We desire, for safety of flight, zoom reserve airspeed on takeoff. Here we want to accelerate well enough to fly and maneuver safely while perhaps climbing. We must decelerate enough to remove zoom reserve airspeed, even Vso, and potential energy of altitude in order to land. When is Vy too slow and when is Vso too fast?

Quickly rejecting acceleration in low ground effect in order to gain altitude too quickly on takeoff too often leads to inadvertent stall where Vy pitch attitude with deceleration below Vy airspeed during startle or turn is generally fatal. The use of the potential energy of a few hundred feet of altitude, a dumping of the nose if you will, has not saved all who end up here for one reason or another. I have found maximum use of level in low ground effect acceleration followed by pitch up only enough to clear obstructions to provide the zoom reserve energy that makes crop dusting and takeoff safe. I have found prevention of stall with enough kinetic energy and the little potential energy of altitude it can provide to be plenty sufficient for ten very low altitude engine failures. This has more than convinced me of the advantage of airspeed, while still low, over altitude insufficient to survive an inadvertent stall. I have therefore made my default takeoff exactly the same as the many successful spray runs I made when young. Every takeoff, as was every spray run, is made with maximum ground effect energy and minimum pitch up to dissipate that kinetic energy. Short field, soft field, normal on long runway, are all based on as much zoom reserve, airspeed reserve, energy as can be had. Airspeed, not altitude, is life down here. Stall prevention is much safer than stall recovery down here.

Delay in deceleration sufficient to bring throttle into effective control, on short final, of potential energy of altitude results in excesses in both airspeed and altitude to the extent that landing on the beginning of the runway is not possible. This results in many Loss of Control accidents and late Go Around accidents. Modern airplanes are just too slick and too fast to safely use what Wolfgang called, "The Floating Landing" in Stick and Rudder. His "Stall-Down Landing," used by experienced pilots, might easily be the safer landing technique for modern airplanes with more speed and more reliable engines. "The 'stall-down' landing requires that you blend the approach glide, the flare-out, and the slowing up of the airplane all into one maneuver so that, when you arrive at ground level, you arrive in three-point attitude, all slowed up and ready to squat." p.302. Add enough dynamic throttle to control potential energy of altitude so as to nail glide angle and you have a safe way to arrive all slowed up and ready to squat in the beginning of the runway rather than well down the runway. In fairness to the round out and hold off technique, the fairly high fatality rate of the late go around would be mitigated by just landing and even running off the end rather than trying to go around late.

So why do we teach pilots to be nearer stall pitch attitude and airspeed on takeoff than on landing? Why do we instill muscle memory for inadvertent stall on takeoff and muscle memory for LOC and late Go Around on landing? Why Vy on takeoff and 1.3 Vso at the fence, rather than deceleration coming into ground effect where Vso is no longer relevant. Why did Wolfgang's admonition, "try and hit the tree," get tossed and his "arrive at ground level in a three-point attitude all slowed up and ready to squat" get pushed to halfway down a long runway? Students are set up for the late go around. Why not teach them to land rather than approach so fast that they often will have to perform an overrun or late go around?

Why is takeoff so dangerously slow and landing so dangerously fast the Airmen Certification Standard?

Great post Contact . Thanks for the “ iteration “ and taking the time , once again to share your hard learned/earned experience and knowledge . I practice what you preach .

Today is the first day with decent weather after week after week after with with heavy rain and wind. Can't wait to go out and play! Reading Stick and rudder and Contact flying: Techniques for Maneuvering Flight including Takeoff and Landing har given med new perspectives on flying. I am very curious to see how the Savage Cub I fly will retain or trade zoom energy. Wolfgang says altitude is money in the bank, but speed is money in the pocket. The little Czech Cub is very light, very draggy, but it has a powerful (for its weight) 100hp engine. I will very quickly reach Vfe, so I have to climb quite aggressively to NOT build speed until I have reached the altitude where "I have been told" I should be before I retract flaps. I am off the ground in less than 200 feet, and I dont think I have ever been at a airfield with a field or runway shorter than 7-800 feet or so. So I dont really know the answer to why I am keeping flaps down until 500 feet agl. I just do it because that is what I have been taught. Why, really? If we lose an engine, flaps will slow us down fast and we have a shorter glide range.

