Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 06:34 AM - OV relay for CJ6A - update (Brian Lloyd)
2. 08:54 AM - Yak Cooling grills (Mark Sorenson)
3. 09:14 AM - Re: Yak Cooling grills (doug sapp)
4. 10:49 AM - Re: Yak Cooling grills (Kelley Monroe)
5. 03:28 PM - Prop Pitch Testing (Craig Payne)
6. 04:07 PM - Re: Prop Pitch Testing (Walter Lannon)
7. 04:47 PM - Spins can kill if you're not prepared!! (Frank Haertlein)
8. 06:35 PM - Forced Landing (KingCJ6@aol.com)
9. 07:27 PM - Pressure Relief Valve (PHCarter@aol.com)
10. 08:42 PM - Forced Landing (Roger Kemp)
11. 10:35 PM - Re: Forced Landing (Brian Lloyd)
Message 1
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| Subject: | OV relay for CJ6A - update |
--> Yak-List message posted by: Brian Lloyd <brian-yak@lloyd.com>
For those of you interested in the status of the over-voltage relay for
the CJ6A generator, here is what Bob says:
>> Yes. The last of the parts came in yesterday. My father-in-law
>> has the software working in simulation. I think he plans to
>> push it into silicon today. I'll get the prototype assembled
>> tomorrow. We're getting close.
BTW, if you are wondering why there is software involved, it turned out
to be simpler to implement the OV relay module using a microcomputer
because of the built-in sequencing, testing, and warning light
functions. It just required fewer parts this way and it allowed the unit
to be "tweaked" without having to change the parts on the board.
--
Brian Lloyd 2243 Cattle Dr.
brian-yak at lloyd dot com Folsom, CA 95630
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) +1.270.912.0788 (fax)
I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Message 2
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| Subject: | Yak Cooling grills |
--> Yak-List message posted by: Mark Sorenson <marksorenson@sprintpcs.com>
Hello everyone,
I a new 55M owner and loving the heck out of this machine. However it is getting
time to work on my front cooling actuating grills (if that is what they are
called). Apparently they have been loose for a time and have elongated the holes
in the ring so now they are not tight and set up a vibration as they flutter
at high speeds when open.
Any leads on a parts supplier for this assembly. Feel free to e-mail me directly
or the list.
Thanks.
marksorenson@sprintpcs.com
------------------
Best Regards,
Mark-
678-GO-FLY-HI
--------------------
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Sign up via the Wireless Web Browser on your Sprint PCS Phone
or at http://www.sprintpcs.com.
Message 3
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| Subject: | Yak Cooling grills |
--> Yak-List message posted by: "doug sapp" <rvfltd@televar.com>
Mark,
Two options, replace the inner ring (I have one IF it is the same as used on
M14 powered Yak 18T (I think it is), or Kelley Monroe just had his welded up
and redrilled. I am sure Kelley monitors the list so I think he will most
likely answer to you directly, if not email me and I'll give you his phone
number.
If you gills are as loose as you indicate you most likely need many other
parts also, like the cams on the end of the gills, inner ring screws, and
also the gill rotating rods, as these are all high wear points.
Email me a photo of your gills, I am pretty sure I can tell the type just by
looking at the photo.
Always Yakin,
Doug Sapp
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-yak-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-yak-list-server@matronics.com]On Behalf Of Mark Sorenson
Subject: Yak-List: Yak Cooling grills
--> Yak-List message posted by: Mark Sorenson <marksorenson@sprintpcs.com>
Hello everyone,
I a new 55M owner and loving the heck out of this machine. However it is
getting time to work on my front cooling actuating grills (if that is what
they are called). Apparently they have been loose for a time and have
elongated the holes in the ring so now they are not tight and set up a
vibration as they flutter at high speeds when open.
Any leads on a parts supplier for this assembly. Feel free to e-mail me
directly or the list.
Thanks.
marksorenson@sprintpcs.com
------------------
Best Regards,
Mark-
678-GO-FLY-HI
--------------------
This message was sent from a Sprint PCS Phone.
Get a Sprint PCS Wireless Mail account!
Sign up via the Wireless Web Browser on your Sprint PCS Phone
or at http://www.sprintpcs.com.
Message 4
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| Subject: | Re: Yak Cooling grills |
--> Yak-List message posted by: "Kelley Monroe" <kelmonroe@comcast.net>
I have not picked up the inner ring from the machine shop yet. I will get
it on 1/7/06 and I will reply after I am inspect it. Thanks Kelley
----- Original Message -----
From: "doug sapp" <rvfltd@televar.com>
Subject: RE: Yak-List: Yak Cooling grills
> --> Yak-List message posted by: "doug sapp" <rvfltd@televar.com>
>
> Mark,
> Two options, replace the inner ring (I have one IF it is the same as used
> on
> M14 powered Yak 18T (I think it is), or Kelley Monroe just had his welded
> up
> and redrilled. I am sure Kelley monitors the list so I think he will most
> likely answer to you directly, if not email me and I'll give you his phone
> number.
