PFL - Field or Dirt Road?

[CAV0K]

Hi everyone,

 

I recently completed my RPC flight test and I had an interesting light bulb moment after one of the maneuvers.

 

It happened after I conducted a PFL, I did all the right things (Immediate actions, searched for a field, attempted a restart, etc.). All went well and the CFI was happy, but straight away he asked why didn't I choose that dirt road? or that one?

 

It had never occurred to me to choose one of the many dirt roads within the training area. I had only ever trained to get down in a field .. I did however think straight away why didn't I? There were no power lines around them, they ran forever and were easily recognisable from altitude.

 

My question to you guys is do you only train/practice for fields or both?

 

I understand that a field might be the only option in an emergency but im curious to see how everyone else trained for this emergency.

 

Please share your experiences!

 

 

 

[Happyflyer]

The dirt road has the advantage of a good surface and not likely to have a fence across it or livestock about.

 

Disadvantages are a few. Low wing ac especially may hit posts or bushes. Powerlines may be harder to see than in a field. Easier to land into wind in a paddock. You may be further from obstacles in a field. Generally the further away from civilisation I am the better the dirt roads look because powerlines and traffic are less likely.

 

 

[Robbo]

Just make sure you can see there are no cars nearby if there is not land, if not go for the paddock.

 

Just remember being on the road you have a better chance of being found if something goes wrong, and also easier to put the plane on the trailer

 

I landed on a horse track once, was doing powerline checks and was hungry so landed on the racecourse got a pie from the shop down the road and took off again, of course there was no horses around and very few people

 

Forget where that was, maybe up around Wagga/Coota but really can't rememer the town.

 

 

[DWF]

Areas considered for forced landing in order of preference:

 

 

 

Runways/airstrips (you would be surprised how many pilots don't look for/consider these)

 

Farm roads (usually clear and little/no traffic)

 

Beaches - ocean or lake (need to be careful here - tides, waves, soft sand, etc.)

 

Paddocks (preferably not ploughed or in crop - also avoid ones with stock if possible)

 

.... paddocks are not a good option in my area at the moment as they are mostly waterlogged

 

Public roads (look for wires, sign posts, traffic)

 

Soft bush (Ugh!)

 

Water (cold, wet, and with my luck - sharks).

 

 

 

DWF

 

 

[nickduncs84]

I reckon the key is to just have thought about it before you take off. Lot's of factors may sway you one way or another. Rough paddocks, small wheels, RV type with a canopy, no power lines, no cars and I'd go the road for sure. Alaska bush wheels, nice green paddocks, etc and I wouldn't even be looking at a road. There were times in the Mooney when I was flying over tiger country where I had decided that a lake or reservoir was the best option. crack the door, keep the gear up and I'd much prefer that over crashing into 50ft trees at 60 knots. We are lucky in Aus in that there isn't much to do on long cross countries besides looking out the window. It's good habit to get into to always think about where you would go as you transition through different types of terrain.

 

 

[Oscar]

When George Markey built his Ultrabat Mk 11 (though it never had that name officially) in the USA, it had a Rotax two-stroke that continually broke down on him. He commented to me one day that one of the reasons he was trying to develop a new engine for it was that he got 'sick of having to slide it down on the roads, weaving between the damn power lines'. (Those who knew George would know he didn't actually use the word 'damn', but something more closely suggesting sexual activity.) I think that was in the area around Mojave or possibly somewhere in southern Nevada, which has a lot of reasonably flat ground, but his preference was for roads.

 

 

[CAV0K]

Thanks everyone for your responses!

 

 

[SDQDI]

I prefer a nice open paddock generally but certainly keep an eye on roads.

 

Powerlines have a funny way of crossing roads at peculiar places, it is easy enough to see them run alongside a road but not so easy to see where they cross over mostly to a house or shed but sometimes they can cross to nothing obvious so it is easy to get caught out.

 

Guide posts are not an issue to a high wing BUT road signs are and most importantly they do NOT stand out from their back side (don't ask!) as the non reflective steel back blends well with dry grass on the side of the road.

 

A good paddock (IMO) gives me a bit more leeway, a road locks you into a set direction (or 2) whereas a good paddock will let you fine tune your angle to match the wind. Obviously paddocks have a list of dangers too so it all needs to be looked at on a road by road, paddock by paddock basis.

 

 

[CAV0K]

Thanks for your input.

 

It appears that fields offer the greatest flexibility and although road surfaces are good it's everything around them that can make them not ideal.

 

More food for thought thanks again to everyone.