Slowest possible speed

[GlenA]

So I was up with a student yesterday in a C-152 in the pattern and get this command from the controller: "Cessna XYZ slowest possible forward speed on the downwind..." It was a lot of fun, just thought I'd share. If the wind is right, you can slow flight those things backwards

 

[tgrayson]

can slow flight those things backwards

Slow flight on the downwind seems like a poor idea, regardless of what the controller says. I'd recommend S-turns or a 360 over true slow flight.

 

[GlenA]

didn't slow flight...just commenting that getting it to fly slowly wasn't a problem. I was WELL above stall speed, probably should have made that clear, it was just a funny request for a 152 to hear

 

[jynxyjoe]

Cessna traffic, please give us slowest possible, have a 50knt overtake on the seven-four ahead 3 miles.

 

[tgrayson]

I was WELL above stall speed, probably should have made that clear

Yes, that does help. I knew a guy online who ended up dying in a stall/spin accident after ATC asked him repeatedly to slow down while approaching to land. It's important to communicate to students where to draw the line.

 

[MikeD]

Yes, that does help. I knew a guy online who ended up dying in a stall/spin accident after ATC asked him repeatedly to slow down while approaching to land. It's important to communicate to students where to draw the line.

He forgot to fly the airplane first.

 

[jynxyjoe]

10,000 hour airline pilot did it at oshkosh some 2 or 3 years back. Momentary lapses... brutal.

 

[USMCmech]

Cessna traffic, please give us slowest possible, have a 50knt overtake on the seven-four ahead 3 miles.

I've heard that from ATC before.

The Caravan is the fastest thing inside the marker.

 

[jynxyjoe]

I've heard that from ATC before.

The Caravan is the fastest thing inside the marker.

Beech 1900 will eat ur lunch. 248knt (barber pole) to 3nm.

 

[tgrayson]

10,000 hour airline pilot did it at oshkosh some 2 or 3 years back. Momentary lapses... brutal.

My guy was also at OSH, but 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[jynxyjoe]

My guy was also at OSH, but 7 or 8 years ago.

I'm sorry for that man. Just brutal losing friends to that sorta stuff.

 

[USMCmech]

Beech 1900 will eat ur lunch. 248knt (barber pole) to 3nm.

175 to the threshold

 

[jynxyjoe]

175 to the threshold

To quote Payton Manning, and a few guys here on JC talking about the C vs the K...

IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG.

 

[shdw]

IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG.

:rotfl: Oh man I haven't heard that since middle school, DK was the !

 

[Douglas]

I've personally (not while instructing) given controllers slow flight on downwind.
No biggie if you "draw a line", as you say.

----
When I'm having fun, I start my power-off 180s from slow flight.

 

[at1024]

When I was training for my commercial, my instructor to say "put 'er in reverse" when it was time to do slow flight. So I'd turn it into the wind and look down and see our position literally moving backwards. Good times.

 

[jynxyjoe]

When I was training for my commercial, my instructor to say "put 'er in reverse" when it was time to do slow flight. So I'd turn it into the wind and look down and see our position literally moving backwards. Good times.

Got a mooney to go backwards in slow flight once. GPS confirmed.

 

[poser765]

Didn't happen to me but another instructor where I teach. Funny all the same

He was coming out of Ft Worth and Regional dep kept calling him Helicopter 120 Sierra Serra. Finally my buddy corrected him and the controller giggled and said, "yeah I know...you just have a really low ground speed"

Ok so I thought it was funny.

 

[African_Swallow]

I've personally (not while instructing) given controllers slow flight on downwind.
No biggie if you "draw a line", as you say.

Also, at my airport, there's another class D just to the northeast less than 8 nm away. If Tower asks you to extend that downwind, you had better slow down or do something, or else you'll end up in the next airport's traffic pattern. (This happened to one of the other CFI's not-so-sharp students on her first solo...)

Also, I'd prefer that my low-time students be in slow(er) flight (but well above stall) in straight-and-level, like on downwind, rather than executing S-turns and circles that close to the ground. Of course they know ground ref maneuvers well at that point, but the ATC distractions are minimal when doing those out in the practice area. Maybe it's just my observation, but I see a lot of folks who don't mind tipping the plane over 45-deg or more when they're 1,000 AGL (what I'd describe as "F-16ing it") yet get nervous doing it at altitude as a steep turn maneuver. They're never coordinated either--must always remind them that.

-A.S.

 

[shdw]

Maybe it's just my observation, but I see a lot of folks who don't mind tipping the plane over 45-deg or more when they're 1,000 AGL (what I'd describe as "F-16ing it") yet get nervous doing it at altitude as a steep turn maneuver.

If it helps, I found my students did this only at times when they drifted closer to the point and it was typically because they spent more time staring at their point trying to make it perfect then actually flying the aircraft. To solve that I simply said come in abeam your point and look out to see your distance then pick a point ahead of you that is about the same distance and keep your eyes out front to fly to it. When they get to the new point they check their distance by looking at their point then eyes out front again to pick a new one. It doesn't matter if it is the same point each lap and about 5-6 points total each lap gives a comfortable 15 seconds or so between points to look out front and keep stable.