>
> If you gills are as loose as you indicate you most likely need many other
> parts also, like the cams on the end of the gills, inner ring screws, and
> also the gill rotating rods, as these are all high wear points.
>
> Email me a photo of your gills, I am pretty sure I can tell the type just
> by
> looking at the photo.
>
> Always Yakin,
> Doug Sapp
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-yak-list-server@matronics.com
> [mailto:owner-yak-list-server@matronics.com]On Behalf Of Mark Sorenson
> Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 8:53 AM
> To: yak-list@matronics.com
> Subject: Yak-List: Yak Cooling grills
>
>
> --> Yak-List message posted by: Mark Sorenson <marksorenson@sprintpcs.com>
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I a new 55M owner and loving the heck out of this machine. However it is
> getting time to work on my front cooling actuating grills (if that is what
> they are called). Apparently they have been loose for a time and have
> elongated the holes in the ring so now they are not tight and set up a
> vibration as they flutter at high speeds when open.
>
> Any leads on a parts supplier for this assembly. Feel free to e-mail me
> directly or the list.
>
> Thanks.
>
> marksorenson@sprintpcs.com
> ------------------
> Best Regards,
> Mark-
> 678-GO-FLY-HI
> --------------------
> This message was sent from a Sprint PCS Phone.
> Get a Sprint PCS Wireless Mail account!
> Sign up via the Wireless Web Browser on your Sprint PCS Phone
> or at http://www.sprintpcs.com.
>
>
>
Message 5
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| Subject: | Prop Pitch Testing |
I flew the CJ with that thinner pitch stop ring the other day and was delighted
to get a cruise II setting of 1730 RPM @ MP of 635mm. I didn't climb up to where
635 was all I could get at full throttle...I'll save that for another day.
I could also get down to1640RPM. At cruise II I could see TAS speeds that many
Yak-52's only get at the 70% nominal II setting.
Now for the fuel flow tests. Using Book figures, the Cruise II horsepower equals
60% of of Nominal II which is 240HP; therefore (240 x .6 = 144HP). Perhaps some
formation flying at Waycross will yield comparative fuel burn numbers.
That thicker pitch stop ring had "30" etched on the surface but it clearly was
Not 30mm so I wonder what that number represents??
Craig Payne
Message 6
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| Subject: | Re: Prop Pitch Testing |
Craig;
That "30" would indicate a coarse pitch blade setting of 30 degs.
You have now increased that which increased the available range the governor has
to operate in. Hence your improved cruise performance.
Walt
----- Original Message -----
From: Craig Payne
To: yak-list
Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 3:27 PM
Subject: Yak-List: Prop Pitch Testing
I flew the CJ with that thinner pitch stop ring the other day and was delighted
to get a cruise II setting of 1730 RPM @ MP of 635mm. I didn't climb up to
where 635 was all I could get at full throttle...I'll save that for another day.
I could also get down to1640RPM. At cruise II I could see TAS speeds that many
Yak-52's only get at the 70% nominal II setting.
Now for the fuel flow tests. Using Book figures, the Cruise II horsepower equals
60% of of Nominal II which is 240HP; therefore (240 x .6 144HP). Perhaps
some formation flying at Waycross will yield comparative fuel burn numbers.
That thicker pitch stop ring had "30" etched on the surface but it clearly was
Not 30mm so I wonder what that number represents??
Craig Payne
Message 7
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| Subject: | Spins can kill if you're not prepared!! |
--> Yak-List message posted by: "Frank Haertlein" <yak52driver@earthlink.net>
Yakkers
A word of advice from experience.........
NEVER, NEVER, EVER, enter an intentional spin without having in your mind a
set number of turns you are going to do. In other words....enter an
intentional spin thinking "I'm going to do one turn, two turns or whatever.
BUT HAVE THE NUMBER OF TURNS YOU ARE GOING TO DO IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU DO
THEM!! This advice can save your life! If nothing else you need to watch the
altimeter and not of the spinning earth!
Why do I tell you this now? I was reading the FAA accident statistics
database and discovered the following entry for a Sukoi driver...........
"According to the show announcer, the pilot performed the corkscrew maneuver
that contained 56 consecutive snap rolls. He then climbed to an approximate
altitude of 5000 feet and informed the announcer that he was going to
conduct a flat spin maneuver. According to the announcer the number of
rotations the pilot conducted seemed to exceed the normal amount the pilot
had conducted in the past. The spin maneuver continued until the airplane
collided with the water. No evidence of mechanical, flight controls or
control surfaces anomalies were discovered during the post-accident
examination of the airplane wreckage".
