn't me! And if it was, I would never, ever, EVER do it again...

...the call of the beer would be too great.

But one lives and learns, one hopes.

I suppose it depends on ones Engineering skills and legal obligations, aside from the "fright" aspect.

You might like to change the post title to give give readers a hint of what the subject is about.

Regards,
DT

Would I do this?

No. I don't know enough about engines, aeroplanes, or all things mechanical. I rely on engineers to do that kind of stuff for me.

But if I did know enough, and I knew the fault had been fixed, and that the flight now ought to be safe, then why not?

So as Genghis said, it depends.

This sounds AWFULLY familiar!! Without wanting to identify the guilty, would you be making a hypothetical situation from a recent real one?

Would FL180 in a single engined, German registered aircraft, a diversion airfield on the east side of England, and an ultimate destination not a million miles from an international airport in Northern England about cover it?

If so, I was the controller dealing with the emergency, and must say, as a pilot myself, that to take off again would seem a little rash. That particular emergency caused a lot of bells to ring, being single engine over the sea, at night etc. D&D and the approach unit and us in London Control were very concerned and I watched the radar trace all the way to the diversion airfield, giving range checks and distance to the coast all the way. Even when the aircraft was transferred to the approach unit, we continued to monitor to check he landed safely.

If you are now suggesting that he took off again... I begin to wonder whether all that attention was worthwhile. But of course we will always take emergencies like this seriously.

I was also party to another emergency a year or so ago with a single engined aircraft over the sea which reported EXACTLY the same fault as this one. When that one just made it into Southend, the engine stopped on the runway and the cowling was covered in oil....

I wouldn't but others may!

As GtE says; it depends.

I am old and the first bit would have used up all my adrenaline for one night.

For a few years now it is required to file flight plans on ALL crosscountry flights at night in Germany, no matter what airspace they fly in. Is that not the case in the UK? (just curious..... it wasn't me heehee).

Westy

No it isn't mandatory to file a FPL to fly at night in the UK, unless you fall into one of the other criteria which does mandate a fpl (and apply equally during the day) which i can't be bothered to list here.

Unless both these airfields are outside controled airspace, Rule 28 (1) applies which implements Rule 31 that requires a flight plan to be filed for an IFR flight.