Instrument Checkride Dec 2015
We started the oral exam at about 07:45 am by going over all the documents and paper work required for the check ride.
The examiner then briefed me how the oral and practical parts of the check ride will proceed and asked that I will review the weather again to make sure we will be able to fly before starting the oral exam.
In the oral part of the exam we mainly spoke about the following subject:
* Cross country planning – The use of checklists for the planning stage and during flight (DECIDE, 5P, 3P, I’M SAFE), the use of the POH for planning, how to choose alternates, we also took a look at the low en route chart and he asked me some questions about the markings and different altitudes marked in the chart.
A few days before the check ride the examiner instructed me to prepare a cross country flight from KGAI to KMMU. The theoretical weather scenario for this flight was as follows:
- Ceiling of 600 feet.
- Visibility of 2 SM.
- Temperature 10 degrees Celsius and dew point 10 degrees Celsius.
- The theoretical weather conditions were caused by a stationary front that stretched between KBWI and KALB.
- I will have two non-pilot friends as passengers on the plane.
We spoke about my interpretation of the weather scenario given to me, how I chose my route, how I decided if I should actually perform the flight or not, lost communication procedures and how to plan your IFR route to assist in case of lost comms, we also reviewed the W&B calculations and how to make them.
The examiner then asked me how I would preflight the plane, the instruments, how I would check the GPS, VOR systems, and both radio systems.
* Weather services – How to use the different weather products we have available to be able to get a complete picture of the current and forecast weather.
* Approaches – We talked about the different parts of the approach plate, when to decent past a VDP, where can you find the approach plates, different circling scenarios, decent past the DA/DH, etc.
* Regulations – Pilot currencies, instrument certificate requirements, Airplane required maintenance and equipment checks, he asked me to open the plane’s maintenance logbook and find all the required logs to see that we were able to legally fly the plane in IFR, IFR takeoff and landing minimums, alternate regulation, and a few more questions about regulations.
The practical exam:
The examiner asked me to file a round robin IFR flight plan from KGAI to KDMW, KFDK, and back to KGAI.
During taxi the examiner asked me to show him how I do all the necessary instrument checks. I contacted ATC to get my IFR clearance and after that we took off.
First we started with the VOR 34 approach at KDMW. This approach was done as partial panel, the examiner covered the attitude indicator during the entire approach and the heading indicator only during when I started the missed approach procedure.
I did the entire approach including the missed approach procedure and after returning to EMI we took the 295 transition to the ILS 23 approach at the KFDK, where we did the low approach and the missed approach to enter the published hold.
From there we turned back to KGAI to do the RNAV 14 approach there. On the way the examiner put me in an unusual attitude twice and after that we continued to KGAI.
The examiner asked me to do a circling approach to land on RWY 14. That meant descending to circling MDA, continue above the runway and circle back to land.
Commercial Pilot checkride
Commercial Pilot checkride Dec 2015
DPE asked me to prepare a flight plan from GAI to ALB. The case scenario was a commercial flight with me as PIC and 3 passengers on a basic VFR day.
Oral exam:
The entire exam was as commercial decision making oriented. We started on commercial privileges and limitations. Next we reviewed my flight plan and talked about my decisions for the flight. We discussed emergencies that could happen along the way and my responsibility for the passengers.
Few Examples:
My plan was a straight line course which crossed over mountains before arrival into Albany. I planned to cross the area about 1500 ft above the mountains.
- Is that a high enough altitude to fly in case of engine failure? We calculated the glide distance and the ability to glide to other airports.
- We talked about the airspace classes along the way. Clearance, VFR conditions, SVFR.
- Weight and Balance for the flight, Zero fuel, Gear retract changes, Reserves.
CPL privileges:
- Part 121, part 135, can I be hired for private owner to fly his own airplane? Can that person can fly passengers and charged them using his own airplane.
- Flights a commercial pilot can do with a third class medical.
The examiner wanted me to find various answers in the FAR & AIM.
Others issues we talked about:
Medical factors, oxygen requirements, vision issues (night & day), Airplane systems, Maintenance records, recovering from spin or stall, landing and takeoff distances
Last part was weather. The examiner asked me to brief the weather by the “Big Picture”, not just METAR and TAF. I printed out the surface maps and used various websites including PIREPs.
The oral part was about 3 hours.
The Practical Exam:
I filed a SFRA flight plan.
Before we got in the airplane the examiner asked me to brief him as a passenger about the flight, I talked about: Emergencies, Seat Belts, be quiet during T/O and Landing, weather issues and passenger behavior.