But what if I dont use flaps on takeoff, and I use the runway in front of me to get up to speed? How can I utilize that speed if something happens? Today I will get up to cruise altitude, make a pretend takeoff and build zoom energy, then pull back to idle and pull up until a little before I hit stall speed. I am curious to see what I can do with that speed, how far around the clock I will get in an energy turn. How fast will the very low mass and the high drag of the Savage make me slow down? The role kinetic energy plays in flying is new and novel to me. I am looking forward to go out and try and get a feel for it!

Your power to weight provides quite a bit of zoom reserve, either in more airspeed in ground effect without flaps or in more potential energy from greater altitude with flaps (if traded for airspeed quickly in a crisis.) The second pilot, American chunk size, is what will make good energy management more critical. Or engine failure.

Zoom reserve airspeed is not a number on a gauge. When low where it is critical we should not be looking at gauges. It is a feeling that the outcome of any (normal not acrobatic) maneuver is not in doubt. It is the assurance that up a bit, down a bit, maneuver with whatever bank necessary, and safely arriving at near hemisphere landing zones is not in doubt. Vy with two big guys on a hot day in the mountains makes the 100 hp not seem to insure the outcome will not be in doubt on a continuous engine climb. Stay zoomie. Use the law of the roller coaster in energy management turns. Find orographic or thermal lift to augment that 100 hp engine. Start with good wind management but go down drainage with other things being equal. Feel buoyant always, even in the slower wings level top of the pitch up for the energy management turn. Buoyancy going away? Turn loose, the airplane will take care of you. Need to turn. Turn and turn loose, the airplane will take care of you. Feeling boxed in. Find a hole before forcing it up.

Normal high altitude pilots experience zoom reserve 99% of every flight at cruise airspeed. Pipeline pilots experience zoom reserve 100% of every flight at 200' AGL. This is because they constantly work wind management and energy management to continuously feel that the outcome of every shallow, medium, steep, or very steep banked turn is never in doubt.

Zoom reserve, both airspeed and potential energy of just a hundred feet or so, down low is a warm blanket. It is a feeling of well being in cooperation with the airplane. It is maneuverability and doing what the airplane wants to do. Harmony in the Navajo world.

One time I had to operated my Twin Otter off of a strip that was cut out of 110 foot pines, narrow but long enough. Descending into the strip was easy but unnerving. The Otter launching before me kept his nose down and accelerated before pulling up at the end to clear the trees. I thought that was odd. I did my normal take-off flaps 10 Vx climb. As I rotated, the nose blocked my view ahead and all I could see is trees out of my peripheral vision. Was hard to see if I was drifting left or right, with -20s and at gross that was a while. I was at a higher alt over a shorter distance than the previous pilot but it was uncomfortable. On the next op I tried the other pilots technique. Rotated, broke ground, lowered the nose and stayed in ground effect, had a good view down the line in the trees and was more confident that I wasn't drifting. After gaining some speed (eyes were outside) I pulled up and the amount of time I couldn't see the centerline was greatly reduced. The winds were light at the time but having that extra airspeed upon entering turbulence leaving the trees would have also been a benefit.
This weekend with my 206 I did 35 takeoffs (2 night ops with only pickup headlights) from a grass strip, Trees ahead, tall powerlines near by. Flaps 20, I rotate and stay in ground effect, accell to Vx, climb out at Vx to 400ft, while transitioning to Vy I raise my flaps and then set climb pwr. Sometimes Im impatient and accel and raise the flaps after clearing the trees. When times get sketchier, Hotter, Heavier, turbulence, I try and stick to my procedure.

Zoom reserve energy, from acceleration in low ground effect, default rejected for Vx or Vy earlier than near obstructions, results in possibly rejecting the extra free energy when actually needed. Default level in low ground effect to cruise when runway available seems excessive until math error or lack of experience error or engine problem/failure triggers the need for energy already rejected.

