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#31
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I think that has to do with pilots flying from hard surface strips being
afraid of the turf. wrote: C Kingsbury wrote : I used to get a little nervous flying across Phoenix under the class B shelf at ~1400 ft. AGL until I realized that I was almost always within gliding distance of an 18 hole golf course, just about anywhere in the city. There are close to 200 of them. Oddly enough, over the years we've had more planes land on city streets and highways than on golf courses. |
#32
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Providing you can get a signal beneath the forest canopy.
Morgans wrote: Even a better reason to carry a GPS, even if it is a cheap land based handheld. |
#33
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Corn and other crops can be bad on the aircraft but you will survive.
"knee high by the fourth of July" was the formula for the NE US. Up to about the 4th, corn was landable without damage except to the crop. After that, you start to get the airframe stained, then banged up and 30 days later, you will not come out airworthy. Lots of variations with seasons, crops, and local practices. I was exposed to what I will call 'insurance' cotton fields in the caprock area of NM/TX. The cotton that was going to be harvested was irrigated and too high for damage free landings. Then there were these fields that had been worked and planted but never irrigated. Perfect for landing and no crop damage. The helpful rancher from next door told me, "if you never setup the irrigation on the field, they don't have chance in this area - just planted for crop insurance claims". Rural welfare I guess but perfect for offield landings. "zatatime" wrote in message Lastly I never knew corn was so bad. I heard a story of my first instructor (old WWII pilot) putting down in a corn field with a student without any damage. Must've been young corn from the comments I've seen here. g After that, I've always thought corn was a good way to go, I will now try to recondition myself to putting it 3rd or 4th on the list when I'm scoping out landing options. |
#34
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Golf courses can be a bit tougher than they appear. I don't play but after
considering a few from the air, I mentally flew a couple of approaches on some. They tend to be hilly, they tend to be surrounded by trees (maybe not in Phoenix), the good spots tend to curve around, there are lots of people on them when the soaring was good. The trees were the main problem. A good rule of eye is to assume you can touchdown no closer to a treeline than 10X the tree's height. So the first priority is to find an approach path to that fairway - probably between the tree lines - but then there may be power lines on the less refined courses. Then nothing is completely flat or smoothly sloped. I landed on a golf course twice. Unfortunately it was on the same course in the same spot - the driving range. It seemed to be the best spot on the entire course especially because no one was walking around in the middle of it. The 2nd time, the guys took me up the clubhouse to show me a picture of how some guy had landed there before. It turned out to be me.... Regarding people and athletic fields and stuff. When the engine is out (or even idle), there is no way to signal anyone that you are landing. They won't hear you. It would be real bad to land and hit a pedestrian. I've landed in a soccer field near Allentown PA that was a shortcut for college kids going to class. Nother scarier than skimming down the field with a 50 foot long scythe (sp) of a wing clipping along at 40mph at waist height. No one knew I was there until I passed them. "john smith" wrote in message ... I think that has to do with pilots flying from hard surface strips being afraid of the turf. wrote: C Kingsbury wrote : I used to get a little nervous flying across Phoenix under the class B shelf at ~1400 ft. AGL until I realized that I was almost always within gliding distance of an 18 hole golf course, just about anywhere in the city. There are close to 200 of them. Oddly enough, over the years we've had more planes land on city streets and highways than on golf courses. |
#35
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"Maule Driver" wrote I've landed in a soccer field near Allentown PA that was a shortcut for college kids going to class. Nother scarier than skimming down the field with a 50 foot long scythe (sp) of a wing clipping along at 40mph at waist height. No one knew I was there until I passed them. You just have to open the vent window and yell, "MAN ON" g -- Jim in NC |
#36
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"Maule Driver" wrote in message
. com... Golf courses can be a bit tougher than they appear. I don't play but after considering a few from the air, I mentally flew a couple of approaches on some. They tend to be hilly, they tend to be surrounded by trees (maybe not in Phoenix), the good spots tend to curve around, there are lots of people on them when the soaring was good. One problem you might encounter with golf courses in the Phoenix area is with a desert design concept known as "target golf." The course will not have turf all the way from tee to green. In fact, many courses intentionally put "waste" areas full of kitty litter-esque gravel in areas meant to be carried through the air with a shot and penalize players who want to roll the ball onto the green. Makes the course harder but saves water since you don't have as much thirsty grass. Feeling good about getting on the ground just past the tee box would turn to a "GULP" when you find that you are on a par 5 where the designer decided to put washes or "barancas" across the fairway between the landing areas for the second or third shots. Jay Beckman PP-ASEL Chandler, AZ |
#37
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"Maule Driver" wrote in message m... In gliders the mantra was, "land upwind and upslope but upslope is more important. Down slope is to be avoided." The challenge is to understand just how steep an approach is required and how much energy is required to flare properly for steeper slopes. It's not a minimum speed approach and you must have enough pitch authority to round out. Much more than one would originally think for steeper slopes. The rollout or skid will be much shorter which is always good. And it's easier to hit a spot. Every foot of ground covered after touchdown runs the risk of hitting something you didn't see. I routinely drove the nose in the ground with the brake to minimize rollouts over unknown ground. But for moderate slopes, my experience is that upslope is strongly preferred even with a moderate tailwind. When landing upslope judging the moment to flare is also harder...it looks like you are just above the ground but you will still be high... |
#38
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Blueskies wrote: "Maule Driver" wrote in message m... In gliders the mantra was, "land upwind and upslope but upslope is more important. Down slope is to be avoided." The challenge is to understand just how steep an approach is required and how much energy is required to flare properly for steeper slopes. It's not a minimum speed approach and you must have enough pitch authority to round out. Much more than one would originally think for steeper slopes. The rollout or skid will be much shorter which is always good. And it's easier to hit a spot. Every foot of ground covered after touchdown runs the risk of hitting something you didn't see. I routinely drove the nose in the ground with the brake to minimize rollouts over unknown ground. But for moderate slopes, my experience is that upslope is strongly preferred even with a moderate tailwind. When landing upslope judging the moment to flare is also harder...it looks like you are just above the ground but you will still be high... Do what I did. Knowing that some of my flying would be onto and off topdressing airstrips I found instructors who had been topdressing pilots and learnt from them. I noticed in a post further back some-one was debating the idea of landing downhill. Bad idea. You not only have the aircraft speed but also the weight and the downhill slope and nothing to really slow you. landing uphill is not only a good idea it is also the safest |
#39
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