AndyB Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 I just had to fly this evening as we don't often get easterly wind in Teesside...and reasonable wind at that. Measured 8 or 9 mph and gusting 12 mph. From my friendly farmer's field it is due east to the highest and best known peak in the area - Roseberry Topping. It is a fair old way, so I only wanted to go there with the wind in my face on the outward leg. It has also been raining all day, so I wanted to be able to about turn and run away from it. It was well worth the trip, as I got to cloud dodge. Lots of bundles of low flying cloud that I had to either drop below or go around. In this video I get to Roseberry Topping at about 10 mins. I wanted to go round it at below the peaks height, so dropped off speedbar and pulled trims in for a slow potter. I knew it was going to be bumpy as I was flying over and between steep hills. It was! If you have sound on you will hear my heart skip a beat as I come round the peak and then power on to climb away (only 30 degree slope and forest below me!!!)......engine said no! Oh bugger. Lots of coaxing and I managed to get it run at up to 5800 rpm. Above that and it choked. I couldn't get enough power to maintain height with trims out and speedbar, but after experimenting I found with speedbar and trims in, I could hold level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 Just for completeness. Here is the return leg, with me coaxing machine back to field. I opted for a limp back to field with a gentle turn, straight in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hann__ Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 (edited) No socks on?? You`re not in Spain now you know!! No, us English gentlemen aviators have a reputation to uphold you know, standards to keep up. I always fly in freshly-laundered (matching) socks and a pair of brogues, stay-press action slacks and a shirt and tie underneath ones flying suit, just in case of a forced / emergency landing or other untimely, unplanned return to terra-firma. If ever such an unfortunate event occured then i would always be welcomed into a local hostelry or counrty club to partake in a refreshing beverage ot two whilst arranging for my rescue team (the missus) to collect my flying machine and oneself from ones stricken predicament, whilst regaling the regulars with enthralling tales of derring-doo and other exiting skyborne adventures. Probably..... Edited July 5, 2017 by Hann__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 lol. It was very cold. I am off to the shops tomorrow to find some warm boots and socks. Good point about waiting in the pub. Last Saturday at Parafest I very nearly had a very long wait. After a 40 mile x-country I couldn't find the camp site/take-off field. I hadn't bothered with my GPS. The problem was that there are dozens of camp sites and they all look the same from the air. With under 2 litres of fuel left I managed to work out that I was over 5 miles downwind of where the site probably was. I headed that way thinking I was going to end up being rescued, but will get as close a poss. Went to get my phone out so I could call the pit crew - no phone, left it in the tent! Anyway, I did go in the right direction and just managed to make it over the fence. I think a few lessons learned there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hann__ Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 (edited) This evening i thought i was also going to have to make one of those `phonecalls of shame`... I usually brim the tanks - 15 litres, but tonight i just used all of what was left in the jerry can from flying on Sunday - about 13.5L - which normally should of been enough for an easy three hours flying. I was on the home leg - unusually for me into wind - crawling along at just under 20mph and about 15 miles from the field when i got the mirror out and saw that i had unexpectedly used much more fuel in just an hour and twenty minutes than i normally would and `only` had 5L left - i always like to land with plenty in reserve `just in case`. I easily made it back with 2L left after a 2-hour flight but it was typcal that the engine used 1L per hour more than usual on a day i didn`t brim the tanks. .....and i wasn`t wearing my brogues. Edited July 5, 2017 by Hann__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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