Do you use cruise power, or do you slow down to give yourself more time
to react to obstacles and populated areas?

There's plenty of time at cruise power to react. A dakota only does 140
on a good day. Maybe 160 with a tail wind. (Tail winds are mainly a
myth. It takes twenty seconds or more to cover a mile.

This sounds crazy to me. What do you do in the vicinity of airports? Or do
you only fly this way over unpopulated areas? (Since you joke about dodging
cell towers, it doesn't sound like it.)

Have you calculated your glide range from 500 feet? When that big fan
sputters to a halt, your choice will be to land straight ahead, or maybe 30
degrees off either side...

I guess I thought you were joking.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"