"Pilots untrained to deal with 'feathering' failure that may have caused DFO crash: experts"
Bollocks – sentence 1.
Failures in both the engine and 'feathering' system, that pilots are not trained to deal with, may be behind Tuesday's fatal plane crash, experts say.
Complete utter rubbish; the first class ‘auto-feather’ and ‘rudder boost’ system are ‘assist’ only. They are categorically not to replace a well trained pilot. Nor should these systems ever be totally relied on as the ‘definitive answer’ to an engine failure in the ‘low-slow’ configuration. Even if both systems failed, simultaneously at the most critical moment it would matter little to any pilot who had been ‘trained’ to actually fly the aircraft, rather one only trained to pedal ‘the box’ around the sim exercise garden circuit.
Item one – failed engine – big yaw – big rudder; balance is all. Rudder boost failed – so what, use muscle and trim, but do NOT allow the ‘yaw’ to continue.
Item two – failed engine – balanced aircraft – failed unit identified; feather and fuel off – or Fuel off and feather for fire –no matter – reduce the drag – quickly; after correctly identifying the ‘failed’ power unit.
Item three – Speed – must have – and the ‘right’ one then maintain that speed until clear of obstacles – power available from live engine; performance available from setting up the right ‘asymmetric balance’ take height with speed stabilised; clean up; sort it out then get on the radio and back to earth a.s.a.p.
There are several items which must be considered during this difficult first thirty seconds; e.g. what is there to bang into and how best to avoid it – in terms of given altitude and rate of climb being produced; it is important to remember that the undercarriage will take a longer period of time to retract, (hydraulics question) which will delay accelerating to and achieving the Single engine best rate of climb speed (SEBROC). In fact SEBROC may not be achieved initially; but, a well managed take off takes the aircraft very quickly through the ‘speed gates’. A Be 20 should, on a runway like Essendon be doing 110 -120 knots as the gear comes up before the end of the runway. The old Dash 41 models rotated at 92 (ish) knots and went very quickly through safe single engine speed 104 achieving 115 Kias* (single engine best rate of climb) with the gear retracting SEBROC 121 Kias came within seconds, followed swiftly by Multi engine best rate of climb speed @125 Kias. In not technical short, from 80 Kias through to 160 Kias (normal climb) happens very swiftly, the only real ‘grey’ period is between 90 and 115 Kias. ( Sorry P&W- 41 numbers; 42 not to hand). *KIAS – Knots indicated Air Speed.
It is a great mistake to sit back and do nothing while relying on rudder boost, auto feather and the gods to drag you through the very short ‘grey’ period. It is reprehensible for this reliance to become normal; it is completely irresponsible to teach this dependence as a requirement.
I want to know who trained this pilot, I want to know where his ‘retraining’ was done after the Hotham scare. I particularly want to examine the sim print outs and the check list procedures and who’s sim was used to execute these procedures.
FFS someone; get into a Be20 with a camera and a stopwatch; watch the airspeed and altimeter; you will be amazed at the speed which the aircraft achieves safe flight speeds; then do it again for an EFATO with a ‘proper’ King air pilot; use the RFDS, and, be even more amazed as the aircraft, properly handled, breezes through the event; even with the rudder boost and auto-feather disabled.
Lord I am tired to my very bones of bloody ‘experts’ and their empty headed rational.
Aye well – what can you do – except try to explain it to the ‘media’ again and again and again. The up side is they’ll have forgotten it all by next week and we can have a real look at this accident.
Toot toot.
Bollocks – sentence 1.
Failures in both the engine and 'feathering' system, that pilots are not trained to deal with, may be behind Tuesday's fatal plane crash, experts say.
Complete utter rubbish; the first class ‘auto-feather’ and ‘rudder boost’ system are ‘assist’ only. They are categorically not to replace a well trained pilot. Nor should these systems ever be totally relied on as the ‘definitive answer’ to an engine failure in the ‘low-slow’ configuration. Even if both systems failed, simultaneously at the most critical moment it would matter little to any pilot who had been ‘trained’ to actually fly the aircraft, rather one only trained to pedal ‘the box’ around the sim exercise garden circuit.
Item one – failed engine – big yaw – big rudder; balance is all. Rudder boost failed – so what, use muscle and trim, but do NOT allow the ‘yaw’ to continue.
Item two – failed engine – balanced aircraft – failed unit identified; feather and fuel off – or Fuel off and feather for fire –no matter – reduce the drag – quickly; after correctly identifying the ‘failed’ power unit.
Item three – Speed – must have – and the ‘right’ one then maintain that speed until clear of obstacles – power available from live engine; performance available from setting up the right ‘asymmetric balance’ take height with speed stabilised; clean up; sort it out then get on the radio and back to earth a.s.a.p.
There are several items which must be considered during this difficult first thirty seconds; e.g. what is there to bang into and how best to avoid it – in terms of given altitude and rate of climb being produced; it is important to remember that the undercarriage will take a longer period of time to retract, (hydraulics question) which will delay accelerating to and achieving the Single engine best rate of climb speed (SEBROC). In fact SEBROC may not be achieved initially; but, a well managed take off takes the aircraft very quickly through the ‘speed gates’. A Be 20 should, on a runway like Essendon be doing 110 -120 knots as the gear comes up before the end of the runway. The old Dash 41 models rotated at 92 (ish) knots and went very quickly through safe single engine speed 104 achieving 115 Kias* (single engine best rate of climb) with the gear retracting SEBROC 121 Kias came within seconds, followed swiftly by Multi engine best rate of climb speed @125 Kias. In not technical short, from 80 Kias through to 160 Kias (normal climb) happens very swiftly, the only real ‘grey’ period is between 90 and 115 Kias. ( Sorry P&W- 41 numbers; 42 not to hand). *KIAS – Knots indicated Air Speed.
It is a great mistake to sit back and do nothing while relying on rudder boost, auto feather and the gods to drag you through the very short ‘grey’ period. It is reprehensible for this reliance to become normal; it is completely irresponsible to teach this dependence as a requirement.
I want to know who trained this pilot, I want to know where his ‘retraining’ was done after the Hotham scare. I particularly want to examine the sim print outs and the check list procedures and who’s sim was used to execute these procedures.
FFS someone; get into a Be20 with a camera and a stopwatch; watch the airspeed and altimeter; you will be amazed at the speed which the aircraft achieves safe flight speeds; then do it again for an EFATO with a ‘proper’ King air pilot; use the RFDS, and, be even more amazed as the aircraft, properly handled, breezes through the event; even with the rudder boost and auto-feather disabled.
Lord I am tired to my very bones of bloody ‘experts’ and their empty headed rational.
Aye well – what can you do – except try to explain it to the ‘media’ again and again and again. The up side is they’ll have forgotten it all by next week and we can have a real look at this accident.
Toot toot.