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Engine Failure: Which airport do you choose?

I always see this as a more interesting case. Do you turn and if so which way?

EGTK Oxford

With an SR22 (L/R 1:8.6) you would not make the runway in front of you even if there was no wind. The only chance i see is a shallow turn to the LEFT – and then let’s hope that there’s still enough wind at lower altitudes. There’s also a chance the wind comes from a more northern direction the lower you get … but i would not count on it.

Hm, I would have turned right as it would keep me closer to the airport

LSZH

JasonC wrote:

It is a great book. I worry about pilots who would have chosen airport A however….
I worry that there is even a point of asking which of A and B you should choose!

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

The glide ratio the question uses is 9:1 so the TB20 would be marginal to either airport in still air.

I suspect the answer which the question is looking for is, per the famous Prof Rodgers “impossible turn”, do a max-G (perhaps close to Vs) turn to the right and glide to (2).

That’s probably what I would try, but by the time you have messed around with the engine restart procedure, you will have lost maybe a couple of miles on the current heading… I have been in that situation so I know one doesn’t always do the optimal thing. I did all the right things which is why I am writing this, but commencing the turn on the optimal heading is just not going to happen right away.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Alexis wrote:

The only chance i see is a shallow turn to the LEFT
Hmmm. From what I’ve read the optimal turn in an engine-out condition is one with about 45° of bank and speed close to Vs.

Let’s say a “shallow” turn in this case is about 15° bank and you keep best glide speed. At the airspeed and altitude of the original question it will be slightly slower than standard rate so it will take you over minute to turn. Without knowing the aircraft better, is difficult to say how much altitude you will lose but I would expect not less than 1000 feet.

Then you will have still have almost 15 miles to go, but you are now at 9000 feet. You will make it, but barely, and you will have to do a downwind landing.

You will also barely make it if you continue on your present course, but with the advantage that your groundspeed will be lower and that will increase your chance of survival if you land short.

Anyway, why turn left? With a wind from your right, that will bring you more off course than a right turn will. You, will have to turn further, your distance to fly will by greater, and you will have less of a tailwind component after the turn.

Of course in a real situation you won’t have time for much (if any) of these considerations.

Last Edited by Airborne_Again at 16 Aug 06:15
ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

Left, because you will sooner have a tailwind than if you do a right turn …. (?)

- or you can use the glide distance feature on SD. It works really well, also in hilly terrain. Austin Meyers (X-plane) made a system to be used on board. From what I remember he did some testing, but the whole thing fizzled out due to a disagreement or something.

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

Well the wind vector component towards the runway is fixed and doesn’t change depending on direction of turn. It will start blowing you south once your heading is just short of 90 degrees left or right. It is the effect of the crosswind component that is the difference depending on direction as I see it.

EGTK Oxford

LeSving wrote:

- or you can use the glide distance feature on SD. It works really well,

I do the same – glidesafe is always displayed on my Skydemon. As you said, it also takes into account the (relatively current) wind direction and velocity and terrain. Ineresting sometimes to see, what airports you wouldn’t reach, even when perfectly visual with them (or shores over water). You can also throw out the airports not suitable for your aircraft in case of an emergency landing.

EDLE
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