From high to low, high altitude orientation, best glide airspeed either for travelling the most distance or staying up the longest is good energy management. From low to high, low altitude orientation, developing kinetic energy first makes more sense than does gaining potential energy of altitude fast. If fact the later is only possible if the former is developed first. Why are we so willing to develop so little kinetic energy before spending almost all, or even all, of that money in our pocket to put quick potential energy of altitude in the bank?

I was practicing short takeoffs in my O-520 C180B earlier this week, and with the cooler wx, a good headwind, and light load, my 8 potato pull the flaps down and level off a several feet off the ground, had me at Vfe well before the obstacle, in this case a barbed wire fence. Should I (1) pitch up to Vy while raising flaps, or (2) ease the flaps up while trying very hard not to descend? Thx!

We can get into low ground effect with elevator pull and then dynamic proactive elevator to stay level in low (six inches to three feet) ground effect before accelerating enough on the main gear for the flaps to get us off. Also KISS. Try this low ground effect technique and acceleration to cruise airspeed on long runways before any pitch up and then cruise climb. With electric flaps we don't need to be looking at an indicator at this critical time. In the Pawnee I didn't want my head below the panel, which was necessary to reach the flap handle. I do like sitting up high on my Oregon Aero seat cushion where I can see much better. I was 5'6" when I had all my vertebres. Outside visibility all around is extremely important in low altitude work.

Jim,


Great post and for me every takeoff is a low ground effect takeoff. Students are taught to rotate with too much pitch up attitude and then it requires too much nose down attitude to get back into ground effect. A gentle rotation allowing the airplane to enter ground effect gracefully while accelerating to a safe climb speed is what should be taught. There is less drag in ground effect and the takeoff distance to the obstacle is indeed reduced.

The exact opposite is being taught during landings. Students are taught to fear flying slow and the infamous base to final stall/spin. Consequently, they lower the nose turning from downwind to base and then onto final. This leads to fast approach speeds and long landings, bent aluminum and go arounds. Still good to teach go arounds because you can't control the behavior of animals, other pilots, crosswinds, and tower instructions. In airplanes with big bore continentals the go around procedure should be practiced because it requires some arm strength if you like using trim to neutralize the elevator during the approach.


Josh

I have posted before about flying like a broke collage student, no money in the bank or pocket. First thing is if you have not done spin training, get it done. This time I was flying the most capable bush airplane ever made (1951 PA18A) on 35 inch Bushwheels, with a rear CG that allows for very rough landings. I was on a river 20 miles from the Arctic Ocean and trying to get South before the FSS prediction Brooks range close up (middle of Sept this year). I had my camp and Caribou processed and in the plane by 13:30 but the fog had rolled in from the coast. I had 50-100 ft ceiling with 1/3 to 4 mile of visibility. It was breathing in and out as weather near the coast does sometimes. So I was legal Clear of clouds and mile + of visibility when I departed. I will tell you every muscle in your body will say push the black knob and lets get out of this!!! But what you need to do is leave in flaps/stay slow/take any extra altitude you can get and fly the plane. The river I was on had lots of sand bars to land/crash on, might need to go for tundra if needed (Bushwheels). The key was flying slow and picking out the sites ahead, adjust speed altitude as needed. THIS IS THE SITUATION THAT EXTRA ZOOM CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS. When you only have 300 ft of sandbar or tundra without a cut bank to land on, 90 mph at 20 feet AGL is not good. You are developing a new landing plan every 30 second. Actually very simple once you do it for a while and it does not mean you will bend anything, just keep flying the plane. Nose was pretty high because of the slow speed but an easy drunk sailor zig zag gives you lots of visibility in a cub, most any high wing plane for that matter. I only took 15-20 min until I was into CAVU weather. Always figure out what happens if the engine quits on takeoff before you ever take off, if you think about it every take off is will become as natural as carb heat. You should always pick out the crash/landing site. I do and most of the time it is a crash site, because no good landing area is around but it is a crash that I will survive!! That simple mindset is one that I have learned for several local pilots that have crashed or had rough landings several times. "Everyone will tell you what you should do or not do in an airplane but some day you just got to do what you got to do to get it done!" Herb Hubbard.
DENNY

Thanks Josh and Herb. I have flown a lot of low ceiling and poor visibility, Herb, but not as bad as you mention. On the pipeline I have been under ceiling so low that I could not use the zoom reserve pitch up of the energy management turn, but I always had the pipeline right of way to turn back onto and egress back the way I came into the weather. Quartering and fast moving fronts had to be respected as they could cut off this out, but as you say there is a crash site there and then one there, etc. MTV talked about the slow with flaps pretend VFR work you guys do up there. He wrote a good article here on Pretend VFR. I am pretty good with very low ceiling and good visibility, but having to slow down and give up my zoom reserve airspeed otherwise is a bit tight for me.

