rfresh
B-777
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2005
- Posts
- 161
When I was instructing for McDonnell Douglas on the MD-90 twin jets, one of the excerises we'd do in the full flight simulator with the 2-pilot crew was to fail one of the engines while at cruise (FL350).
I'd do this in different ways but one method I'd use was a simple flame out. Normally, the student pilots would not notice they lost the engine as it was unspooling - however at some point as the engine slowed in RPMs the generator would trip off the line and this would illuminate the GEN FAIL caution light.
The Pilot Flying (PF) would call for the failed generator checklist when he saw the light. As they were executing the checklist, the stall warning system would activate at some point. This means the stick shakers would kick in and start shaking the control columns very hard. The startled pilots would grab the control wheels and then scan the instrument panel as the plane began a slow roll in one direction or the other and began to fall out of the sky.
Sometimes the pilots would be able to recover but 80% of the time they would not since they didn't pick up yet what was happening with the plane.
Before I tell you all the things that lead up to this loss of control situation, the question is this: how does an engine flame out in a jet at FL350 compound into the loss of control problem described above?
Ralph
www.wxnotice.com
I'd do this in different ways but one method I'd use was a simple flame out. Normally, the student pilots would not notice they lost the engine as it was unspooling - however at some point as the engine slowed in RPMs the generator would trip off the line and this would illuminate the GEN FAIL caution light.
The Pilot Flying (PF) would call for the failed generator checklist when he saw the light. As they were executing the checklist, the stall warning system would activate at some point. This means the stick shakers would kick in and start shaking the control columns very hard. The startled pilots would grab the control wheels and then scan the instrument panel as the plane began a slow roll in one direction or the other and began to fall out of the sky.
Sometimes the pilots would be able to recover but 80% of the time they would not since they didn't pick up yet what was happening with the plane.
Before I tell you all the things that lead up to this loss of control situation, the question is this: how does an engine flame out in a jet at FL350 compound into the loss of control problem described above?
Ralph
www.wxnotice.com