{"id":9164,"date":"2023-10-11T11:56:44","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T11:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=9164"},"modified":"2023-10-11T11:56:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T11:56:44","slug":"the-downside-of-convenience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=9164","title":{"rendered":"The downside of convenience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aviation news international – At my local airport the airport restaurant is inside the FBO building. That\u2019s true of many airports I\u2019ve visited with the intent of taking on a few extra calories.<\/p>\n

Being in the south where former military training facilities are plentiful \u2014 many of which are now municipally owned and open to the public \u2014 the runways tend to be long.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, long is a relative term. What the Cub pilot thinks of as a long runway the B-737 pilot sees as entirely inadequate. To say it another way: In aviation, size matters. In fact, it matters a lot.<\/p>\n

They perform a flawless run-up, make the appropriate radio call, roll out onto the runway for a midfield departure, and push the throttle to the stop. The decision to reduce the 5,000 foot runway to just 2,500 feet seems like a fine idea.<\/p>\n

The aircraft accelerates normally, the wheels get light, and at the appropriate time the pilot eases back the controls to raise the nose just a tad. The aircraft leaves the runway as expected, climbs authoritatively at Vy, and gains altitude at the anticipated rate.<\/p>\n

Until\u2026<\/p>\n

The engine coughs, or sputters, or begins to vibrate aggressively, or just winds down to a significantly lower RPM without warning or apparent reason.<\/p>\n

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<\/center>This is where things get sticky.<\/p>\n

The pals now find themselves low and slow, nose high, airspeed falling off rapidly, as the last bit of pavement disappears below their nose. They are low enough that the\u00a0Impossible Turn<\/a>\u00a0has earned its name.<\/p>\n

Ahead of them are homes and businesses, streets flanked by poles with powerlines attached, and not a single piece of flat, clear space to aim for. They\u2019ve got nowhere to go at the exact same time gravity exerts its significant power to compel them to go anyway.<\/p>\n

Is this avoidable? Perhaps.<\/p>\n

Certainly the quick and easy solution of making an intersection departure played a role in the eventual unpleasant outcome to this flight.<\/p>\n

Years ago, when I transitioned from single-engine aircraft to multi-engine aircraft, I was intrigued by the additional pre-takeoff briefing I was introduced to. It\u2019s a standard for multi-engine pilots, yet a complete mystery for single engine drivers.<\/p>\n

Over the years it has seemed more appropriate to me that all pilots lock these few lines into their pre-flight planning.<\/p>\n

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<\/center>See if you don\u2019t agree.<\/p>\n

The pre-takeoff brief goes like this:<\/p>\n