Steep spiral question

[bigD]

I had to learn the maneuver at best glide....is that incorrect?

I just think of it as a turn around a point with a descent at best glide.

-mini

There's no correct or incorrect on the speed. The PTS has you maintain a selected speed, but does not mention what that speed should be. The majority of people I know use best glide for this, however I've seen all sorts of things, including a DPE that insists the applicant do it at Va. Like someone else mentioned, the faster you go (above best glide, of course), the faster your descent rate will be, and you'll have to start higher to get the 3 turns out of it.

 

[FracCapt]

The steep spiral has practical application in providing a procedure for dissipating altitude while remaining over a selected spot in preparation for an emergency landing.

It was easiest for me to chose a "landing spot" i.e. field, as opposed to point or landmark in which to spiral down.

When you move to a complex aircraft to do this manuever, the flaps should remain up yet I have heard many comments to the gear position. With gear down, you will lose more altitude, yet you are also simulating "preparation for emergency landing". With gear up, you will lose less altitude.

If you are over your intended landing point, you don't need to worry about how long you can stay in the air. You need to worry about making the spot, and getting the gear down as early as you can(and still make the spot) because you don't know if you will have to manually extend it or not. IIRC, the 172RG has an electric gear pump. If you're VFR, and can make your intended landing area(without a doubt), extend the gear ASAP.....so that if you have to pump it down, you have plenty of time to do it.

Just my opinion.

 

[midlifeflyer]

If you are over your intended landing point, you don't need to worry about how long you can stay in the air.

It depends on the nature of the emergency. The "emergency" that the steep spiral contemplates isn't necessarily an engine out where, as you, say, you may be more concerned with where you land than how fast or slowly you get there. It might be an engine fire where you want to get down =now!= with a high airspeed.

 

[nosehair]

It depends on the nature of the emergency. The "emergency" that the steep spiral contemplates isn't necessarily an engine out where,.

This is NOT an "emergency" maneuver. It can be used and combined with a forced landing, but the maneuver is a stand-alone maneuver which, according to the Airplane Flying Handbook, should be terminated no lower than 1000', unless it is being perfomed in conjunction with a forced landing. If I am doing a forced landing in a retract, I always assume I will land gear-up unless I am pretty darn sure the surface area will be smooth an hard enough to roll-on. Seriously, landing gear-up and staining the belly with grass stains is much preferable to nosing over and exploding because the nose wheel digs into the soft mush or a gopher-hole.
The speed should be best glide speed. The objective of the maneuver is to "improve pilot techniques for power-off turns, wind drift control, planning, orientation, and division of attention." Also, as the Airplane Flying Handbook says, the engine should be cleared when into the wind so that the addition of power will have less effect on groundspeed, therfore, I enter into the wind and clear on each 360 turn. I personally don't like entering at the steepest point. I only do that on the Private turns around a point because that is how it is described in the book. I suspect that you should do them from random positions if it is being used in conjuction with a forced landing. The angle of bank does not effect stall speed UNLESS you are maintaing a constant altitude. The only thing that causes a stall is increased back pressure(angle of attack).

 

[midlifeflyer]

This is NOT an "emergency" maneuver.

No, it's not. But like many PTS maneuvers, the steep spiral doesn't exist in a vacuum. it has a potential practical application. In this case (sentence after the one you quoted), "The steep spiral is not only a valuable flight training maneuver, but it has practical application in providing a procedure for dissipating altitude while remaining over a selected spot in preparation for landing, especially for emergency forced landings." (Heck of a lot better than the last time it was in the PTS, when folks used to talk about its use for flying through a hole in an overcast!)

I was only commenting on the selection of airspeed, something that the AFM and PTS is pretty silent on, except to say to keep it constant.

 

[nosehair]

"The steep spiral is not only a valuable flight training maneuver, but it has practical application in providing a procedure for dissipating altitude while remaining over a selected spot in preparation for landing, especially for emergency forced landings."

I know, Midlife, and I didn't mean to ignore that practical application, but I wanted to emphsize the MAIN OBJECTIVE of the maneuver is GOOD GLIDE CONTROL which is indicated in the first part of the sentence "valuable flight traning maneuver". I have noticed over the years, since this maneuver was removed from the PTS that most pilots (private and commercial) have 3 hour student pilot proficiency in gliding turns. The steep spiral and the 180 power off that was added is basiclly to re-institute training in gliding turns, which of course becomes important in the event of an emergency landing, but also in all basic flying maneuvers.