I am old now and shouldn't write this, but sometimes I really miss being scared. You guys keep the sticky side down.

Jim

No Virginia, it is not a myth that there are old bold pilots. Nor is it a myth that we all die sometime.

Being a low time weekend warrior (Live in a city got a 8-4 job and fly on my spare time because I want to. Flying plays absolutely no role in my day to day life.) I can almost only blame myself if I end up in a situation anything like you guys who fly as a job or because it is a necessity where you live. But flying itself has a very strong pull, and I grow up in a very remote place, so fly to stay in touch with that.

It is not that many months since I heard of zoom energy or energy turns for the first time. I am a little bit baffled it is not taught. I see why it is not of much use to guys who are trying to get into a the drivers seat of a big airliner, but for the big number of people who are perfectly happy with what a single engine piston plane can do, emulating airliners seem to get us into a bit of trouble every now and then.

What on earth made me think that I was being a good pilot when I did everything I could to keep my speed and altitude when turning - even in a valley? Mind you, they are very wide, but I think I might have been slowly setting myself up for disaster. When I would have to do a tight turn, I would probably do what I have trained and primed myself for mostly: pulling back to turn tight. So after hearing about zoom energy and energy turns here, I have read up a bit, and now I am trying to make all turns when I am not well above terrain, an energy turn. I cruise relatively fast, pull back and trade a little speed for altitude, bank over and try to time it so that I either regain the speed I lost when I level wings and level off in the direction I want to go. If I am doing a bigger turn, sometimes I come out a little lower than I began and with more speed. In big turns I find I am often straightening out a little lower and a little faster than I began. I am trying not to make flying at a fixed altitude a big point - unless it is an actual reason for it - but by trading a little eccess speed for altitude again, I find myself at the same altitude and speed I began.

It feels like I am flying very sloppy when I try not to worry a whole lot about flying at a fixed altitude. It makes flying a lot more interesting when I «go with the flow», and when I have to plan and be aware of why I am choosing to fly at a few hundred or a few thousand feet. Reading Contact flying and Stick and rudder, and trying to put it into action has brought a new dimension to flying - and reminded me of the Dunning-Kruger cruve of learning.

While not a scientist, I very much respect the scientific method that continuously questions its own knowledge. What is theory/opinion supported by fact today may be proved completely wrong or at least different tomorrow. Simply moving the controls individually to see what they do can be eye opening.

We are creatures of belief, I think, and I believe strong feelings of community and religious ethics to be more human and valuable than perhaps a very humble AI robot. Valuable military or religious type chains of command and transfer of ethics are woven into our training system somewhat, which is valuable, but can impede the very safety program that is desired. Airlines are very self critical and have great simulators to quickly attack not just common errors but every error that leads to an incident or accident. I think your Dunning-Kruger curve applies in respect to quickly evaluating how training program, ACS, shortcomings may factor into the high fatality rate in general aviation in comparison to the very successful airline safety record.

Reading between the lines of a Part 141 Ag school curriculum is instructive. It is almost identical to any general aviation Part 141 flight school curriculum. The workaround is that we teach energy management while our written manual looks more like air taxi. Everything in normal small airplane training and flying should look more like airline flying, save takeoff and landing and uncontrolled airport operations. Takeoff and landing and uncontrolled airport operations should look like actual Ag training (not the manual.) Crop dusters make thousands more turns per fatality than do other general aviation pilots. Perhaps we should look at how they do it so energy efficient and safely.

Enough, I am going to be nailed about this not being back country. But then ACS is not back country.