by Adam the Akrodude » Wed Sep 09, 2015 11:53 am
Hugely relieved about Jim Wickham - could have been nasty. Not good about that Spitty crash - brilliant the pilot is OK. Insurance company takes over now and it will be rebuilt.
Thing with engine failures in say light non-aerobatic aeroplanes (little spam cans, etc) with low wing loading, if having some altitude, there is some time to look around for a decent paddock, road, whatever to aim for, picking your high key and key and low key turning points, trying to start the engine, giving out a Mayday call, tightening the harness one last time, deciding whether or not to open door/canopy, etc. In higher performance aeroplanes, there is often bugger all time as the rate of decent can be pretty high. I remember reading about Guido's engine failure in his Sea Fury (as he described his Centaurus became 18 very expensive ash trays!). After loosing oil pressure, the engine seized within seconds and in a few more seconds he was skidding across a paddock.