Backcountry Pilot • Step on the Ball Fast!

Step on the Ball Fast!

Debrief, share, and hopefully learn from the mistakes of others.
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Step on the Ball Fast!

Man you can see this coming.

Mister701 offline
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

Thank's Mr701. Excellent comments, in the video, that explain why it happened.

This close to the ground and this slow, we don't want to be looking down at the ball. Simply correcting with rudder, static reactive, to keep the longitudinal axis pointed down the runway may correct in time. Or maybe not.

Notice that the rudder is not wiggling dynamically and proactively in the rear view. Dynamic proactive rudder movement to prevent the misalignment or to prevent the roll to begin with is more effective.

He is hovering out of low ground effect; very tricky and power dependent. If we had a video of the empty copilot antitorque pedals of a helicopter in a hover, we would see continuous left, right, left, right antitorque pedals movement.

Normally powered light airplanes can certainly get down short final without wagging the tail a bit. Because they are faster, they may catch the upset with aileron or better with rudder only. The best way to stay ahead of the airplane and prevent upset, however, is to continuously move rudder only a bit to bracket out any problem from any source. It is amazing how the brain causes a bit longer or shorter a wiggle depending on need. I hate to say, "Use the force, Luke Skywalker," but that is exactly what is correlating between brain and hand even though we just see continuous movement.

If we wait for the airplane or the upset or whatever, we will have to react to correct. That in no way can be as fast and effective as preventing the problem continuously with dynamic proactive rudder movement any time we are near the ground or on the surface.
contactflying offline
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

Look at how much air is being blasted on the rudder compared to none over the ailerons. Use the most effective force. Use the rudder. Use it continuously.
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

Mister701 wrote:Man you can see this coming.

The stall, or the GoFundMe?
denalipilot offline
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

I think most people expended their energy for arguing about this crash last May when it happened.

Tom didn't ask for a GoFundMe campaign, Above Alaska Aviation proactively created that for him.

He's already repaired the aircraft and has been flying again for several months. An unfortunate lesson, but lucky to escape unscathed. He has some great flying footage in my upcoming Alaska video.

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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

My take-away now (as it was then) is that if you live (or fly) on the edge, occasionally you're gonna fall off that edge.
hotrod180 offline
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

hotrod180 wrote:My take-away now (as it was then) is that if you live (or fly) on the edge, occasionally you're gonna fall off that edge.

Amen to that. I didn't know that it had been argued/discussed earlier. As you were.
Mister701 offline
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

Mister701 wrote:
hotrod180 wrote:My take-away now (as it was then) is that if you live (or fly) on the edge, occasionally you're gonna fall off that edge.

Amen to that. I didn't know that it had been argued/discussed earlier. As you were.


+2.

Interesting aerodynamic lesson but the risk/benefit ratio is not there for me to learn how to do that myself.
Mountain Doctor offline
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

Much safer to hover taxi in low ground effect.
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Re: Step on the Ball Fast!

Go fund Me. That has to be a joke.
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