A very useful and instructive exercise to do at altitude is simulated
rope/cable breaks.
I have already mentioned about 180 degree turns being demonstrated at altitude.
When instructing at a winch club, I would do a winch failure exercise thus
(obviously after briefing the student and doing a pre-aerobatic check!):
Gain 65 knots airspeed, pull the aircraft up into a 45 degree node up climb,
Call out 'Bang' (as a cue that the rope had gone) when the airspeed decayed
through about 55knots, and then got the student to do the recovery. It is a
very useful point to get the student to count the seconds required to gain safe
flying speed and safe attitude after nosing over and before turning('One
thunder, two thunder, three thunder...'). Even with the most aggressive nose
over, it would take at least 5 seconds, usually 6 seconds, to acheive safe
flying speed.
If time and altitude permitted, the same exercise would be done with the
student trying to turn before safe speed had been acheived (and whilst the
aircraft was in a reduced g situation whilst nosing over). The subsequent rapid
entry into a spin or other high rate of descent manoevure would leave no doubt
that turning before the establishment of safe speed was a very dangerous thing
to do.
The turnback article by Mike Valentine is very well written, and in Mike's
usual style, very instructive.
In a powered aircraft (say Cessna C172) with a glide ratio of (optimistically)
9 to 1, turning back is not an option for the reasons given in Mike's article.
I wouldn't even consider a turnback in a powered aircraft below 1,500' AGL, you
wouldn't get back around. When I did simulated engine failure drills in
Cessnas, the downwind leg of circuit started at 3,500' AGL.
But gliders, by their very nature, have more options for turning than an
ultralight or powered aircraft because gliders' glide ratios are so much better.
Do what is safe and appropriate.
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