I had a similar experience during my aerobatic check ride years ago. The
instructor said "let me see what you got!" I then proceeded to do a number
of different aerobatic maneuvers without a set plan in mind. I was
ad-libbing to show the instructor what I could do. During all this the
instructor asked for a spin so I gave him one. Well, I entered the spin
without a clear, set number of turns in mind. "Hell! I'm just going to spin
this thing and show him I can do it!"................ I spun from 6000 to
the floor of 1500 when "HE" physically took control of the aircraft and
terminated the flight.
I failed the check ride. During the de-brief the instructor said that "you
have to have a clear number of turns in mind as you enter a spin". He
related many instances of fully conscious pilots impacting the ground in
aircraft perfectly recoverable from any spin maneuver. "The spin can
mesmerize so be prepared". If you don't have in mind a set number of turns
as you enter a spin you may wind up like many other air show performers who
kept enjoying (or showing off) the spin until it killed them.
Frank
Message 8
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A story passed along with a good outcome; also just one more example of what
an asset the Selbys are to our CJ/Yak community as well as simply great people.
Dave
###########
A SUNSET FLIGHT TO REMEMBER
May 5th cinco de miyo
It was a Thursday night after a hard days work. It was our Friday because
we only work four ten hour days and have a three day weekend every week. It
had been raining off and on throughout the day. After work I asked my wife
Christie if she wanted to go for a ride in the Nanchang and watch the sunset.
The Nanchang is a low wing, retractable gear, airplane. It=E2=80=99s a warbird,
military trainer strait from China. It was copied after the Russian Yak. =20It
has a 9 cylinder Quzhou Huosai-6A HS6A radial piston engine, a Maximum Speed of
230 mph, a Ceiling of 17000 ft. and a Range of about 450 miles.
The sky was beautiful with tall, puffy, popcorn looking clouds and they were
sharp and clean. Christie said she was tired and told me to take someone
else. I wanted to get out before the sun went down so I ran to the airport=20and
pulled the plane out. I took off by myself and flew to Marina to top off with
fuel.
Once topped off, I took off over the ocean under a clouded ceiling. The
water was fairly calm with a 10 to 12 knot wind coming from the northwest. =20I
flew up the coast a bit and then just before Moss landing I turned inland towards
the north. I then headed north east over to crazy horse canyon about 10
miles inland from the ocean. The sky was broken in that area and the sun was
shining through the clouds leaving long rays of light stretching across the
horizon and valley floor.
I was flying low over the treetops and hills, then I climbed around through
the broken clouds to about 3500 feet witch put me on top. I was soaring
through the large canyons and valleys between the clouds. I headed west towards
the ocean looking into the sun. It was spectacular as it was turning all the
clouds orange and above the clouds it was crystal clear with a blue that you can
only appreciate on the west coast. I was in heaven. It was smooth and
peaceful.
I pushed the nose foreword to gain some airspeed to about 160 knots then
pulled the nose up to a 45 degree angle and did a slow barrel roll around the
sunset watching the horizon circle around me and my plane in slow motion. I
couldn=E2=80=99t stop there I had to unwind myself so I did another roll only in
the
opposite direction. As I looked down through the holes in the clouds I saw=20a
familiar sight. I was over my ranch out in Prunedale. I was approximately=204000
feet in elevation and I was having a moment. I thought to myself, how come=20I
didn=E2=80=99t make my lover come fly with me. She didn=E2=80=99t know what fun
she was
missing.
I rolled to the right and then to the left, lazy eights, wing overs and
then pushed the nose forward to gain speed so I could do a large slow loop.=20
As I
entered the loop the sun was at my back. I pulled the stick back slowly and
was almost into the vertical position when the plane did a slight stutter or
hesitation. This really caught my attention because this plane (my baby) has
never done that before. The engine just started to shake. I had my hand on=20the
throttle and before I could even pull it back the engine made this loud
grinding crashing sound that I will never forget. It was like that noise you here
when you tee off with your driver and it hits a car in the parking lot.
CRACK, OH NO, CRASH!
The engine had locked up and stopped. I was just climbing through the
vertical position of my loop and not quite into the inverted position when this
happened. How many times can you say OH SHIT!!!? Of all the positions to be in
when the engine quit. I pulled the stick back to my chest so hard and fast
that the plane started buffeting. I was inverted at this point with the sun
directly in my eyes. I had to relax on the stick so I could keep the plane
flying and didn=E2=80=99t pull the wings off or induce an accelerated stall. I
couldn=E2=80=99t
get the plane upright fast enough. I didn=E2=80=99t want to loose any altitude
and I
surely didn=E2=80=99t want to stall the plane. Not to mention I didn=E2=80=99t
like being
upside down without an engine.
