When Perry and I were not flying in Bluff we were generally discussing deep philosophical issues that have a profound impact on the future of mankind. One of these discussions was questioning why, when we freeze ice in our home refrigerator, does it have a white center. But, when we buy ice at the convenience store it is crystal clear?
Occasionally, however, we did get around to discussing flying related subjects. One of these subjects was surviving a forced landing.
Several things have led me to thinking more about power out or forced landings during this winter.
First, a pilot had a seized engine at Morris Yoder's Extravaganza last Fall and went down in a bean field. He had flown with the PPC Caravan last Spring, and if he had the power out over some of the terrain we had flown over, it could have been a very difficult recovery.
Second, a couple of other pilots that we all know had close encounters with trees and other such objects on their way to the Color Country Fly-in.
Third, there were a number of power out landings made at the Color Country Fly-in. Luckily, there were numerous search and rescue personnel on site that probably had a blast going out and hauling PPCs and pilots back.
Fourth, Perry had planned on giving a seminar at Color Country about surviving an off field landing. Because of schedule confusion at Color Country, Perry didn't give the seminar.
I thought it might be beneficial to all of us Fat Wing Flyers to start a discussion or dialog about what we currently do to 1) prevent a power out landing, and 2) make sure we survive such a landing.
I know there are some easy answers. If we always do a near perfect preflight, and if we always fly over terrain that can be landed on - i.e. Kansas wheat fields and Eastern Colorado cow pastures, then we will probably never have a power out situation that we can't just walk away from. And, if we fly over the above mentioned agricultural land, we probably won't have much more than a one mile walk to find help, or your cell phone will probably work and you can just call the spouse for a ride.
But, many of us fly in areas where cell phones don't work. And often the scenery in a remote canyon is just too remarkable to avoid flying over. Sure it is best to always fly with a friend, but often that just isn't practical.
So, what do you carry with you on the PPC? What do you pay particular attention to on your PPC before flight? Just what is your plan if you twist or break an ankle miles from anywhere? Any thoughts?