I'll back that tip 100%. I did a relief session in one of our -11 engines at the start of the season. Second day I got a flight, first time out in this particular airplane. I got over the fire, did a dry run, turned a downwind at 300-500' AGL, and the engine rolled right back to idle as though I'd pulled the power lever to idle. I didn't. I was holding about 550 degrees EGT and I forget what torque. I was in a heavily wooded area, and immediately looked for the best place to put down. I ensured the boost pump and ignitors were on, and pushed against the speed lever to make sure it was against the stops.
The engine surged back to where I had it when it lost power, stayed there for a moment, and then rolled right back again. It continued to surge like that as I began punching off my retardant, and turned for the quickest way off the mountain. The engine stopped surging, but I notified our aircraft overhead, the air attack, and he followed me to the nearest airport, which was Kanab, UT. I landed with a couple more surges, and called the company.
I didn't fly the airplane again, but I talked to the mechanic who came down to work on it. The throttle quadrant was replaced, and the fuel control was replaced. The problem reported to me was excess play internal to the throtle quadrant assembly, which allowed the speed control to back off while the lever was forward. It only backed off a quarter inch or so, but at higher power settings it really went to town.
After that, I made sure my thumb was pressing on that speed lever any time I was down low, in terrain, or close to obstacles...which for me was pretty much all the time. Our books gave us potential speed ranges between 96% and 100%, and the company initially said policy was either 96% or 100%, nothing in between. Later they revised it to 100% only. We reset our governors to preclude that happening again, but for what it's worth, my present policy is 100% and I make sure the speed lever is all the way up.
The engine surged back to where I had it when it lost power, stayed there for a moment, and then rolled right back again. It continued to surge like that as I began punching off my retardant, and turned for the quickest way off the mountain. The engine stopped surging, but I notified our aircraft overhead, the air attack, and he followed me to the nearest airport, which was Kanab, UT. I landed with a couple more surges, and called the company.
I didn't fly the airplane again, but I talked to the mechanic who came down to work on it. The throttle quadrant was replaced, and the fuel control was replaced. The problem reported to me was excess play internal to the throtle quadrant assembly, which allowed the speed control to back off while the lever was forward. It only backed off a quarter inch or so, but at higher power settings it really went to town.
After that, I made sure my thumb was pressing on that speed lever any time I was down low, in terrain, or close to obstacles...which for me was pretty much all the time. Our books gave us potential speed ranges between 96% and 100%, and the company initially said policy was either 96% or 100%, nothing in between. Later they revised it to 100% only. We reset our governors to preclude that happening again, but for what it's worth, my present policy is 100% and I make sure the speed lever is all the way up.