As I rolled out of the top of my loop, I was starring at my propeller. It
had stopped at the 11:00 position. What a bad feeling. There was no noise
from the engine. My baby had let me down. All I could here was the sound of
the wind going by. There was no vibration, no nothing what even resembled the
normal purr and growl of my Nanchang. I was flying a glider. It was a feeling
that you often have night mares about but this time it was for real. I often
wondered what I would do in a situation like this. Usually it=E2=80=99s when you=E2=80=99re
over the sierras or over a large body of water with no place to land when you
think of these things. Now all I could think of was I was going down and
there was nothing I could do to prevent it. Why Me?
All the hanger flying and knowledge you receive over the years trying to
prepare yourself for a situation like this and here it is. A little unexpected
but here it is and I new I couldn=E2=80=99t panic, just fly the plane. There were
so
many things going through my head all at once. I remember people saying, don=E2=80=99
t panic. Sit on your hands. Evaluate the situation. Don=E2=80=99t do anything stupid.
Easy for them to say they weren=E2=80=99t up here with me.
Now I had to come up with a plan. The first thing I thought was to get
away from the hills and head for smoother ground. I had lost my position from
where I was earlier due to all the fun and excitement. This time there were no
holes in the clouds. Go figure.
I turned the plane and headed west looking at the moss landing smoke
stacks. The sky was broken around that area and I could see the sun shining on
the
ocean. I pushed the stick forward to maintain 80 knots. I just kept telling
myself to fly the airplane. After I got the plane headed in what I was
hoping to be the right direction, I finally got a chance to look at the gauges
and
try to make sense of what had just happened. Of coarse there was no oil
pressure or fuel flow or manifold pressure or rpm but the temperatures all seamed
to be in order and in the Nanchang just like the Russian Yaks, the gear, flaps
and breaks are all air operated. I had about 50 atmospheres of air pressure
in my main air supply and 55 atmospheres in my emergency air supply. I didn=E2=80=99t
see any reason why they shouldn=E2=80=99t work. Now if I could just get the
opportunity to use them.
I was getting closer and closer to the clouds and then started aiming for
the low valleys in the clouds hoping to find a hole or something. It was not
a good feeling being up above the clouds so I kept telling myself it was a
good thing to have some altitude. It=E2=80=99s amazing how much altitude you loose
when
you=E2=80=99re gliding.
I left the master switch and radios on along with my artificial horizon
thinking I might have to drop though the clouds. Luckily they ran electrically.
I then spotted a hole under my right wing and could see the ground pretty
clearly. The problem was I didn=E2=80=99t have time to think about what to=20do,
I just
reacted and rolled the plane over and shot through the hole. The trade off for
loosing all my altitude was a lot better than having to be forced to fly
through the clouds.
When I came out under the clouds I was indicating just under redline, and=20I
was about 850 feet above the hillside. I could see the Elkhorn Slough right
in front of me.
My dad always said, first save your ass, second save the plane, third crash
next to a road or civilization. Did I say how amazing it was and how so many
different things can go through your mind in such a short time. I saw fields
with rolling hills on the other side of the slough. At least now I new I wasn
=E2=80=99t going to die, not yet anyway. I looked for civilization. There=20was
a
gravel looking road leading to some farm houses and I said to myself that=E2=80=99s
it!
I was on a mission. I had a wonderful plan, I was going to land on that road
and not hurt the plane and have good access to recover the plane and if all
goes wrong I would be close to the farm houses and civilization so someone could
find me and then everything would be just fine.
Next all that airspeed that I had gained from zooming through the clouds
was scrubbing off fast and now I was over the slough thinking, am I going to
make it across this mote or am I going to go swimming? It was hard pushing=20that
stick forward going down lower and lower. Now this is just about the time
when I thought to myself, boy, am I sure glad Christie didn=E2=80=99t come flying
with
me. She would have already killed me by now.
By this time I was just crossing over the slough=E2=80=99s bank lined with trees
and brush and could see that I was going to make it to the road. I didn=E2=80=99t
want
to cycle the gear until I was positive I was going to reach my target. When I
finally reached that point, I cycled the gear. Everything cycled fine. I
had three lights indicating my gear was down and three external mechanical pins
indicating the same. Next it was how long before I drop the flaps. I made
sure to get myself close enough to the road so I wouldn=E2=80=99t come up short.
