Testing your glide. Are people doing this?

("Yossarian" wrote in the Catalina Perep thread)
My first trip I was that low too, but now my FBO insists on a continuous
climb to the middle of the channel for better glide distance if your
engine
quits. 4500' in a 172 is only like 7 miles glide.


I wonder how many people have actually glided their planes (rentals or
otherwise) and so know what their real world glide range numbers will be -
from say, 6,000 ft AGL down to 3,000 ft AGL? Into the wind vs tailwind, etc?

I'm under the impression that 5:1 is a good (safety) number to have in your
head for an average 172 flying at 3,000 ft AGL, and below. Gives you some
"what the hey?" room and *some* turning room.

Can't quite make a 3 mile target with exactly 5:1 at 3,000 ft AGL....15,000
ft. Leaves you 840 ft short of 3 miles. Still, (a mile glide per 1,000 ft of
altitude) seems like a good number to keep in your head for lower altitudes.
Almost 5:1.

I wonder how much better (than the made up safety number 5:1) people will
see up at 6,000 ft AGL. Are people getting book numbers, in their planes,
when they go up and practice real world glides - from say 6k down to 3k?


Montblack
Happy Birthday Kristen
October 25

Are people getting book numbers, in their planes,
when they go up and practice real world glides - from say 6k down to 3k?


Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning high above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a feel for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.
VL

("MLenoch" wrote)
Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning high
above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a feel
for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.


Talking to folks at airports, do you get the sense that people are, in fact,
doing what you suggested? Or is it just a good idea ...."I should do that,
one-of-these-days"...kind of thing?

Just curious.

--
Montblack

"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

My experience is that most people don't actually know how to fly their
airplanes. They know how to get them off the ground, from Point A to Point
B, but they never do touch and gos, they never go out and do stalls, and
they really don't know how their airplane performs in anything other than
the cruise. Personally, I enjoy simply controlling the machine. Kind of
like racing drivers - they enjoy being in control of the machine, not using
it go to anywhere. Therefore, I get a hell of a kick out of touch and goes,
I stall the airplane all the time simply because it's fun, I do all kinds of
turns and maneuvers just for the hell of it. What this all means is that I
know how my airplane performs at all edges of it's envelope and with the
engine off more than I do in the cruise. Possibly all for fun, but really,
in the back of my mind, it's so I know how to get out of trouble faster than
I got into it.

Shawn
"Montblack" wrote in message
...
("MLenoch" wrote)
Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning
high
above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a feel
for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.


Talking to folks at airports, do you get the sense that people are, in
fact,
doing what you suggested? Or is it just a good idea ...."I should do that,
one-of-these-days"...kind of thing?

Just curious.

--
Montblack

"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
| My experience is that most people don't actually know how to fly their
| airplanes.

Really? How do you know that?

As a flight instructor who does a LOT of BFRs I find that the vast majority
of pilots perform emergency procedures, stalls, and other maneuvers quite
well.

"C J Campbell" writes:

Really? How do you know that?

As a flight instructor who does a LOT of BFRs I find that the vast majority
of pilots perform emergency procedures, stalls, and other maneuvers quite
well.

That's good to know. On balance, do you see any difference between
owners and renters? Does the owner's extra familiarity with the plane
make any practical difference?


All the best,


David

If you really like stick-and-rudder flying, look into gliders. I'll bet you
really like it.


"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
My experience is that most people don't actually know how to fly their
airplanes. They know how to get them off the ground, from Point A to
Point
B, but they never do touch and gos, they never go out and do stalls, and
they really don't know how their airplane performs in anything other than
the cruise. Personally, I enjoy simply controlling the machine. Kind of
like racing drivers - they enjoy being in control of the machine, not
using
it go to anywhere. Therefore, I get a hell of a kick out of touch and
goes,
I stall the airplane all the time simply because it's fun, I do all kinds
of
turns and maneuvers just for the hell of it. What this all means is that
I
know how my airplane performs at all edges of it's envelope and with the
engine off more than I do in the cruise. Possibly all for fun, but
really,
in the back of my mind, it's so I know how to get out of trouble faster
than
I got into it.

Shawn
"Montblack" wrote in message
...
("MLenoch" wrote)
Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning
high
above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a
feel
for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.


Talking to folks at airports, do you get the sense that people are, in
fact,
doing what you suggested? Or is it just a good idea ...."I should do
that,
one-of-these-days"...kind of thing?

Just curious.

--
Montblack

"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

You may be right but there's something about having some power to work with.
I think that's why I enjoy the Pitts so much.

To get back to my original post, which I hadn't realized was causing so much
followon conversation, my point was that most of the activity I see at our
local airport involves people taking off, going away to land somewhere else,
and then coming back. Two flights, two landings, lots of cruise in the
middle. And they usually take the longest and widest runway unless the wind
is dramatically favoring one of the other shorter ones (onto which a local
pilot regularly puts a KingAir!). It's not the same qualified statement
that CJ can make as an instructor, but it's my observation and, based on my
experience, I didn't really learn how to fly properly until I spent hours in
the same plane just practicing various kinds of maneuvers to see how it
performed. I hadn't really been talking about the difference between
renters and owners and my comments could only be speculative about other
pilots, but are based on my observations.

Shawn
"William W. Plummer" wrote in message
newskFmb.24669$9E1.77470@attbi_s52...
If you really like stick-and-rudder flying, look into gliders. I'll bet
you
really like it.


"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
My experience is that most people don't actually know how to fly their
airplanes. They know how to get them off the ground, from Point A to
Point
B, but they never do touch and gos, they never go out and do stalls, and
they really don't know how their airplane performs in anything other
than
the cruise. Personally, I enjoy simply controlling the machine. Kind
of
like racing drivers - they enjoy being in control of the machine, not
using
it go to anywhere. Therefore, I get a hell of a kick out of touch and
goes,
I stall the airplane all the time simply because it's fun, I do all
kinds
of
turns and maneuvers just for the hell of it. What this all means is
that
I
know how my airplane performs at all edges of it's envelope and with the
engine off more than I do in the cruise. Possibly all for fun, but
really,
in the back of my mind, it's so I know how to get out of trouble faster
than
I got into it.

Shawn
"Montblack" wrote in message
...
("MLenoch" wrote)
Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning
high
above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a
feel
for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.


Talking to folks at airports, do you get the sense that people are, in
fact,
doing what you suggested? Or is it just a good idea ...."I should do
that,
one-of-these-days"...kind of thing?

Just curious.

--
Montblack

"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

(MLenoch) writes:

Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning
high above the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the
runway, to get a feel for the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.

Right, but don't count on the numbers -- a prop hooked up to an idling
engine isn't windmilling as much as a prop hooked up to an engine with
no power. I


All the best,


David

Folks should go out and practice this a bunch. Early in the morning high
above
the airport, they should simulate a glide onto the runway, to get a feel
for
the descent rate, speed, angle, etc. etc.

Now that we monitor Unicom at all hours, I can tell you that it is VERY rare
to hear someone practicing any "engine out" procedures over our airport.
Even though we have a very active bunch of flight instructors, we almost
never hear anyone announce this extremely important routine.

Now, perhaps they are taking students to a smaller, less busy airport
nearby -- but I doubt it. I think it's just one of those things that new
pilots do with their instructors over rural areas, and then rarely practice
again. And they almost never do it over an airport.

I know I haven't done the "engine out" routine for a looong time -- but I
plan to at our next opportunity. Thanks for the reminder, Montblack!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"