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Auryn

Emergency Exit

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I had my first emergency exit this weekend, and I wanted to say:

Listen to the pilot ! Everyone on the plane did, and when he said get out, we did. as fast as possible I might add.

we were at 10,500 when it happened, so it wasn't really that bad, other than the sound of the right engine dying :)

it turned out that the culprit was apparantly a bad fuel filter on a light fuel load (semi confirmed).. whatever it was, the engine was dying, no doubt (I was sitting right by it and heard it sputter several times)

and last, don't panic, you do have a parachute after all.

Blue Skies !

Bryan

D27808

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I'm glad to hear that you made it out okay! Be gratefuly it happened at 10,500 and not 200!!! :S

I realized just how important listening to the pilot really was about two weeks ago when I had a load of experienced jumpers I was throwing on SL to practice for my rating. at about 9,000 feet, Pilot fakes an engine-out emergency and I (practicing as Jumpmaster) got a wake-up call. I'll tell you all now that I'll never make the same mistakes twice!!! :P

Edited to add: I was throwing Mock-SL's from 10,00 because we were going cross-country - Not something I would do with a REAL student, but I was just practicing controling the line..:P
=========Shaun ==========


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Yup, definately listen to the pilot. The last airplane emergancy I was in, was nearly a year ago. We had to land with the plane in a field, we were much to low to exit when our engine died. So we listened, no one paniced and due to a kickass heads up pilot, we all walked away with not a scratch or bruise.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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Nice job. What kind of twin was it? Could the pilot hold altitude on one engine?



the engine that was failing had partial power, and he was able to hold altitude on the good engine. As soon as we got out, he apparantly shut it down and immediately desended to land. The A/C was an Otter. The pilot did an amazing job, even holding it well enough to get us a good spot. I give him mad props !

Blue Skies !

D27808

Bryan

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Have to add to what Bryan said. Know your emergency procedures. There was a little bit of WTF going on and I think we could have done a little better at reacting more quickly. Unfortunately, with AFF students aboard, it was difficult to react more efficiently.

With that said, I looked to see if the SIM had much to say about it but I think I'd find more in the FAR. SIM said that the spotter/jumpmaster on board should have acted as a focal point by watching the front of the plane, taking directions from the pilot, and paying attention to the green light (in this case it was an otter using GPS for spotting).

Basically, we reacted quickly because once we felt the engine sputter, we opened the door, got the general direction of the airport from the pilot (behind us), and proceeded to exit. There was at least a minute delay and if conditions had been worse this could have impacted us more than it did.

I was probably more nervous because I was in the front of the aircraft and saw the alarms and watched the pilot's reaction. I was also in a wingsuit so I was worried about having a poor exit.

Katie
Get your PMS glass necklace here

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***Basically, we reacted quickly because once we felt the engine sputter, we opened the door, got the general direction of the airport from the pilot (behind us), and proceeded to exit. There was at least a minute delay and if conditions had been worse this could have impacted us more than it did.

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At out DZ, we've trained not to open the door until the pilot tells us to. Opening the door changes the drag on the plane. In a single engine mode, especially low and slow, that could mean the difference between making it and disaster. Ask your pilots what they would like to see regarding this matter. We covered this during Safety Day, and even did two Otter loads practicing emergency exits. Did everyone stay seated or was there a rush towards the rear of the plane? Rushing the door, of course, changes the CG of the plane. That can be a real nightmare for a pilot who already has his hands full.

What kind of problem did you have with the AFF students?

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Two things to consider...

If you ever have to go out low, say 1200, remember that you are low and you are not at terminal. The bag won't extract as fast. Something that low may be a choice to go straight for the silver instead of the pc.

Listen to the pilot. If there is a fire on the plane, the pilot may prefer you to try the fire extinguisher rather than just leaving. A small manageable problem then becomes a big problem. :o A little patience and maybe you still have a plane later. :)

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At out DZ, we've trained not to open the door until the pilot tells us to.


Good point, John. In this instance, me and LouDiamond were in the front taking guidance from the pilot and shouting it to the back. He did instruct us to open the door but it was still a bit confusing for the people in the back.

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What kind of problem did you have with the AFF students?


She was pretty scared on the whole ride up. The instructors had her poise and try to go through the exit process even though it was accelerated. The aircraft had lost juice but it was fairly stable.

Katie
Get your PMS glass necklace here

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Thanks for the answers, Katie. That sure is a rush when the engine quits, isn't it? It always gives me a week's worth of adrenaline in one big blast.:o:o:)



that's one way to look at it ;) What surprised me was how calm I was.. I was really detached emotionally from the situation, just focused on getting my camera helmet on, checking my gear and waiting for instructions.. I even made an attempt to get my camera on, but failed. One interesting thing that happened was that the guys in the back couldn't really hear the engine go, or the instructions that well, which added to the delay and confusion.. the first group even set up in the door before going, they had no idea. Everyone else did by then tho and just got out. One more thing to remember: since there was no seperation, be sure to look for the groups in front of and behind you, and track off flight line for a bit to create some room for openings.. I was still really close to three or 4 canopies even though I was a solo (trying a camera suit for the first time, so I was in the same boat you were Katie) However, I said screw the good exit, I just want out LOL

Blue Ones !

Bryan

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Did everyone stay seated or was there a rush towards the rear of the plane?



Everyone got up at once, which caused a lurch. Someone behind me, it may have been the pilot, yelled for us not to all get up at once and calm down, which helped people remember to stay spaced out as they exited.. no one really moved toward the door until it was their turn to go.

Bryan

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This is good info to learn from. Thanks to all of you for sharing it. I've done several emergency exits, but all from C-182's, so down-the-aisle communication was not a factor. I've done practice emergencies in a Twin Otter, but, of course, everyone was expecting it. Sounds like surprise and communication are the big problems, a good area for more planning and training. Oh, as for that "week's worth of adrenaline" comment, trust me, it ain't that fun, as you well know, huh?:)

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;) yeppers..

but, all's well that ends well. I think you summed it up.. The communication was the hardest part, due to the suprise and size of the A/C hence the number of people that all needed to get on the same page.


I think we handled it reasonably well, but ideally could have been more organized. It was by no means mayhem however. Just a much faster than normal egress from the plane :)
Blue Ones !

Bryan

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Doesn't this qualify everyone that left the ac after the pilot said "out" for the Caterpiller Club, or does no one even remember what that is? Must be dating myself on this one, huh? Glad all got out safely and all ended well...........


Always remember, when you get where you're going, there you are!

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Doesn't this qualify everyone that left the ac after the pilot said "out" for the Caterpiller Club, or does no one even remember what that is? Must be dating myself on this one, huh? Glad all got out safely and all ended well...........



Are there strict req'ts for the caterpillar club? Like, does your life have to be saved by the parachute? Most skydivers were going to jump anyways.

Now, the glider pilot around these parts who woke up to find the glider's canopy missing, and bailed out - he sounds like he deserves a caterpillar.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

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