Hi all,
Early sim session this morning, I was at the school for 9 am, which involved getting up at 7 am. Thankfully, it was only 26 degrees when I was walking there.
More approaches! More holds! More emergencies!
So, we took off from Malaga airport in the ALSIM-200, configured to a Beechcraft Duchess 76. It seems from my memory of flying the Beechcraft Skipper, the controls are identical, the flap switch was certainly the same, and the Instruments were also the same.
So, we departed on the Vibas1A, which brought us to Granada airport. We did an ILS into Granada, followed by a VOR approach. Then, completed the SID from Granada to join the airway to Almeria (LEAM). There we did an NDB approach (with no flaps), where the approach track is a huge 31 degrees off the runway centreline. We did the approach and it was fine. When we descended to MDA, I couldn’t see the runway, but when we got to the missed approach point, there it was, 31 degrees off to our left, and at 800 ft there was the threshold below us.
I got myself into a bit of a panic, and closed the throttles, but the instructor said, that the approach was correct, and the procedure brings you to 860 ft at 1 mile above the runway. This coupled with our flap failure didnt help matters when slowing down, but I managed it.
After that, we took off and followed the SID back to Malaga, during the takeoff, at about 300 ft, the right engine failed. During which I feathered the prop. Once settled down, the instructor advised me to fault find, and so I did, to find the right tank filled itself all the way up with air! On with the crossfeed and we were back in business.
Routing direct to the Almeria VOR, we did a VOR approach. Just as I was descending on the outbound leg the right engine failed again. This time, my fault finding didn’t work, so engine feathered and continue with the approach.
Turning onto the inbound radial, and I hear the customary “pop”, to look down to find my alternators going crazy. It’s so annoying, just as your think it’s going so well, and the needle on the HSI is coming together at the same rate as your heading, you get a problem. After advising ATC of my problems (no alternators, and one engine), I was cleared for the approach – missed approach if needed and around for an ILS if required, which was good because a radio failure was imminent. I had no equipment on, only my nav1, ADF and DME, which was the requirement for the approach.
1 mile before the final approach fix, gear down, (no lights), so, thinking it was an electrical problem, I reduced the throttle on the dead engine to check if the horn sounded, which it did. The gear wasn’t down!
Circuit breaker out, turn emergency gear operating valve, and three greens.
ATC then advise of turbulance on the approach.
So, we get to MDA on the approach, and there is the runway. Great! I can land, and I did!
After that, we set up for a SID from Almeria to join a STAR with Malaga, the usual brief was given: “If in the event of an emergency, we shall close throttles, eyes and cross fingers and legs.”
Joking aside, the brief is:
“If in the event of an engine failure before rotation, with sufficient runway remaining, both throttles will be closed and we will land straight ahead.
If in the event of an engine out at or after rotation with sufficient runway remaining, both throttles will be closed, full flap will be selected and a landing will be made straight ahead.
If in the event of an engine out after rotation with no runway remaining, full power will be selected, the inoperative engine feathered and if in visual conditions, a left circuit to land, and if on instruments, follow the missed approach procedure or request vectors if radar available.”
Wouldn’t you know I got an engine failure after rotation with no runway remaining. I was twisting and turning for a few minutes until he asked me do I have the runway visual, to which I turned left downwind and landed. Ooops!
See you tomorrow! Hope the hurricane didn’t blow all the readers away, haha!
Andrew