Video of midair with tow rope

Ian wrote:

Michael Ash wrote:

And of course, while we do unpowered landings routinely, it's truly an
unexpected and unwelcome emergency for a power pilot. After experiencing
the shock of a mid-air he was faced with a choice of going ahead with an
unfamiliar procedure or hitting the parachute, and I can't blame him for
going with the devil he knew.

How many times had he pulled the parachute? And don't these power boys
practice engine-off landings?

But the parachute has a huge amount of confidence-inspiring paperwork that
goes with it which says that it'll function as claimed. Of course we know
that this is no guarantee of success, but I can certainly envision a type
of pilot who would trust a parachute manufacturer that he can sue if
something goes wrong over his ability to land his plane unpowered.

Supposedly they do practice engine-off landings but I get the impression
that they really don't like the idea at all.

For what it's worth I agree with you completely that the parachute should
have been avoided. I can just see why someone in that situation might risk
the parachute rather than his rusty off-field engine-off landing skills.

On the bright side, the video should make useful evidence in a
prosecution: failing to spot a glider and tug was completely
inexcusable and I hope they throw the livre at him.

I can understand failing to spot it until it was very close, it can be
hard to see things. What I don't understand is that even when the tow
plane went right in front of him, he did almost nothing. From the video it
seems there was at least a full second from when the tow plane came on
camera to when impact occurred. During this time, the pilot did nothing
but raise the nose a bit. I would like to think that I would have
instantly put in full rudder and aileron to turn and drop out of the way,
and one second is plenty of time to get such a maneuver underway.

I try to give this guy the benefit of the doubt simply because I don't
have all the information and it makes it much less embarrassing to face up
to my own mistakes when they inevitably happen.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

Michael Ash wrote:
Supposedly they do practice engine-off landings but I get the impression
that they really don't like the idea at all.

Not sure if that was aimed at trike and utralight pilots or power
pilots in general. My observation is that most trike landing are made
with engine at idle but I have not flown one.

As a power pilot and instructor I practice and teach accuracy landings
with simulated engine failure. It's not quite as easy to land exactly
on the chosen spot as with a glider but it's just as much fun to try.

Some power pilots even look out of the windows as they fly!

Andy

Michael Ash wrote:
hard to see things. What I don't understand is that even when the tow
plane went right in front of him, he did almost nothing. From the video it
seems there was at least a full second from when the tow plane came on
camera to when impact occurred.

Fairly typical reaction time. Within that second things like

"What the hell was that"
"Ok, it was a plane"
"****, that was a plane, and it had a cable behind it"
"Bugger, now what"
"Ok, probably should try and do something to avoid the cable"
"Up, or down"
"That cable probably had a glider on the other end, if I go down that
could be worse"
"Up"
"Ok arm, pull back on that there sticky thing"

are going through his head. It will take a surprisingly long time to
react to a situation like that, you have to examine the situation,
think of a plan, and implement that plan, a second is probably pretty
good.

Andy wrote:

Michael Ash wrote:
Supposedly they do practice engine-off landings but I get the impression
that they really don't like the idea at all.

Not sure if that was aimed at trike and utralight pilots or power
pilots in general. My observation is that most trike landing are made
with engine at idle but I have not flown one.

Still, having the engine available adds a great deal of reassurance to the
pilot's mental state if he's not well prepared for a true engine-off
landing.

As a power pilot and instructor I practice and teach accuracy landings
with simulated engine failure. It's not quite as easy to land exactly
on the chosen spot as with a glider but it's just as much fun to try.

That's very good, and I'm sure that practice will save somebody's bacon
one day if it hasn't already. I just get the impression that this is more
of the exception than the standard practice. I could easily be wrong, but
then maybe the pilot in question was in the exceptional "didn't practice
it much" group in that case.

I don't mean to denigrate power pilots in any way, I just get the
impression that having your engine quit is a lot more stressful than just
not having one in the first place, and this sort of emergency could easily
put a pilot into a frame of mind where he loses confidence in himself and
just hits the parachute.

Some power pilots even look out of the windows as they fly!

No doubt. I just have doubts about this one guy, not power pilots in
general.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

Michael Ash wrote:

I don't mean to denigrate power pilots in any way, I just get the
impression that having your engine quit is a lot more stressful than just
not having one in the first place, and this sort of emergency could easily
put a pilot into a frame of mind where he loses confidence in himself and
just hits the parachute.

A "pilot" who lacks confidence is a passenger. And yet he is all too
common. The more of them you deal with the less confidence you will have
and the more energy you'll expend looking out the window.

All in all, a very much more healthy state of mind.


Jack

I fly a motorglider regularly out of a small grass strip that has 99.9%
powered traffic.

You ought to see the crowd that comes out to watch when I'm practicing
landings with the engine off. They honestly think I'm off my rocker.


Mark Lenox, CFIG
Chilhowee


"Michael Ash" wrote in message
...
Supposedly they do practice engine-off landings but I get the impression
that they really don't like the idea at all.

Of course the Tug and glider would have the right of way. Not that the
rules of the road will help you avoid a collision with a pilot who is
not looking. Being a power pilot (as well as a glider pilot) I am well
aware that power pilots subscribe to the big sky theory. Once I was
checking out in a Cessna 182 RG and the check pilot/instructor told me
a look at the attitude indicator and establish a 45 degree bank, I
asked him why not just look outside and establish the 45 degree bank.
This instructor looked at me with a dumbfounded look (as if he had
never heard of outside reference) and said I guess you could do that!

Roger

On Jan 1, 2:19 pm, "nimbusgb" wrote:
James D'Andrea wrote:
Dramatic cockpit video of a midair collision with a tow rope getting
caught in the prop of another plane. The pilot was able to deploy his
ballistic parachute and safely descend. No mention of what happened to
the towplane. Video is from CNN on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTemKnL8X30The prat should have been keeping a bloody lookout.

OK I dont know the exact circumstances but it LOOKs like he blundered
right into the Tug without even knowing it was there. Being in a
homebuilt he was more than just possibly completely unaware of anything
else in the air!

Ian

"Roger" wrote in message
ups.com...
Of course the Tug and glider would have the right of way.

I don't think that accident happened in the US of A, so do we really know
that? Do tug & glider have the right of way everywhere in the world?

Also, since the glider apparently released prior to the actual midair, a
lawyer would probably not shrink from arguing that the tug had suddenly lost
it's right of way!

Vaughn

Vaughn Simon wrote:
"Roger" wrote in message
ups.com...

Of course the Tug and glider would have the right of way.


I don't think that accident happened in the US of A, so do we really know
that? Do tug & glider have the right of way everywhere in the world?

In France where that accident happened the rule apply. I think this is
an ICAO rule, so it should apply in any country conforming to these rules.

Vaughn Simon schrieb:

Of course the Tug and glider would have the right of way.

I don't think that accident happened in the US of A, so do we really know
that? Do tug & glider have the right of way everywhere in the world?

Why do you think Roger lives in the US fo A? But to answer your
question: It's clearly stated in the video that it happened in France.
And yes, in France they have the right of way.

That said, it has always been my desire to have the words "He had the
right of way" written on my tomb stone.