Always trim for best glide first! No Exceptions!

A150K

A150K

Well-Known Member
So today I'm flying my tuna can 150 with a friend at gross weight, and I'm doing a sim engine out landing (first time in my 150 may I add, all my others were in the 172's I did my training in, in those we were usually 4-500 below MTOW). Well I start to run my mental checklist, and when I finally get around to trimming for best glide (70-75 MPH), I notice the sob is dropping like a rock. Then When I noticed double red (dead) on the VASI, I decided to let go of my ego and go around. I did a successful one after that.

Moral of the story: A PPL does NOT make you gods gift to aviation in any case whatsoever.

rant over, now for some :beer:
 
trim for best glide + full power recovery = heck of a lot of pressure required to prevent an elevator trim stall.
 
PGT said:
trim for best glide + full power recovery = heck of a lot of pressure required to prevent an elevator trim stall.
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I relieved some of the trim pressure prior to adding full power to prevent that, I had no flaps. I was by no means slow, just really low.
 
PGT said:
trim for best glide + full power recovery = heck of a lot of pressure required to prevent an elevator trim stall.
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True. However, especially in a true engine out scenario, you should always trim for best glide. The airplane should be flying itself as soon as possible.
 
SeanD said:
Why no flaps?
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I never add flaps until im 100% sure Im going to make the runway during a sim engine out (it's nice having a 8000' runway sometimes). By drop like a rock I don't mean literally falling out of the sky, I just had a decent rate well above the desired 500 fpm (around 8-900 fpm). I never felt in danger at any time, it was just too much of an if to continue the landing as set up (and I didn't want to try to save the landing with power0, so I chose to go around to be on the safe side.
 
What was on your mental checklist?!!! More to the point, where were your eyes?

Here's what I've come up with based on limited expereinece. Al least all the airplanes I've flown have this in common: they have all approximated best glide speed when in the same pitch attitude as that for level cruise flight. I only fly single-engine props, but pilots I've spoken with who have flown twins and even jets and even Part 121 have reported the same phenomenon.

That means that the first two killer items on the typical engine-out
  • best glide-establish and trim for it;
  • best place-pick it and head for it)
can be performed both immediately and simultaneously while looking directly out the front window.

In a sim engine out landing, the hardest part of the second killer item - picking the place - is already done.

Rants aside, I'm really curious what your mental checklist for an engine out has that involves "finally get[ing] around to trimming for best glide" :eek:
 
tgrayson said:
Doesn't matter, glide range is weight independent. However, 70-75 MPH sounds a bit fast; is that what's published for a C150?
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It's a 150 with the 150 hp conversion, and when I did the checkout with a CFI, he told me to use about 70 for best glide, and with my limited expierience in this airplane it seems to give pretty good results.

The mental checklist consisted of the usual (Mixture rich, carb heat out, mags both, fuel on, primer in and locked)
My friend who was onboard happens to be a CFI, and he pointed out to me later on that I shouldn't even be running it when practicing engine outs in the pattern. Just trim for best glide, carb heat out, and land.
 
tgrayson said:
Doesn't matter, glide range is weight independent. However, 70-75 MPH sounds a bit fast; is that what's published for a C150?
Click to expand...

Was going to ask the same question; it's 60kts indicated on a 152, if I recall correctly...
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
What was on your mental checklist?!!! More to the point, where were your eyes?

Here's what I've come up with based on limited expereinece. Al least all the airplanes I've flown have this in common: they have all approximated best glide speed when in the same pitch attitude as that for level cruise flight. I only fly single-engine props, but pilots I've spoken with who have flown twins and even jets and even Part 121 have reported the same phenomenon.


That means that the first two killer items on the typical engine-out
  • best glide-establish and trim for it;
  • best place-pick it and head for it)
can be performed both immediately and simultaneously while looking directly out the front window.

In a sim engine out landing, the hardest part of the second killer item - picking the place - is already done.

Rants aside, I'm really curious what your mental checklist for an engine out has that involves "finally get[ing] around to trimming for best glide" :eek:
Click to expand...
I will admit that during the decent my eyes were inside the airplane entirely too much. It all happened in under a minute, I was just 30 seconds behind the airplane on this run.
 
I find a lot of people spend a lot of time trying to get the "perfect" best glide speed. Full back trim will get you pretty damn close, and give you more time to look outside and fly the plane, instead of staring at the airspeed indicator.

Just be careful when you go to add full power.
 
cmill said:
I find a lot of people spend a lot of time trying to get the "perfect" best glide speed. Full back trim will get you pretty damn close, and give you more time to look outside and fly the plane, instead of staring at the airspeed indicator.

Just be careful when you go to add full power.
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I was still high and fast enough that I only added partial power, took away some of the trim, then added full power.
 
A150K said:
I was still high and fast enough that I only added partial power, took away some of the trim, then added full power.
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Was just saying that if you choose to use full back trim, be mindful of it. I'd actually be interested to know the force required to keep the nose down with full back trim on a 150 150
 
cmill said:
Was just saying that if you choose to use full back trim, be mindful of it. I'd actually be interested to know the force required to keep the nose down with full back trim on a 150 150
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Quite a bit, but the the controls are so light that it is much less physical than in a 172.
 
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