In article , Jeff
writes:

I have this urge to try to protect my plane so it can fly again ..I would
probably choose a gear up landing also if I had to ditch in the desert, that
way the tires dont catch the rocks and hopefully not flip the plane. Bu
tthis
also assumes I am not over a mountain which are plentiful.
But I think most of the desert would be safer then tree's or tree stumps.


Careful with that Idea that you want to protect the plane to fly again. Much
better to protect you and passengers to fly again. I attended a "How to crash
you plane and survive" lecture some years ago. I remember he said that if you
stop the passanger capsule in 20 ft (or more) the passengers (with sholder
belt) will probably have only minor injuries. So how do you do that? One, the
plane belongs to the insurance company, don't try to save it. Find something
that will hit the wings before the wheels touch the ground. Small trees (not
head on) or bushes, a field of full grown corn, etc. Get the cabin slowed down
by the wings and YOUR chances improve. I'm not sure that I would be smart
enough to do this since the urge to land as normal as possible is intutive but
then surviving is not always intutive (smoking, drinking, couch potatoes,
etc.).

Chuck