3000 AGL and I could have hit the runway with a bowling ball.
Not being sure of the best way to shut her down, I slowed to 80 mph ,power off, and pulled the mixture. I could not tell if it was still firing or not.
The whole point behind this was to find out what it would be like running out of fuel in one tank.
The prop is still turning, just as it was before pulling the mixture, push the throttle in and no change. Ok, one step closer to being a real bush pilot.

I have always wondered if the prop would continue wind milling as the tanks were switched. I slowed to 60 mph and the prop stopped turning, mixture full rich, push the yoke forward to over 100 indicated and nothing, the prop makes a couple of half turns but it is obvious this is not working. Hit the starter and we are back to normal flight as I know it.
So is this normal? I would have thought the prop would start to wind mill at close to the same speed it stopped wind milling.
A couple of whiskeys and I would have just landed dead stick.

It takes much more force to initiate motion than to maintain it. Those piston rings are in there tight to create compression, and it takes quite a bit of wind once the blades are stopped to start the pistons moving again. If you had really pointed her at the ground she might have started turning over fast enough to catch, but I'm sure that might have made it a bit too sporty.

Are you running a fixed pitch prop, or constant speed?

Cool experiment, though. I need to grow a pair and try some of these things myself, of course using similar precautions (i.e dead stick range of the home field).

I had an instructor who would shut the gas off in the circut when you wernt looking! makes you sit up and take notice! nice to know were you can make it home from though.

Back in the day, I had an 85 hp champ. I stopped the prop by keeping the nose high and almost stalled. I also was 3000 ft above the airport.

It didn't move a blade until it was pointed almost straight down and going past 135 mph. An instructor later told me that if I would have kicked some rudder to have more air on one of the prop blades, it would have started quicker.

My best record is 4,000ft AGL, 7 miles out dead stick. Was able to pick the runway I wanted to land on...of course I worked my way to this point with the 170. Gives you some confidence if and when it should really happen.
HC

ccurrie wrote:I had an instructor who would shut the gas off in the circut when you wernt looking! makes you sit up and take notice! nice to know were you can make it home from though.

Did my multi engine training in an Apache with an instructor that liked to "shut down " the left engine on short final. Get her in on single engine and manual gear extension; Apache's had only one hydraulic pump. Wanted you to know what the real world of multi engine is like!
Long story short. He did that with another student whom then proceeded to secure the right engine! They did make it in dead stick in the old Apache.

Run out of fuel and you go for best glide. In a 182B that is 90 mph. Pull the constant spead prop all the way back and you get a little more cus the prop is taking a smaller bite. At that spead, the prop continues to windmill.

The drill is easyer than the accual event. Landing on a 1500 ft strip in the bush would be a lot harder than a 6000 ft runway. Hard to over shoot I-80 though.

One more thing to consider. After the plane is at best glide and you have picked your spot to land, you need to pick a spot on the windsrceen that lines up with your landing spot. If the landing spot is climbing up the windscreen then you have to find a closer spot to land.

Tim

My cub won't restart even at redline unless I hit the starter. Stock 150 hp.

The drill is easyer than the accual event. Landing on a 1500 ft strip in the bush would be a lot harder than a 6000 ft runway. Hard to over shoot I-80 though. (gmdv)

True...but I would rather take a wheat field that I-80...the truck traffic would probably smash you flat!
Flying in this country with the plane I have there are landing strips all over the place...but this is not the only area I fly.
When it happens, where it happens, you have to deal with it and it never hurts to practice.
HC

hicountry wrote:My best record is 4,000ft AGL, 7 miles out dead stick. Was able to pick the runway I wanted to land on...of course I worked my way to this point with the 170. Gives you some confidence if and when it should really happen.
HC

I've owned several sailplanes in my life . ANY airplane can be flown as a glider under the right conditions.I once thermilled a 150 (with shut down engine ) from 2000 agl up to 9000 ft. agl-In Kansas . I once contracted to a flying club where local students would fly for hours -yet only be charged .4-.5 tenth's hobbs time ! Then we rewired the hobbs to be activated by stall warning switch.Then they started turning off master to save money. Base would call little 150's every 10-15 min. to see if they were still having there radio on. Anyone who didn't respond would be charged from the time they left to return of aircraft.

I read about a series of experiments run by the fellow who writes "technicalities" section in flying mag. It illustrated that by pulling the prop course AND opening the throttle full open, extended the glide as well.
Jim

Seems to me, that if the prop is stopped, there is no oil pressure, and, in my case, the prop would go to flat regardless of where the knob is pulled to.

Hmmm