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My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:00 am
by Asterix
You practise your shortfield landings often wondering when you will need it!

Well, I needed it on last Saturday morning. I took of from Microland at about 05h45, routing for my family's farm about 8 nm north of Standerton. I spoke to Met earlier who informed me that there was some fog north of Standerton, but that it should start burning away soon. Just about halfway there, I noticed the thick fog bank up ahead, and my mindset started to plan towards landing, rather than facing death. ( I have been in low cloud before and I have the fear of death in me regarding that white darkness) Three quarters through my flight, about 18 nm from my destination, I reached Leeupan near Secunda, and made the decision that I would not continue from here, as the fog was now about 3nm ahead, and knowing the area well, I knew of all the high voltage powerlines coming up.

So, having made the decision, I started to plan and execute my precautionary landing. I learned the following - and would like to share it - maybe there is someone who can learn something:

1. I stayed calm, having made the decision. Fuel where fine - I had a full tank on take-off, and usually only use half a tank for this flight - so plenty of reserves.

2. I spend a lot of time looking for my landing spot around Leeupan. While there are a couple of nice stretches of open field, I had to keep in mind that it rained heavily the previous day, and those fields where probably very wet.

3. At long last I identified a "wenakker" between two pieces of tilled land which was raised a bit and contained a tweespoor paadjie. I don't think the little tweespoorpaddjie is ideal, but at least I knew it would be relatively dry.

4. All this searching were done from about 400 ft AGL.

5. I did the fly-bys according to the drill, making sure about lenght, obstacles and surface, and on my last one, from very low level noted that the grass on the little knob in the middle and around the paadjie was a bit long.

6. However, as I knew that the other options would be very wet, I decided that this would be my best shot.

7. On downwind, I did my pan call on VFR - luckily I knew that there was a crop sprayer operating at my Dad's place - 18nm away, and I would phone my Dad as soon as I was safe on the deck.

8. With the longish grass in mind, I turned finals, made my descent and rounded out. I stretched as far I could while staring to flare, bleeding as much airspeed as possible, and touched down - keeping my froont wheel in the air for as long as possible - still mindful of the grass.

9. When the front wheel touched, my speed was already very low and I managed to bring her to a stop very quickly.

Quite a feeling of achievement!

This experience taught me to trust your training and your flying instincts. I would rather face a tweespoor paadjie on a landing (for which I trained), than bugger into fog (for which I ALSO trained in the sense of DON'T DO IT!)

I waited for about 40 minutes, phoned my brother in law who gave me the all clear for conditions at my destination runway, and took of again - with bar all the way forward and full power from brakes on. The roll was a bit bumpy but soon I was airborne and happily on my way again.

Attached a photo of Geel Kerneels "in die veld"!

Fly safe! xxx

Re: My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:03 am
by Asterix
Lets try the photo again

Re: My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:13 am
by Tumbleweed
Well done. There is a beautiful farm landing strip about 5 miles south from there.

Re: My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:57 am
by Asterix
Thx Tumbleweed - there is a couple of lekker strips around Standerton - including the one on our farm - I have not seen the one you mention here - you don't have coords maybe?

I think I will later today post a topic on our strip with photo's - nice on track towards North Natal!

You can't see it on this photo, but towards the south and south east from here everything was fogged in - from about 2-3 nm onwards.

Re: My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:16 pm
by Blue Max
vhpy
Ja ek sou biekie gesug het vir daai paaitjie.
Met al die reen kan die middelman biekie hoog wees en gee jy die plaas eienaar dalk n gratis grassny.
Het die naweek ook n effense nervous ervaring gehad.
Het die Ko-ordinate van Ntokolo lodge verkeerd in die gps gesit en vlieg toe suid ipv suidwes.
Gelukkig was Warmbad se ko-ords in my gps en toe ek sien ek gaan nou in Pta eindig, kon ek die fout in die lug regstel.
Ek was toe anyway verplig om op Warmbad te land om die regte Ko-ord te kry van Ntokoza.
Ons kan altyd n GPS trust, buiten die kere wanneer die ko-ordinate verkeerd ingevoer word..en somtyds is dit moeilik om n besluit rondom dit te maak..
Alles was toe op die ou end goed afgeloop, maar n 1 uur 20min vlug het n 2 uur outing geword.
Lekker Xmas almal wat hier lees.

