I agree with Colin on the checklist but would like to add some military experience. As an instructor pilot in the Army, one thing we were taught and ask on every evaluation after becoming an IP was,"What is the normal reaction to an emergency?" The answer is "to act quickly and accurately within the limits of training." Irrational actions such as panic may require further evaluation and/or training. With this said, how you react to an emergency will reflect your training and preparedness. In many emergency situations you will not have time to reach for and read a checklist so you should memorize certain steps for engine failure or control lockup, open canopy, or anything you can think of that require immediate action. In military checklist immediate action steps were in bold print and had to be committed to memory. The first priority in any emergency is to maintain aircraft control. I like Mark Langfords approach to engine out emergency, flip one switch and this eliminates most problems associated with ignition and fuel so if this doesn't eliminate the problem, get ready to land.One quick war story. I was in the front seat of a Cobra Helicopter on a beautiful spring day. The Captain in the back seat was on the controls hovering over trees awaiting further instructions from out scout helicopter. I was sitting there bored with the slow moving mission and was yawning and about to fall asleep when suddenly I heard the transmission noise pitch level change. I was suddenly fully alert, took control of the aircraft, started flying forward, (it takes less power to fly forward than to hover, especially out of ground effect) and confirmed that we were loosing power by checking the dual tachometer, and checked the throttle to make sure it was full on position. (in turbine helicopters with the throttle in the full on position the fuel control and governor then control the output of the engine according to the position of the collective.) The back seat pilot had unconsciously reduced the throttle while hovering taking authority away from the fuel control and governor which caused a loss of rotor RPM, a very critical situation in a helicopter. I recognized a problem by knowing what my helicopter sounded like, confirmed I had the problem by the tach and took action that may be necessary if it were only a partial power failure and we may be able to continue to fly with partial power, and solved the problem in about 2 or 3 seconds. I'm still amazed that I acted so "quickly and accurately" that day. BTY the Captain in the back seat did not know what had happened. I was able to react to this emergency because I had committed some critical action emergency procedures to memory.
Jack Cooper > [Original Message] > From: Colin Rainey <brokerpilot9...@earthlink.net> > To: <kr...@mylist.net> > Date: 11/12/2005 10:20:53 PM > Subject: KR> Check list usage > > I went to the Corvair College on Friday and met with Jack Cooper, Mark Langford, Bill Clapp, his friend (sorry forgot the name), and later saw Bob Lester who is doing much better, though in his words alittle shorter, Glenda McElwee, and the hangar gang. While there I talked to alot of prospective builders about the assembly, and merits of some of the new design features compared to older stuff, and had several discussions about flying and flight skills, specifically concerning the KR. Here are some thoughts, prompted by Mark Jones' post of his flight: > > First off, I have posted a 2 simple checklists, one for "normal" flight, and one for emergency flight, on Dan Heath's web page. If you don't use them, make some of your own, but PLEASE use ONE! It is a proven fact that our mental capacity deteriorates rapidly with the stress of something going wrong. Checklists are so that you can focus on just flying the plane and not have to rely on memory for troubleshooting, or proper response to a given problem. Laminate them, and keep them IN THE PLANE at all times. It is regulatory for certified planes to have their operating manual in the aircraft during each flight. Part of your preflight includes checking for this manual and the airworthiness certificate, and registration. > > Second, once you have the checklists, get in your plane and practice using them, ON THE GROUND. We in teaching call it chair flying. Pretend you are going out to fly and rehearse EVERY procedure, no matter how well you know it. You will check the accuracy of your checklists, and you will begin developing a routine that will save your life. If you find that something has been omitted from your emergency or normal checklist, then don't fly until you correct your checklist. The Private Pilot Practical Test Standard has a section right in the beginning that discusses how the test is to be conducted, and one thing it mentions specifically is checklist usage. Not using a checklist to confirm that the pilot has performed the procedure correctly is grounds for a Notice of Dissatisfaction from the Examiner. Knowing this, I KNOW all the KR drivers out there had instruction in checklist usage, and its importance. DON"T FLY DIFFERENTLY just because you are in your plane, or no one is with you to critique you, or your confidence says you know the plane well. 2 commercial pilots with combined airline experience of over 20,000 hours died from running OUT OF FUEL, because neither checked the wing tanks, and assumed that maintenance had filled them up before returning the plane. Lots of experience does not mean correct procedures are being followed. > > Do this BEFORE flying and you will be able to relax while in the air, because you know that your habits and procedures will guide you through anything you are confronted with.... > > > Colin Rainey > brokerpilot9...@earthlink.net > EarthLink Revolves Around You. > _______________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html