I dropped the flaps. I then realized I waited a little too long and I was
too high so I started doing S turns and set myself up for my landing. Once
lined up for the road, I felt some what relieved knowing I had made it to the
road and was almost down. Everything was working out just fine.
Next out of nowhere comes this little red car. It pulled out of the field
and turned right in front of me heading down the road driving about 2 miles=20an
hour and now I begin to panic.spanstyle'mso-spacerun:yes'> I can=E2=80=99t honk
my
horn, I=E2=80=99m in stealth mode and this guy is out for a Sunday cruise. =20I
look to
the left of me and see fields with rolling hills but it was full of cattle.=20
I
knew with my luck I would wind up hitting one of those things turning my
plane and I into hamburger. I looked to the right of the road and it was full
of
row crops. My last option was the field just to the left of the road covered
with tall weeds about two to four, foot tall. I didn=E2=80=99t know what could
be
under the tall grass and weeds. My options were thinning so I figured that
weeded field was where I was going to take my chances plus it was close to the
road
and heading towards civilization.
I turned and had to give way to some telephone lines and some large power
poles while skirting around a windmill. The sun was setting over the ocean
right in my eyes as I approached my new target. As I was lining up for my
landing I=E2=80=99m thinking should I keep my sunglasses on? Should I have=20the
canopy open
or closed? Should I turn off the master switch and radios? I had switched=20to
the Salinas tower frequency earlier just in case I needed to call to my buddy
Rich in the tower. I didn=E2=80=99t feel the need to alarm him so I just kept
waiting to see what was in store for me.
As I got closer to the ground I turned off the radios and the master switch,
braced myself and held the plane off as long as I could to make sure I did a
full stalled landing. All of the events that have conspired to this point have
taken about one minute.
The plane was getting close to touching down, I could feel the ground
effect and I started to here the tall weeds hitting the gear. I just kept pulling
back on the stick holding the plane up as long as possible. When the wheels
first touched down my heart was beating so fast it almost sounded like the
motor had started up again. The plane glided along like it was on pillows or in
tall cotton until one point when I crossed a ravine and could feel the nose
wheel bottom out but still the plane took it just like it was supposed to. =20The
Nanchang has some really rugged landing gear, Thank goodness.
I stopped in about 400 feet. I unbuckled myself, opened the canopy, stood
up on the seat and looked around to thank the gods for putting this beautiful
field here for me to land on then what do I see?, That little red car passing
by me with two guys looking straight ahead oblivious to me and my airplane.=20
If they only new.
I was only about fifty yards from the side of the road. I started looking
around me and wondered where, am I? I grabbed my phone from under my seat and
called Christie. When she answered, I told her that everything is O.K. but=20I
had just crash landed the Nanchang in a field. She started screaming. Maybe
I shouldn=E2=80=99t have said the part about the crash landing. She was hysterical.
It took me some time to calm her down.
Now after letting my wife proof read my story she told me I was over
exaggerating the part about her being hysterical. She said if anybody was
hysterical it was me. When I told her I was lost and didn=E2=80=99t know what
to do, she new I
must of hit my head or something. You know how us, men never get lost and
always know what to do. That was when she started to worry.
While we were talking and telling each other how much we loved one another
and how I never wanted to ever fly again, I jumped off the wing of the plane
and started walking to the road where the slow little red car was heading. =20It
came to a locked gate. I stood on top of the gate and could see the highway
just over the hill. I told Christie where to go and how to find me then hung
up to call my next victim.
I called my good friend Scott and asked if he could come out and help me
figure out what the heck I was going to do now. Once telling him where I was he
said he=E2=80=99d be right there. Next I called my good buddy=E2=80=99s the Jims.
The Jims are two of the nicest people you could ever meet. Jim JR. and Jim
SR. I called Jim Sr. and told him I was standing in the middle of a field
because my engine on the Nanchang had just quit. He laughed and said =E2=80=9CWhat=E2=80=99s
going on?=E2=80=9D I again told him I was standing in a field. He didn=E2=80=99t
believe me.
I started telling him the events that had just taken place starting from
being at the top of a loop watching the sunset and the engine locked up. He then
said, =E2=80=9CIs this for real?=E2=80=9D I assured him that it was and asked
him for his
advice on what the heck I should do? He asked where I was and said he=E2=80=99d
be
right over. Before I new it, I could see Scott pulling up the hill. The gate
was locked so I had adjusted it slightly so that I could get it open.
