Running on Empty

Wonder if the Pilot considered pulling the BRS all-airplane chute in the SR22?

For those that care, the Cirrus doesn’t actually have a Prop lever, just a throttle and mixture. That has tricked some people into thinking that it has some sort of FADEC-controlled prop. In reality, it still has a VP prop but the prop control is mechanically linked to the throttle. The resulting high RPM in the cruise does raise the cabin noise level a bit. Just as well most Cirrus seemed to come with Bose-x heasets plumbed in.

I can confirm that they do have a mixture lever, just like any other piston single. The Diamond with its FADEC controlled engines is the one which dispensed with the prop and mixture lever. That may have confused the earlier poster.

It did, thanks for clearing that up! 😎

I’ve spent some time flying around in the SR22. I can confirm that they do have a mixture lever, just like any other piston single. The Diamond with its FADEC controlled engines is the one which dispensed with the prop and mixture lever. That may have confused the earlier poster.

It is taking nothing away from the pilot in this case to say that the Cirrus is fitted with Digital Engine Management and Control System (EMax) which assists the pilot in leaning the engine to the precise best range cruise either lean of peak or rich of peak. That must have helped. Having leaned optimally, the EMax system then tells you exactly how long your fuel with last for. Not sure if he would have liked that display much.

It seems there was a problem with the fuel system and the ferry tank.
See:- http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=49363476-591c-4c52-83fa-cbb4e0081250&Dynamic=1
mmitch.

You mean you have never seen those grid locked jams in the morning? Two tractors and a herd of sheep all trying to get into the local main street 🙂 DME

Not forgetting Father Ted and Dougal 🙂

About 20NM from the coast to Shannon. Throttled right back for economy, say 80 knots.

Ten / twelve minutes from the coast to field in sight?

I’d have gone for the airfield whilst noting every suitable precautionary landing site as it appeared ahead of me in case I heard the first splutter.

After hours of not knowing if he’d come down in the drink or not I’d have thought the gamble would have seemed worth it.

Assuming there were any suitable fields anyway.

Moggy

DME – the geography of that area of the country is pretty rugged. Finding a nice flat field could take as long as just flying to Shannon, which (other than small and presumably hard-to-spot strips) is the nearest airfield he could make from a brief look at the map.

I think Shannon was his destination. I understand what you mean, get into a nice safe strip – no hassle, but if It was me I would have been looking to land as soon as I saw land (as long as it was suitable)

DME

And where exactly would he find one of those in Western Ireland? 😉

Moggy :p

You mean you have never seen those grid locked jams in the morning? Two tractors and a herd of sheep all trying to get into the local main street 🙂

DME

and have a failure over a populated area.

And where exactly would he find one of those in Western Ireland? 😉

Moggy :p

even better airmanship would have been to pick somewhere closer to land and got down sooner, or did he not take the usual route? If he took the usual route he could have landedd in Scotland.
Oh dear, I’ve done it again. Made myself look a sirry pirrock through not reding the article properly. Maybe the range of the aircraft made it theoretically possible but I still consider it bad airmanship to have relied on the actual matching the theory. Stories like this do nothing to enhance the views of the general public towards aviation.

I agree he should have landed sooner than what he did. Shannon is not excatly the furthest westerly part of Ireland, so he had to fly over land, or down the river to get to the airfield.

A precautionary landing in a good field would have been safer, rather than pressing on and have a failure over a populated area.

i listened to it all happen live on 121.5 i would like to say a big thanku to the pilots of Speedbird 183 and centurion 556 who probably amongst others relayed and spoke to the pilot in question.it really was good airmanship by the pilot it ran out of fuel as he left the runway

even better airmanship would have been to pick somewhere closer to land and got down sooner, or did he not take the usual route? If he took the usual route he could have landedd in Scotland.
Oh dear, I’ve done it again. Made myself look a sirry pirrock through not reding the article properly. Maybe the range of the aircraft made it theoretically possible but I still consider it bad airmanship to have relied on the actual matching the theory. Stories like this do nothing to enhance the views of the general public towards aviation.

Is that really possible, and what is pressure pattern flying Galdri?

Well, like I said in my post about this, I find it a bit unbelievable that he flew from the New York area to Ireland nonstop in a C-172, but that’s what he told me.

Now for an explanation of pressure pattern flying. It is a method to maximize your groundspeed, and get you between point A and B in the least time, but not via the shortest distance. I don’t think my english is up to the explanation, so check here for a rather good explanation.

landing on gas fumes? So what? I always do it with my sim! 😀
The thing is creepy indeed, I guess that other than good airmanship u need to be a good swimmer to work as ferry pilot :D:D:D:D:D

Alex

Well if you look at an atlas you will find it is quite legally safe to hop from the tip of eastern Canada to Greenland which is a 600mile leg followed by Iceland at about another 500nm then to the Faroe islands and then to the Shetland islands, im not saying it is something one would do but it is easily possible in something like a Cirrus. On the basis they have 700nm ranges upwards on a standard tank. (I know head-winds and so on come into consideration)

Using a ferry tank is a better safety precaution, yes indeed it is, but many flights are conducted without them.

‘R’, old boy, your english is about as bad as mine. I managed to misunderstand Moggy earlier on this thread, but your misunderstanding is even greater. If you read the article that Moggy posted, you will see that this flight went Labrador DIRECT Ireland, without stopping anywhere.

I also think you need to do some more calculations with that Atlas of Yours. Your distances are somewhat off :rolleyes:

Is that really possible, and what is pressure pattern flying Galdri?

As a layman, I would think it is as it says, in that you would closely study the various depressions/anticyclones prevalent when you want to make the flight (and the associated wind speeds and directions) and plan your route accordingly to follow them as safely and closely as possible where it will benefit you to do so(?). If I am wrong, sincere apologies for “leading you up the garden path”.

AIUI there are really tight requirements (enforced by Canada through whose airspace you corss) for these ferry flights of which fuel is one.

Oh Sorry Moggy,
I did READ your post, but the meaning got past me somehow 😮 Reading it again, I see what you mean.

Indeed. It almost certainly had to have a ferry tank.

It was merely that this wasn’t the one that leaked, being in the wing rather implies that it was a standard fit tank that sprang the leak.

Moggy

From the quote I posted
Sounds like a normal tank rather than a ferry special.
Moggy

I doubt that Moggy. The Cirrus might have fantastic range, but I don’t think it can do the Atlantic in one go without some sort of a ferry tank. The Cirruses I’ve seen here in Reykjavik on ferries, certainly had the ferry tank.

On the other hand, when I think about it, it might have been a Pressure Pattern flight. I once did a ferry (on an ATR I hasten to add) with one of these ferry guys that had a fixed contract with Cirrus, and he was telling BIG stories about Pressure Pattern flying. Like taking a C-172 from the New York area direct to Ireland 😮 I found it all a bit incredable!

R: I should hope you check the fuel tanks before each flight, irrespective of duration or route.

Forgive me for being old-fashioned as a ground based earthling, but isn’t that part of pre-flighting an aircraft?