PPLvirgin,

It was a decision made very quickly after an assessment of my options. I had an 850 Kg aircraft with dodgy brakes about 40 m behind me. It was a short, hard runway and a high density altitude - probably 5000-6000 feet.

I could have dumped the rope and slowed to turn off at the end, but there was a possibility that the glider pilot might have had to veer off the runway to avoid me. The terrain either side of the runway was rough with 50 cm bushes, so there would have been a significant risk of a ground loop.

So I felt the best option was to continue and fly an appropriate attitude, particularly since I had had a previous experience of ASI failure. Without mentioning my problem, I did ask the glider pilot if the speed was OK. ;)

By the time we reached release altitude, the ASI had slowly come to life. I was flying a Bellanca Scout. On the ground, the pitot tube is angled upwards, as you can see in this photo of a different Scout that had a very precise bee strike:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...npitottube.jpg

We had had a thunder storm the night before and I think some rain had found its way into the pitot.

mary, thanks for the vote of support. :ok:

Obviously, they need the scales in case a pie-eating Albert crew wants to go flying. :E

Pie eating E3 and Sentinel pilots you mean...:). The front end crews tend to be alright, it's the back enders who reside close to the galley who get porky. Some of them have to be strapped into the same crew position the whole flight as they shift the cg too much if they wander around.

As was noted most flying clubs do not have scales. This issue recently came up at the flying school where I occasionally teach at. At my suggestion they decided to adopt the Transport Canada direction for commercial operators of small aircraft.

When using passenger volunteered weights the weight used for aircraft weight and balance calculations the weight shall be increased by 10 lbs and then a further clothing allowance of 8 lbs (Summer) or 14 lbs (Winter) shall be added.

Renter pilots must complete a full weight and balance calculation prior to each flight and use the above criteria for the calculations.

Inspired by the forced landing thread....

If you are committed to a landing on an unknown patch of land, plan any error to be an overshoot error, rather than an undershoot error. Even if you cannot slip off the extra energy at the very end, you'd rather overshoot through the far fence at 10 knots, than through the near one at 60 knots!