Once Scott and I pulled up to the edge of the field where the plane was
sitting, we sat and looked at my Baby out there in those tall weeds, I started
to
feel pretty lucky. Scott was just working on getting his pilots license and
once his wife finds out that I had a forced landing she=E2=80=99ll probably=20never
let
him fly again, or not with me anyway. We walked over to the plane sitting
alone in the tall weeds. It was camouflaged with its O.D. green military paint
job. We walked around the plane and could find nothing wrong with it. The
landing gear all seamed to be straight and in order, the engine didn=E2=80=99t
have any
huge amounts of oil spewing from it, then we looked at the propeller. It
appeared to be fine as well only until I tried to pull it through. It was locked
up tighter than a drum. It wouldn=E2=80=99t budge either way. We then climbed
up on
the wing looking for anything abnormal.
When I looked back at my path through the weeds I could see three tracks
where my wheels laid down the grass. We decided to walk back and see how far it
went and to take a look at what I missed.
As we started walking through the tall grass and weeds we came across that
ravine that made my nose strut bottomed out. It wasn=E2=80=99t very deep but at
60 to
80 knots I guess it can still bottom out your suspension. Next as we kept
walking we could see dirt kicked up where my main gear first touched down. =20The
two main gear had folded the weeds down and made two tracks. It was like
walking in a furrow. As we got closer we could see that just beyond the spot
where the wheels first touched down, there was this big round reservoir, about
thirty feet in diameter and the water level was about 2 feet below the top
surface. My wheels had missed the bank by about a foot. The reservoir didn=E2=80=99t
have
built up sides, it was just a big hole cut into the ground just adjacent from
that wind mill. I looked up at Scott and his eyes probably looked about like
mine did. We both said about the same thing too, OH SHIT! We both starred=20at
the pond for a moment and could not believe how lucky I was not to hit that
thing. I couldn=E2=80=99t have been more centered with it or closer to it without
going in it. I think I was more scared of what I had just seen than when the
engine quit.
Missing that reservoir was so unbelievable, I never saw it. Thinking back
I remember holding the plane up for as long as I could, looking into the sun,
and at the angle I was at you can=E2=80=99t see over the nose of that big round
radial
engine. I do remember the plane floating in ground effect for a bit longer
than it should have, with the sounds of the brush hitting the gear and the
weeds possibly keeping the plane air born floating on top of the brush just=20long
enough to get me across that pond. Looking on the other side of the reservoir
the weeds were laid down as well. My gear just happened to touch down at the
right spot. Scott suggested I should go and bye a lottery ticket. It=E2=80=99s
hard
to think you could be so unlucky and lucky at the same time.
As we walked back to the plane, my heart was beating more now than ever
before. As we got closer to the plane we could see my Lover pulling up in her
car. She was driving like Mario Andretti. As she got out of her car she had
tears in her eyes and what a beautiful sight it was to see her. I gave her=20a
big hug and kiss and then she started getting me all choked up. I didn=E2=80=99t
cry
though. I stood there like a man. Well maybe I had just one or two tears.=20
She started hammering me with question after question. I couldn=E2=80=99t get
a word in
edge wise. Next we saw the Jims driving up. Thank God. They had the whole
family with them. It was like a reunion. The only thing that was missing was
I needed a beer.
We all walked out to the plane and by now the sun had set and the sky was
starting to darken while the last bits of orange sky lowered over the horizon.
Jim suggested we tape a note to the plane with my name on it and leave it out
in the field. =E2=80=9CIf the people can=E2=80=99t see you landing it, how=20will
they see it
out here in the dark?=E2=80=9D He replied. It did seem to blend in quite nicely
so
that=E2=80=99s what we did. The note had my name and telephone number on it.
I didn=E2=80=99
t know what else to say. For Sale, Please don=E2=80=99t take my plane, or,=20we=E2=80=99re
just staying the night.
I called one of my good friends Steve who owns a trucking company and
explained to him what had happened. He said he would be happy to help retrieve
the
plane. He also asked =E2=80=9CIs this the same plane you took me for a ride in
over
the ocean and down the coast?=E2=80=9D This is when I started wondering if=20any
of my
friends would ever fly with me again.
Jim started taking notes on what we were going to need in the morning to
get this bird out of here. We all gathered our things and left. I closed the
gate and said good bye to my Baby. The next morning was to be a busy one.
I had called Eric a young friend of mine who would do anything for me. He
met me at our shop around 6:00 that next morning and we loaded up everything
we could think of that might be useful. I hooked up to our 18 foot flat bed
trailer and Eric drove our 8 ton boom truck just in case.
When we drove up the hill to where the gate was, the lock had already been
opened and I could see a couple of vehicles on the side of the gravel road
across from the plane. The field was green and along the side of the road about
every hundred feet were these little signs that said stay off the grass.
The Jims were there talking to an older gentleman when I pulled up. I got
out of my truck, walked over to the crowd to say good morning. That was when
Jim told the gentleman,
=E2=80=9CThis is the man you want to talk to=E2=80=9D as he is pointing at=20me.