We started with a Soft Field T/O then I started off on the planned cross country. I navigated by the sectional map till my 2nd point. I calculated my ground speed using timing. After reaching the 2nd point the examiner simulated engine roughness and diverted me to the nearest airport (York on my case).
On the way to York we did:
Landing Conf. Slow Flight
T/O Conf. Slow Flight
Climbing and turning during slow flight
Stalls during turns
Chandelles
Mid-flight Power-Off
Later, we headed to York. AT York I did a Short Field Landing, taxi back for a Short Field T/O and stayed in the pattern for Power-Off Accuracy Landing.
We started back to GAI. On the way back we did 8s on pylons.
The Practical test was 2.2 flight hours.
Instrument Checkride KGAI Examiner from Balto
Oral: The oral exam started about 7:30am by going over my documents and paper work. I was next briefed by the examiner on the process of the test and the required approaches.
The main questions/discussions during the oral was:
* Weather
* Cross Country
* Approaches
* Regulations
I was asked to prepare (ahead of time) across country flight from GAI to PNE. The scenario for this flight was the ceiling was 600 foot and the visibility was 2 SM and two passengers on the plane.
We started by various regulation questions, certificate requirements, instrument certificate benefits, and the instruments proficiency process. We took my cross country plan and reviewed my route and the decisions I made. We discussed my alternate. And we reviewed my weight and balance. We discussed IFR cross country issues/planning. We got deeper into the alternate issues. We talked about the approach plate symbols and enroute chart symbols.
I was asked about:
* VOR operation and limits
* GPS limits
* Decision making during the approach
* How to determine the decent rate
* Meanings of chart and map symbols
After we finished with the cross country planning I was asked about the inspections required for this flight, how the check the flight instruments, and other required maintenance. I had to show the examiner the required inspections in the log books.
The last part was weather planning. We looked at a METAR, TAF, and some other weather charts and I had to explain them.
The practical exam:
I filed IFR from KGAI to KDMW and KFDK.
We did the VOR 34 at KDMW. I was partial panel – no attitude indicator or heading indicator. I entered the hold and flew the complete approach including the missed approach. On the missed I had to enter the hold at EMI.
From EMI I tracked the 295 radial for the ILS 23 at KFDK. The ILS was a low approach followed by the RNAV back to KGAI.
During the RNAV approach for RWY14 at KGAI I was asked to circle to land on 14. This confused me. We discussed this on the ground. The examiner wanted me to fly to the MAP and then circle to land on 14. He said sometimes if you go lower at the VDP to may not get in due to low clouds at the approach end of the runway. He said if you fly to the MAP and circle to land this gives you the chance to get in sometimes.
November 2015 Newsletter
Welcome to the Flymall / Kraemer Aviation November 2015 Newsletter. Late fall/early winter has been busy for the team at the Flymall. We have a lot of aircraft for sale. Click here to view our used aircraft inventory. And the flight school has been very busy with students trying to finish their ratings/certificates and get home for the holidays.
Harry has also been busy appraising collector/classic cars and motorcycles this fall. Most collectors put their vehicles in storage for the winter and this is also the time that they think about their insurance coverage and value. For more information on our appraisals click here.
We recently lost a friend in the collector motorcycle world and we have been asked by his widow to sell his classic Triumph Tiger for her. We have the bike listed here in our store. This bike is very near being a perfect bike however it is ridden on the street. A perfect bike is considered a condition 1, these bikes are usually trailered to shows and not ridden for pleasure. Since this Triumph is ridden on the street and shows a little wear it is considered a condition 2.
We continue to add vehicles to our collection of vintage three wheelers displayed in Harry’s private museum dedicated to rare three wheel vehicles. Some of the recent additions include a People Powered Vehicle and a pedicab from Taiwan. To view some of the vehicles in the collection click here.
We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Look for our December newsletter later this month.
Commercial Pilot Checkride Year 2007
These are notes from a commercial pilot checkride, maybe around 2007. Location and examiner unknown. It was in the local DC metro area.