Re: My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:55 pm
by Blue Max
:wink: :wink:
What a nice toppic to tell us about your first prec.Landing.
Dont be shy, I love reading it.!!!!
Die forum is dood genoeg kry LEWE.
## ## ## ##

Re: My first REAL precautionary outlanding!

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:44 am
by fransstrydom
Asteriks wrote:You practise your shortfield landings often wondering when you will need it!

Well, I needed it on last Saturday morning. I took of from Microland at about 05h45, routing for my family's farm about 8 nm north of Standerton. I spoke to Met earlier who informed me that there was some fog north of Standerton, but that it should start burning away soon. Just about halfway there, I noticed the thick fog bank up ahead, and my mindset started to plan towards landing, rather than facing death. ( I have been in low cloud before and I have the fear of death in me regarding that white darkness) Three quarters through my flight, about 18 nm from my destination, I reached Leeupan near Secunda, and made the decision that I would not continue from here, as the fog was now about 3nm ahead, and knowing the area well, I knew of all the high voltage powerlines coming up.

So, having made the decision, I started to plan and execute my precautionary landing. I learned the following - and would like to share it - maybe there is someone who can learn something:

1. I stayed calm, having made the decision. Fuel where fine - I had a full tank on take-off, and usually only use half a tank for this flight - so plenty of reserves.

2. I spend a lot of time looking for my landing spot around Leeupan. While there are a couple of nice stretches of open field, I had to keep in mind that it rained heavily the previous day, and those fields where probably very wet.

3. At long last I identified a "wenakker" between two pieces of tilled land which was raised a bit and contained a tweespoor paadjie. I don't think the little tweespoorpaddjie is ideal, but at least I knew it would be relatively dry.

4. All this searching were done from about 400 ft AGL.

5. I did the fly-bys according to the drill, making sure about lenght, obstacles and surface, and on my last one, from very low level noted that the grass on the little knob in the middle and around the paadjie was a bit long.

6. However, as I knew that the other options would be very wet, I decided that this would be my best shot.

7. On downwind, I did my pan call on VFR - luckily I knew that there was a crop sprayer operating at my Dad's place - 18nm away, and I would phone my Dad as soon as I was safe on the deck.

8. With the longish grass in mind, I turned finals, made my descent and rounded out. I stretched as far I could while staring to flare, bleeding as much airspeed as possible, and touched down - keeping my froont wheel in the air for as long as possible - still mindful of the grass.

9. When the front wheel touched, my speed was already very low and I managed to bring her to a stop very quickly.

Quite a feeling of achievement!

This experience taught me to trust your training and your flying instincts. I would rather face a tweespoor paadjie on a landing (for which I trained), than bugger into fog (for which I ALSO trained in the sense of DON'T DO IT!)

I waited for about 40 minutes, phoned my brother in law who gave me the all clear for conditions at my destination runway, and took of again - with bar all the way forward and full power from brakes on. The roll was a bit bumpy but soon I was airborne and happily on my way again.

Attached a photo of Geel Kerneels "in die veld"!

Fly safe! xxx
Asterix,you did well.Same thing happened to me during the Parys to Stellenbosch trip.Important thing to keep in mind is that your wheel spacing is not necesarilly the same as n cars,even more so if that track is made by a tractor.you could land up with your nose wheel on the "middelmannetjie" and your main wheels on the grass as well.Well done.
fransstrydom
Proud Sycamore Owner
ZU-CCN
Rhino Park