Engine out at night; road or fields?

[Ken Stallings]

[QUOTE=sg38;394804]At least in Europe there's no need to have an instrument rating for night flying.
It's simply called night-vfr.
IFR a part of the PPL ?....sounds strange to me.[/QUOTE]

You don't need an instrument rating to fly at night in the United States either. And also, instrument training has been a part of the Private Pilot training syllabus for a long time, a few hours under the hood with special emphasis on recovering the aircraft from an unusual attitude referencing the primary instruments.

Very recently the FAA amended the requirement for a specified number of hours before training for an instrument rating. To me that was a smart decision long overdue as it now allows someone to combine the instrument training with his pursuit of the private pilot certificate -- essentially earning both concurrently.

Personally, I think the instrument rating is the single most beneficial piece of training a pilot can receive. It not only greatly expands the utility of your own flying, but adds immensely to the safety of your flying.

Cheers,

Ken

[tigisfat]

[QUOTE=Ken Stallings;394935]
Personally, I think the instrument rating is the single most beneficial piece of training a pilot can receive. It not only greatly expands the utility of your own flying, but adds immensely to the safety of your flying.

Cheers,

Ken[/QUOTE]

I concur. I knew I didn't know anything about flying as a 40.1 hr pilot, but until I started my intsrument rating I had didn't really have any clue the extent of that which I didn't know. I felt a lot better for having my intstrument rating.

I will tell anyone without one this: get your instrument rating somewhere with stable air. The goal of instrument flying is smooth and stabilized flight. In the summer in Texas flying a piper warrior, you're looking at all kinds of thermals and downdrafts constantly. It makes finding stable trim and power settings absolutely rediculous.

[Piglet]

Gave this alot of thought.
If my engine is out at night, I hope it's out in the fields. Wouldn't want it to get run over on a road somewhere.:jump:

[PRB]

[QUOTE=Piglet;395019]Gave this alot of thought.
If my engine is out at night, I hope it's out in the fields. Wouldn't want it to get run over on a road somewhere.:jump:[/QUOTE]

[SIZE=3]Yep, I can see it now: [I]Pilot of single engine Cessna killed last night after landing on road as a result of engine failure. Driver of SUV ran over him while driving kids home from soccer practice and jabber-jawing on the cell phone and yelling at kids in the back...[/I][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]I'd go for the field too. Too many unknowns around the road at night. Only slightly less than the unknowns over the darkened field I guess.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]As for jumping out of perfectly functioning aeroplanes on purpose, I've done it twice. Only because I wanted to see what it was like. I had to do it twice because I don't remember much of the first one. That's why your first jump is a static line, I suppose...[/SIZE]

[viking3]

[QUOTE=Ken Stallings;394778]Yeah, right, you expect us to follow the advice of someone with the poor judgment to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!!! Multiple times!!! Because he enjoys doing it!!! Yeah right!!!! :icon_lol::icon_lol::wavey:

Cheers,

Ken[/QUOTE]

I've always thought of a parachute as an emergency device.:greenf::cost1::redfire: Could never see the attraction of hurtling myself at the earth. But then like they say, it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop.:jump:

Regards, Rob:ernae:

[bstolle]

[QUOTE=Ken Stallings;394935]And also, instrument training has been a part of the Private Pilot training syllabus for a long time, a few hours under the hood with special emphasis on recovering the aircraft from an unusual attitude referencing the primary instruments.Ken[/QUOTE]

That's still a discussion among pilots as it tends to make private pilots believe they can fly in IMC without problems if it happens. Unfortunately if you are not flying in IMC very often, chances are slim these guys can descend out of the cloud base with the wings attached to their planes.
That's the same problem with the GPS. In both cases people tend much more to fly 'vfr' above a solid cloud base....where they don't should be at all and which didn't happen earlier when you had to rely on a map

[tigisfat]

[QUOTE=Piglet;395019]Gave this alot of thought.
If my engine is out at night, I hope it's out in the fields. Wouldn't want it to get run over on a road somewhere.:jump:[/QUOTE]


I see where you're going with that. I wouldn't want my engine getting run over either, but I'm not concerned with it going out.

[rpetty]

As someone once told me...

If you loose your engine at night...and your headed for a field:
1. Turn ON your landing light
2. If you don't like what you see...turn it OFF

[wombat666]

[QUOTE=Ken Stallings;394778]Yeah, right, you expect us to follow the advice of someone with the poor judgement to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane!!! Multiple times!!! Because he enjoys doing it!!! Yeah right!!!! :icon_lol::icon_lol::wavey:
Cheers,
Ken[/QUOTE]

But Ken!!
In this case it's not a 'perfectly good [U]aeroplane[/U]', the engine has ceased operating, so we now have less than good aeroplane.

FWIW, some of the places I've had to jump in to were far from being enjoyable.:jump:

[DauntlessDriver546]

...for the field. During my pilot training, I failed a checkride because during our engine-out procedure, I headed for one of the big highways to land on. I would think it's a bad idea because odds are there are people on that road, driving. The regs basically say that it's perfectly legal to kill yourself, but you can't take anyone with you.

Based on the possibility of bridges, powerlines, and cars, I would take my chances in the dark and make for a field. If I hit trees, well that's just bad luck.

:wavey:

[DauntlessDriver546]

[QUOTE=wombat666;390911]Jump.
:173go1:[/QUOTE]


LOL!!

[cheezyflier]

:applause: to tig for coming up with a topic that has lasted so long. nicely done

[Skittles]

[QUOTE=wombat666;395435]But Ken!!
In this case it's not a 'perfectly good [U]aeroplane[/U]', the engine has ceased operating, so we now have less than good aeroplane.

FWIW, some of the places I've had to jump in to were far from being enjoyable.:jump:[/QUOTE]

Are you a pilot Wombat? Have you ever been?

[Ken Stallings]

[QUOTE=wombat666;395435]But Ken!!
In this case it's not a 'perfectly good [U]aeroplane[/U]', the engine has ceased operating, so we now have less than good aeroplane.

FWIW, some of the places I've had to jump in to were far from being enjoyable.:jump:[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I think I've been to some of those same places! :engel016:

Ken

[tigisfat]

[QUOTE=cheezyflier;395486]:applause: to tig for coming up with a topic that has lasted so long. nicely done[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much!! I hope this is also proof that we can have a lasting debate around here in a civil and mature manner.