Night
flight in the twin with impending weather; actual and forecast
high winds.
It was Thursday, January 28th, 2010. I have been working late quite a
bit, and coming home tired. The alternator on my right engine
had gone bad recently, and my Mechanic had just gotten back to town.
There was a snow storm coming in on Friday, so I was hoping for a quick
reset and a flight back to my hangar before the storm.
I got home an hour or so late, and Beverly suggested that we go out to
dinner and fly back together. Given the known deficiency and the high
wind forecast - I recommended against that and drove to GED to
preflight the airplane on my own. Winds at Dover and the general area
were all above 20kts, and Dover's forecast was as high as 40kts later
that evening. GED winds we only 13G18 when I left.
The front was coming so I knew turbulence was going to be a factor. I
left knowing I could well decide not to complete the flight until the
early morning when the winds were expected to be calm. By that time,
however, the temps would have fallen to under 20 degrees F, so I'd be
concerned about starting engines.
Arriving GED the wind sock was not full out. Winds 310 13G18. I pulled
out the airplane, checked to ensure Dover winds were under 25 kts, and
put the truck in the hangar. I reset the alternator and field breakers
to no avail; warmed up the engines; and made sure I had flashlights in
easy reach.
Tonight I decide to use runway 28, and taxi via taxiway bravo (old
runway 13/31). Run-up was fine, and the right alternator was completely
off-line. I took the runway and the airplane accelerated fine. Climbing
at Vy, I hit turbulence around 500', but it wasn't all that bad. I was
tired, wary of the wind, and prepared for the loss of lights.
I was loading myself up with the high winds, alternator
problem, night flight, and being tired. If I lost the engine right now,
would I be ready?
I recently read an article about the practice of climbing Vy
on departure for night flights. Loss of power in single or
loss of one engine in a twin, according to the writer,
requires rapidly lowering the nose to maintain airspeed at low
altitude. He makes the point that flying a little faster than Vy to
give yourself a margin is better when obstacles don't require
otherwise. That makes sense to me, and I'm going to incorporate that
change in my departure procedures.
Turning north, the frequencies were quiet. I signed up for flight
following with Dover, obtained class Delta clearance, and
headed direct 33N. Winds at 3000' were 55mph out of the north; and
winds at Dover AFB were 330 21G28. Landing at 33N would be a
challenge, but I could always get back into GED.
Descending out of 3000' I started getting bounced around. Down through
2000' and into class delta I tightened up the belts and watched the
voltages as I switched off the heater and brought on the tip lights.
Entering the downwind for 27 at 33N, I had to hold a large crab angle
and throttle back as my groundspeed jumped up considerable. Gear down,
1/3 flaps, and a turn to base required that I put power back in. Steady
bumps now as I turn final. Ground speed drops to 78 now, but I still
added up to 1/2 flaps. Winds are gusting, so constant adjustments are
required to hold glide path all the way down.
Short final I have lots of rudder in and the right wing is down. I seem
to be running out of rudder, so I add right engine power. Not sure if
this is a great idea, but I have been experimenting with using
asymmetric power to add in crosswind landings. Over the
wires; past the warehouse and ducking below the treeline for touchdown
on 27. Good contact; flaps up; and roll out full length.
I am working to be as comfortable in this airplane as in the Warrior
II. Just a matter of time.
You
can
follow me (or just read the comments) on twitter at http://twitter.com/fdorrinjr,
and you can see my professional profile at
http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankdorrin
if you are interested.
fed
2010-01-31