BlueBus320

My Feedback: (57)

Have a buddy that had 2 mishaps with his big SM A-10 both due to single engine failures. He's flying 2- Jetcat P-140 turbines, so I would think one engine (with rudder correction) should easily get a clean airplane home. My question is; Would a gyro on the yaw axis assist in an engine failure/single eng opps? What's the downside of this? Makes so much sense to me, but not sure if I'm missing something.
Thanks, Jay

CraigG

My Feedback: (40)

Jay,

A gyro probably would help but may not have enough authority to fully counteract the yaw from a failed engine, particularly on takeoff or go-around. Best for your buddy to be prepared himself to crank in opposite rudder and be sure to keep his speed up. I've handled flame out situations twice on my MIBO A-10 without difficulty but apparently the SM can be more of a handful, particularly at slow speed.

There's a pretty good article on this topic on the JPO website here: http://www.jetpilots.org/

Look under the "Members" tab and then "Contrails on-Line". The article is in the Spring 2010 issue, starting on page 9.

Craig