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Pretty cool clip of a PC12 on tiny uphill grass field - Locher, Italy

like that guy from my homebase who made his 100th 0/0 approach last week

Fate is the Hunter has a good phrase: he survived all his adventures, except his last.

Thaat departure looked rough… like some I have done off grass.

The strip in Italy looks just dirt, so more predictable unless something gets sucked in, but that should not happen, right?

Elba is fine.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Actually the performance safety envelope, at least for public transport, is a million out of a million successful outcomes plus. One in a hundred is sort of the mortality table odds on a septuagenarian, with a generous BMI, adverse medical family history etc.

Accelerate Stop Distance, always a slightly odd requirement for a single engine but required for turbines, but not for Part 91. I believe EASA doesn’t require ASDA for SET, hopefully someone has the answer on this.

In any event here is the table. Presumably the gradient means the Stop bit on short grass might be a challenge to extrapolate from the graph.

The underground bunker in the alto adige Alps does give these clips a thunderbirds type elan (this being the most anodyne cultural echo). The way they are put together are quite fun and I trust the precision engineering from the Swiss and Canadians will keep this operator out of the weeds.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

RobertL18C wrote:

In any event here is the table. Presumably the gradient means the Stop bit on short grass might be a challenge to extrapolate from the graph.

Downhill on grass or gravel is an absolute No for any accelerate-stop-distance calculation, unless the runway is very very very long. I don’t care the least what chances people take for themselves (I would estimate that the kind of flying shown here has a mortality rate similar to base jumping), but the moment they take unsuspecting passengers on board they should act like grown ups.

EDDS - Stuttgart

Same mortality rate as base jumping? Surely you jest?

Adam, I think @w_n might suggest the risk is higher as I don’t think the extreme sport enthusiasts have developed tandem base jumping, let alone with half a dozen plus passengers.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

If you look at the landing in the video, you can see that he uses approx. 50% of what one could call “runway” on take-off and landing. The stopping distance of the downhill landing is quite short, very likely relying on reverse to achieve it.

I would guess that this operation is a bit safer than some of the comments here make it, as long as the engine is running. If it goes kabloom, he will end up in the small stream at the end of the runway, which is lined by trees. Tree-lined ditches are not great for survivability…

Biggin Hill

I think GA can be more or less divided into two groups (which are ovelapping to some degree of course): Those who seek challenges not offered by their normal life, even occasional thrills maybe, something special in general. And then there are those who want their activity to be part of airtravel, the safest form of transportation (allegedly). I am clearly belonging to the latter group (and my employer spends five figure amounts every year on my training to make the operation even safer than last year) which is why this kind of video usually raises the hairs on the back of my neck…. For me it would be absolutely unimaginable to make my life and that of my passengers entirely dependent on the well-being of an engine and each of it’s accessories. With absolutely no feasible plan B on hand.

Last Edited by what_next at 03 Nov 10:26
EDDS - Stuttgart

Well, yes, like here, there are time windows when if the single engine quits you will probably get killed.

Statistically these are very rare, otherwise all of SE GA would be finished.

The vast majority of SE pilots never see an engine stoppage.

However stoppages due to non-mechanical issues are more common – e.g. fuel servo icing. But that happens only in IMC and one would not be taking off in IMC.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

The vast majority of SE pilots never see an engine stoppage.

You mean because I have seen four already (3 piston, one turbine) three other pilots will be spared?
There are many other reasons why one would abort a takeoff other than an engine stoppage. Again, Imhave performed quite a few of those. This operation here does not even allow for a “normal” rejected takeoff.

EDDS - Stuttgart

what_next wrote:

You mean because I have seen four already (3 piston, one turbine) three other pilots will be spared?
You have experienced four engine failures first hand? That’s bad luck! Maybe not for this thread, but how did those come about?

EHTE, Netherlands
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