Oral: Explain airspace dimensions and VFR weather minimums. ATC light gun signals. ADIZ/SFRA intercept procedures and what frequency to use and what code to squawk. What code to squawk if your radios went dead going into BWI? Commercial pilot limitations (difference between Part 91 and 135 ops). Know aero-medical factors (hypoxia, hyperventilation, alcohol/drugs). Explain runway markings. LAHSO. Know how to get a ferry permit to bring your airplane home if your annual is overdue (get permit from FSDO signed by an A&P with IA). Know required instruments for VFR day and night flight. Explain spin recovery procedure. Be able to describe all of the commercial maneuvers. In the chandelle, where is the pitch angle the greatest? Same thing with the Lazy 8, know where is the pitch angle the greatest? What to do if the pylon creeps ahead of you during eights on pylons.
Flight portion: Remember to brief the examiner on seat belt and shoulder harness use. A soft-field takeoff with an obstacle. Be able to intercept a VOR radial. Be prepared to divert to an airport of the examiner’s choice. Demonstrate slow flight, power off and power on stalls. Pylon 8s and chandelles. Do clearing turns! You will do an engine out approach and landing.
CFI Checkride KESN Year Unknown
The examiner may do research on your instructor to make sure he/she is qualified, current, etc. This examiner’s exams are open book and that he wants you to focus on teaching skills at the student pilot level.
Be prepared to discuss the FAA’s new web interface ACRA and IACRA. Information is obtained on the FAA web site at: acra.faa.gov. This examiner is passionate about this new tool (his former colleges helped develop) so I would recommend becoming very familiar with not only the use of ACRA but the whole history behind it, why it came to be, who uses it, etc.
Oral Exam
Part 61 of the FAR inside and out. I used no other part of the FAR. He presented several unrealistic scenarios that required lots of research. Know that Advisory Circular 61-65D (instructor endorsements) is old (know date) and the FARS are more up to date and should be referenced. All requirements and endorsements for student and private pilot. Why a tail wheel AC requires shorter runway length. Why it is better to have your passenger in the back seat (aero dynamically). Record retention for a CFI. Teach how to scan to a new pilot including collision avoidance and how to know if you are on a collision course. Coriolis effect and its effect on AC and balloons. Have a weight and balance prepared- he looked at it and had no questions. Know everything about wind sheer, its effect on AC and how you would teach it to a student. Know how to do a performance chart for take off and why it is important to always know how much runway even if at Dulles (he presents an accident scenario for this).Teach a Chandelle. FOI- Frank was very opinionated and told me he had a problem with FOI so he only threw out the word Rote a few times. However, I used several of the Levels of Learning and Principles of Learning throughout my discussion. He did want to know about positive and negative transfer of learning and the difference between behavior and cognitive learning. Resources available to transition a Private Pilot to complex and HP (airplane flying handbook Chapter 13). Here are some topics that were not covered: ADIZ, FRZ, Intercept Procedures, Weather, Airport Markings, light guns, airspace, NTSB, lift, medical, systems, stalls, spins, VFR equipment
Flight:
Immediately prior to the Checkride, he told me what to expect. He described several scenarios all of which were repeated in the plane. Scenario 1- Teach a 1 hour student to start the airplane. Scenario 2- Teach a low time student a soft-field takeoff. Scenario 3- Teach a high time student pilot level turns. Scenario 4- Teach a private pilot a Chandelle. Scenario 5- Demonstrate a steep turn. Scenario 6- Teach a low time private straight and level under the hood (Frank wore the hood). Scenario 7- Teach the traffic pattern to a student pilot. Scenario 8- Demonstrate a short field landing (he picked the 50′ obstacle (FORD Dealer) and said to put it on the numbers) Scenario 9- Frank pulled the power and wanted me to demonstrate the emergency procedures. I picked a field and he pointed to a grass strip that his friend owns. He said he has permission to land so I was prepared to land. About 100′ above, he said to go-around. Scenario 10- Demonstrate a trim stall. Scenario 11- Demonstrate s-turns on a road. Scenario 12- Teach a private pilot 8’s on pylons. Scenario 13- Land with a slip and know the ailerons should be into the wind. He only checked the airworthiness certificate and registration. He gave me a 3 minute debrief and said I forgot to do a clearing turn prior to the first maneuver and my teaching was good however I made it too complicated for the beginner pilots. For the level turn scenario for the student pilot, he used a bicycle turning description as an analogy to an airplane.