Then the
man said
=E2=80=9CCan=E2=80=99t you read the signs?
My eyes opened wide as I looked the signs over one more time to make sure I
didn=E2=80=99t miss anything.
=E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re not supposed to park on the grass.=E2=80=9D He replied
as he was pointing
out to the plane sitting in the middle of his field. I told him I was sorry
and didn=E2=80=99t do it on purpose. I told him I had a forced landing last night
and
wasn=E2=80=99t able to see the signs. He asked =E2=80=9CWhy did you have to land
in my
field?=E2=80=9D I told him that it was the best place I could find at the time.
He asked
what we intended to do. We told him we were going to take the wings off and
tow it out of here. He asked if we needed any help. We told him no, and that
we thought we had it covered. The man then said O.K. walked over to his truck
and he drove off. I looked at the Jims and we all started laughing. I couldn
=E2=80=99t believe what had just happened. I still think the Jims probably=20set
me up
or something. That was too bizarre.
We walked out to the plane looking at how hard the surface was wondering if
we could drive my four wheeled truck out without getting stuck. We wanted to
tow the plane to the edge of the road. I backed the truck up to the plane,
hooked my tow bar up and pulled the plane just like we new what we were doing.
I started draining the fuel out of the wings. This took longer to do than
it did to take the wings off. Before I new it, the Jims had the wings off
and the plane almost ready to go. The only thing was we didn=E2=80=99t have the
truck
and trailer there yet to put it on. Next we see this motorcycle cop heading
towards us on the gravel road. How did he find out we were here? And what=20kind
of trouble were we going to be in I wondered? He pulls up and skids to a
stop making a good cloud of dust. The gravel must have been slippery. It=E2=80=99s
my
friend Scott. He had to come, check on us and see how we were doing. All we
needed now was Steve with his big truck and trailer.
Soon Steve pulls up. He evaluates the situation then goes down to turn his
rig around. We took that time to take a walk down to show the Jims the
reservoir that I almost landed in. They were impressed. Of all places to pick,
I
picked a place next to a wind mill and right over a reservoir.
Once Steve got turned around and in position, we set up some ramps and
pushed the plane by hand up onto the trailer. Steve had these fold out supports
for wide loads and it worked perfectly. Next it was time to tie it down. How
the heck do you tie down a Nanchang onto a lowboy trailer? Well Steve did it.
We had put the wings on the flat bed trailer. I had gone down to the
airport the night before and ran through every body=E2=80=99s hangers steeling
cushions off
all there couches for padding. We laid the wings on top of the cushions and
strapped them down. We were set and ready to roll.
Scott took off down the hill ahead of us and when he did he must have hit
that same slippery spot in the gravel because he slid sideways and kicked up a
bunch more dust. Steve jumped in his truck with me following him, the Jims
were behind me and Eric brought up the rear.
When we started down the gravel road I could see a couple of cops down at
the intersection below. It was Scott. He had called another officer and held
the traffic back so we could get our convoy across the busy HWY 1. Our boom
truck is a slow hard to drive truck and poor Eric was a ways behind our convoy
and didn=E2=80=99t get down to the bottom of the hill before Scott and the other
officer had taken off. Poor Eric.
Next with all the running around non stop and worrying about how I was
going to get my plane out of there, I was finally in a relaxed mode knowing=20we
had
the plane picked up and on its way home. I called my Lover and told her the
good news and then it hit me. Here I am following the Nanchang, our Baby, the
wings are off, it=E2=80=99s on a trailer heading down the road and I=E2=80=99m
following it.
Christie is talking and trying to comfort me and I start to cry. I can=E2=80=99t
believe all that has happened in the last 14 hours. Christie is telling me=20how
lucky I am and how she=E2=80=99s happy I=E2=80=99m still alive and so on. It was
all
settling in now. What an experience.
As we pull into the airport, I was getting a really bad feeling about what
everybody else might be thinking. The last time they saw me I was zooming off
into the sunset and now we=E2=80=99re coming home limping like we had just lost
the
war. The good thing was is that it was just about noon and we already had the
plane back home safely. She didn=E2=80=99t even get one scratch on her. Boy was
I
lucky. I also had an awesome crew helping me bring her back. I took every=20body
to lunch and you should have seen all the people coming into the restaurant
asking questions.
It=E2=80=99s been about six months now since my forced landing in that field.
I
thought I should write down my experience before I forgot it. Yeh like I=E2=80=99m
going to forget that. Well it=E2=80=99s all the details I wanted to remember.
Everything
worked out just right. I don=E2=80=99t fly very high on local flights that=20often.
