Shortest flight to date (for me)

Shepherd

Shepherd

Final Approach
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
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Location
Hopewell Jct, NY
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Shepherd
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KPOU
less than .10 from full throttle to stop.
My left magneto failed when I started my takeoff roll.
The engine suddenly slowed 250+ rpm.
Shoved the throttle, no change.
Shoved the carb heat, no change.
I announced I was aborting and going back to the hanger.
Glad I listen to my airplane when it talks to me.
My A/P knew I was in his hanger to spend money as soon as I came through the door.
 
I had a nearly identical experience. Low voltage alarm on climb out, RTB and ponder I stalling yet another voltage regulator.


Sigh.

Last year I fixed more hours than I flew. This year is not off to an encouraging start.
 
eman1200 said:
What’s the opposite of mag-nificent?
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Thats going to get some polarizing answers. You may want to conduct yourself differently in the future to insulate yourself…


…sorry, low on caffeine…best I’ve got
 
I’ve got a few .1’s (one significant digit, cheating a little) getting to 12k feet and back down... (three people and 750hp, great fun!)

Uh, glad to hear you didn’t have to log a .15! Sounds like that woulda been even more interesting! Bravo!
 
Zeldman said:
I am thinking the intent to fly was there, so yeah, it's loggable...(is that a real word.??) :lol::lol:
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Interesting notion to log flight time with 0 landings, would love to see a DPE's face if they glanced at that one.
 
If logged the remarks section may say something like, ''aborted TO due to mag failure''. Then again that remark may bring additional questions...

Good thing I don't log Pt 91 flights...:lol:

What would be more interesting is to log a flight, but a flight without a landing..... (aka Trevor...)
 
Zeldman said:
What would be more interesting is to log a flight, but a flight without a landing..... (aka Trevor...)
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But, would you log the time from starting to move until:
a) stepping out the door
b) aircraft stops moving, or
c) landing under the 'chute?
 
Shepard,

I have a question that I am apologizing for ahead of time. As an engineer we get stuck in details and miss genetic statements. So here is my question…..you stated when you lost RPM you “shoved the throttle”. Given you were already beginning your takeoff roll wasn’t the throttle already full forward?
 
RonP said:
Shepard,

I have a question that I am apologizing for ahead of time. As an engineer we get stuck in details and miss genetic statements. So here is my question…..you stated when you lost RPM you “shoved the throttle”. Given you were already beginning your takeoff roll wasn’t the throttle already full forward?
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I thought I might have caught a shirt cuff on the throttle and pulled it back a little, or I had the carb heat in the wrong position. (You taxi the PA-17 with carb heat on in cold weather).
I was NOT guarding the throttle like I should have been. I had left my sunglasses sitting on top of the instrument panel and of course they vibrated off and I let go of the throttle to catch them.
It was an interesting couple of minutes.

Tools said:
Uh, glad to hear you didn’t have to log a .15! Sounds like that woulda been even more interesting! Bravo!
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Tools,You hit the real danger on the head. If the flight had gone on a little longer, and I had actually gotten airborne, I'm not sure how this would have ended. Not high enough to attempt an impossible turn and a real possibility of rolling off the edge of the cliff at the end of the runway.

All's well that end's well, even if it was pure, dumb luck.
 
Shepherd,

Thanks for the answer. Sounds like a lot going on during those crucial minutes. Your experience is a reminder to me to be more situation aware during takeoff.
 
Just a ground run...all good
 
@Shepherd did you hear the drop? What made you check (seeing or hearing).

Just back in the cockpit after a looooong break and feel like being set free after 3-flights likely leaves me on my own to relearn stuff I may never have been taught.

I look at the RPMs early in the roll, but don’t really look again until climbing. I hope I would hear the drop.
 
I kinda had one of these recently. It’s the 200’ thing that REALLY made it hard. Thought I heard sputtering, and just FELT like I couldn’t maintain altitude, which I couldn’t.

Tried “troubleshooting” but honestly don’t remember seeing a single gage! What little I did look inside I played with the throttle and realized for what ever reason, the engine was making noise, but I couldn’t fly. Can’t remember seeing the airspeed either. I was up to about 70 degrees angle of bank to make a break in the trees, not sure what my stall speed is in that configuration, so wouldn’t’a mattered anyway! Literally just flew by feel, was glad I had experience that was relevant.

Turns out it was water. Engine never quit, just no idea how many rpms I lost, or how much power. I was VERY nose down in the turn.

One other time same thing, but I could fly... that time I could see tach, and comprehend it, just couldn’t get over 2000. Got the carb heat on, eventually fixed it. It just sounded weird, kinda like the water thing.

On takeoff roll its part of the scan for me, would like to think I’d catch it. But that sputtering, or decelerating feeling that WILL get your attention.

A little off topic. A new philosophy for me is to turn ANYWHERE, IMMEDIATELY after takeoff. The one place you want to be if something goes wrong is directly under, and unreachable by, you. So get somewhere unusable, so the useable is more reachable. Ironically, I did that on the water debacle. I made the turn from 200’ or less. Granted power loss, not engine loss, but I made 180 degrees of turn. Had no choice. But I turned immediately after takeoff for other reasons. Little uncontrolled field.
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
@Shepherd did you hear the drop? What made you check (seeing or hearing).

Just back in the cockpit after a looooong break and feel like being set free after 3-flights likely leaves me on my own to relearn stuff I may never have been taught.

I look at the RPMs early in the roll, but don’t really look again until climbing. I hope I would hear the drop.
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My plane is umm, noisy. I could hear the rpm drop.
 
Ambulance chasers hehe. Probably had a line of A&P’s waiting at your hangar. Just messing with ya.
 
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