Page 29 - Volume 18 Number 8

had an engine blow up on takeoff at gear retraction (T&T September, 2010), I’ve had one roll back after a lightning strike (T&T March, 2014), almost lost a radome in flight (T&T March, 2013) and a handful of others in the air. I can deal with issues in flight if need be. I was disappointed in the wishy-washy nature of the failure. Engines never fail slowly in the sim. I wanted it to run or quit, not make me analyze an unpredictable decay.We Botch ThemSince a low-speed, low-altitude engine failure is so difficult to manage, why even have this discussion whether to go or stop? Why not simply abort for just about anything? Why is the decision not black and white? We’re encouraged to continue the takeoff in jets and turbines because we have plenty of power to fly all day long on one motor – if done properly. If the airplane is capable of flight and not on fire, statistically we will have a better outcome if we continue the takeoff and work the problem in-flight. The reason we’re encouraged to continue the takeoff between that slower “criteria” airspeed and V1 is because, as a group, we have shown that, more often than not, we will totally and completely botch a rejected takeoff and depart the paved surface anyway—either bythe sides or the end. And we will catch the tires, wheels and brakes on fire and hurt a bunch of folks during an evacuation; sometimes we catch the whole blasted airplane on fire.Of the low-altitude, low-speed maneuvers we perform—takeoffs, landings, missed approaches and go-arounds—aborted takeoffs are the least-seldom performed. We botch them for a variety of reasons: no experience, low ability, bad or late decisions, bad abort techniques, bad runway conditions, bad aircraft equipment, bad runway components and, sometimes, just bad luck. And there are a myriad of personal, environmental and equipment considerations in conjunction with that seemingly-simple list of reasons to abort. Are you tired, are there mountains, is the visibility low, and are there inoperative components of your machine or the ground equipment?What if the weather is really bad and you have a total electrical failure or total flight instrument failure at a high speed, but below V1? What if the runway is really long? What if it’s really short? Do you have a nice headwind or a little tailwind? What if it’s night, it’s slippery, you’re heavy, you’re light, your brakes are worn? Are you starting to see why a list of abort items is a good starting point but not the definitive answer?The list may need to be tempered and added to, or subtracted from, before you shove the throttles up for every single takeoff.Accelerate-Stop DistanceMost pilots would not argue these points. There is discussion, however, about the reasons and timing of when to discontinue this phase of flight and reject the takeoff. The discussion should include the “we-botch-them” factor as well. Once you shove the throttles up, the discussion is over. You should have already considered what you will do and have a very firm plan in mind – even if the plane can’t make up its mind whether to fly or not. Use what ever source you have to determine an accelerate-stop distance or balanced field length, then evaluate all information and conditions that apply to that day, in that airplane, on that runway and in your gut. Once you have your list and a plan, stick to it. The confidence you gain from following your plan will serve you well. Just hope your airplane isn’t as indecisive as mine was. It will make you mad.A few days later, the MD-80 fleet manager called to let me know that maintenance had found a leaking pressure sensing line— the leak caused the N1 gauge to indicate falling compressor speed; the engine was fine. I guess I should be mad atthegauge.T&T •Kevin Dingman has been flying for 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 20,000 hours. A retired Air Force Major, he flew the F-16 then performed as a USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organiza- tion Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and oper- ates a Beechcraft Duke. Contact Kevin at.Dinger10d@gmail.com.AUGUST 2014 TWIN & TURBINE • 27