That night I just happened to be around 4000 feet. I also was in an area were
I
was familiar. The part about being above the clouds was a really bad
feeling. Seeing that road made me so happy, I really wanted to land on it.=20
The
little red car was actually a blessing. If I were to try and land on that road
I
probably would have hit a fence post or a telephone pole and I would have had
to stop short to avoid the lines going to that wind mill. The road wasn=E2=80=99t
that wide. I didn=E2=80=99t realize how tall the fence posts were until I was
on the
ground. It=E2=80=99s just a feeling that you have inside, you think you=E2=80=99re
supposed to
land on a road. The field had a lot more room for mistakes and when you don=E2=80=99t
have a running engine your options are somewhat limited. The road wouldn=E2=80=99t
have been a good place to land.
It=E2=80=99s not a good thing to be a part of an elite group of people who have
had
a forced landing, but it is good to be in a group that walked away unhurt and
without any damage to your plane.
Well the word is out and every body knows about my incident. I soon found
out that Sean Tucker and I have something in common besides our good looks.=20He
landed in the same field as I did. The difference was I landed inside my plane
and he landed outside of his, but that=E2=80=99s a whole different story.
Once we removed the cowling and started pulling plugs we could see that there
was something wrong with the number 4 cylinder. We tried to pull that
cylinder off but with no luck. We then pulled the number 7 cylinder off and could
see through to the 4 cylinder and saw that the master rod had broken close to
the journal. When this happened the rods had flared all the sleeves and made
it almost impossible to get the engine apart. So much for trying to save it.
It=E2=80=99s now a large paper weight.
Now we have a new engine and the plane is really running great. Did I tell
you my wife made me buy a brand new set of parachutes? =20
Message 9
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| Subject: | Pressure Relief Valve |
Recently I started watching my air pressure in flight in order to
characterize normal values for a typical flight. During cruise the pressure gets
up to
60 atms. This appears too high to me. What is a cruise pressure other folks
see?
Preston Carter
N6209F, Yak-52
Message 10
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Do you remember what your instructor told you when he simulated an engine out and
pulled the power back? First fly the airplane, second look for a suitable
landing site, and third asses the EP trying for a restart. Avoid highways at all
cost unless that is the only option. Landing on roads carry a high risk of
finding wing grabbers there waiting to bring you to an abrupt stop. Power lines,
telephone poles, fence post, bridges and cars to add to your pucker factor.
Should you open your canopy when you have a forced off field landing? I will and
the checklist says to do so also.
Will I lower the gear to land off field? Again the checklist says not to or if
already extended, retract them. At least the YAK check list says to. Again that
nose wheel is just waiting for a pothole, rut, ditch,fence line hidden in
the high weeds or a terrace to catch it. If you are still moving fast enough,
it could flip you on your back.
So the next question is, do you step over the side or ride it in?
Would seem the good Lord sent a distraction in the form of a slow moving little
red car to make this mishap pilot re-asses his choice in landing sites forcing
him to do the right thing. Except retacting his gear (or never lowering them
to begin with).
They still are making airplanes. We still are not making new ones of you. The
last time I checked my medical literature, we have not perfected rapid incubation
to shorten developement time for that cloned stem cell.
Doc
Roger "Doc" Kemp
viperdoc@mindspring.com
Aint no sound like a Radial
Message 11
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| Subject: | Re: Forced Landing |
--> Yak-List message posted by: Brian Lloyd <brian-yak@lloyd.com>
Roger Kemp wrote:
> Will I lower the gear to land off field? Again the checklist says not to
> or if already extended, retract them. At least the YAK check list says
> to. Again that nose wheel is just waiting for a pothole, rut,
> ditch,fence line hidden in the high weeds or a terrace to catch it. If
> you are still moving fast enough, it could flip you on your back.
> So the next question is, do you step over the side or ride it in?
> Would seem the good Lord sent a distraction in the form of a slow moving
> little red car to make this mishap pilot re-asses his choice in landing
> sites forcing him to do the right thing. Except retacting his gear (or
> never lowering them to begin with).
> They still are making airplanes. We still are not making new ones of
> you. The last time I checked my medical literature, we have not
> perfected rapid incubation to shorten developement time for that cloned
> stem cell.
We can Monday-morning quarterback until we are blue in the face but I
would have to say that the end result says that the decisions made were
correct.
You know, it takes cojones to lay your whole decision making process out
there for others to pick at.
The story is a keeper and probably will end up in front of all of my
students. Nothing like a real-life scenario to impart some education.
--
Brian Lloyd 2243 Cattle Dr.
brian-yak at lloyd dot com Folsom, CA 95630
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) +1.270.912.0788 (fax)
I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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