CFI Checkride Summer 2005 KESN
Oral:
The test in general: Goal is to test the sufficiency of instruction and to see whether you have the communications skills necessary to be a good flight instructor. The examiner may discuss who would be pilot in command in the event of a real emergency during the flight. Oral: Flight instructor roles and responsibilities. Know endorsements for student and private pilots, and where to find the language (AC 61.65) and corresponding requirements in FAR Part 61. Decision making and the role of sound ADM in accident prevention. You may be given a photocopy of a fictitious third class medical and asked to fill out the endorsements on the medical to make it a student pilot certificate. You may be asked to review a completed 8710 application for errors. You will be given different scenarios (student pilot, etc) and asked what endorsements are required for this type of flight or that type of flight, etc. How can you ensure that your student operates safely while conducting solo operations (restrictions in 90-day endorsement). You may be presented with NTSB report summaries and asked to review each one and discuss some of the issues in each incident/accident, what the pilots could/should have done differently to prevent the incident/accident, and how they could have handled the emergency better once it was in progress. Here are the case numbers : IAD99LA068 (9/21/99, Cessna 172 at Potomac), IAD98LA099 (8/22/98, Mooney at Kentmorr), IAD99FA051 (6/28/99, Cessna 172 at GAI). Pretend the examiner is a student pilot with only a couple of hours, and teach him weight and balance. Pick one Performance chart and describe to the examiner how to use it. You may be asked to prepare a lesson plan for a student whom experience level will be given to you by the examiner.
Flight:
Engine Start and Taxi. Soft field takeoff. Short field approach landing. Chandelle. Power-Off Stall. Trim Stall. Straight-and-Level flight by reference to instruments (hood work) – the examiner may wear the hood and do the flying. On all maneuvers you may be asked to demonstrate or critique. Steep Turn. Emergency Approach and Landing. Eights on Pylons . S-Turns. Pattern entry. Slip to a Landing. Post-Flight procedures (engine shutdown/securing).
CFI Checkride Nov 2015 KGAI
Nov 2015 CFI Checkride at KGAI
Oral portion:
He started the oral by asking me what endorsements do I need to have in my logbook for the checkride? Next we did the required paperwork.
Next I rolled the dice for parts of the PTS, both oral and flight.
FOI – I got task E (instructor responsibilities) and task B (the learning process). He asked me what are my responsibilities as a flight instructor and he asked me about professionalism. Next we moved to the learning process. I was asked about the laws of learning. We talked about motivation, effective communication and barriers to learning.
Next we moved to technical subject areas and a roll of the dice gave me runway incursions and avoidance. 14 CFR, publications, and logbook entries and endorsements.
For runway incursions I just showed him all the material that I had in my binder, told him about the importance of safety during taxi, I used the Tenerife accident in 1977 as an example.
Next we moved to 14 CFR, he asked me what is Part 1 and what is NTSB Part 830. We talked about A/Cs.
Next moved to logbooks and endorsements. He asked me what endorsements and logbook entries I should give to a student pilot.
The next task was preflight information and I got certificate and documents and airworthiness requirements. We talked about ARROW. He wanted me to show him in the airplane logbook all the required inspections.
Next task was preflight lesson on a maneuver to be performed in flight: he asked me to prepare him a lesson on power on stalls.
Flight portion:
He asked me to teach him how to start the engine (explained him step by step the checklist), then he took the controls and started to taxi, he taxied too fast and without his hands on the yoke and waited for me to correct him. He told me to teach him a short field take off. I explained to him what to do and he did the take off. He flew the plane until we left the SFRA. After leaving the SFRA he asked me to teach him and show him steep turns. Next he told me to teach him a chandelle. I did a chandelle and he did one. Next he reduced the power to idle and told me that we have lost the engine. I was asked to teach him what to do. We made it to the field I selected and did a go around. We did the emergency descent because we were high from the chandelles.
Next he told me to teach him 8s on pylons while he flew the maneuver. From that we flew to KDMW. I took the controls and he told me to do a power off 180 to land on the 1000 marker. After that we taxied back to the runway and he told me to teach and show him a soft field takeoff. Next he told me to teach and show him s-turns. Next he told me to teach and show him a power off stall. Then we talked about trim stalls and flew back to KGAI. He told me to show him a normal landing and to land on the centerline.
Private Pilot Checkride Nov 2015 KGAI
The PPL check ride is divided to two parts- Oral exam and Practical one.
First – the Oral Exam:
Go deeply into the same material on the written exam. Make sure you have a good understanding of “why” doing any step! I used a lot of good short videos on YouTube to understand better any problematic issue.
Sit down with your charts, look for any unfamiliar symbol, look over the times table by the sides of the chart, practice by yourself to find any towers/restricted areas operational times by the tables.
Go over the plane with the A&P. Ask him to explain some of the aircraft systems. For example, how does the fuel get to the engine from the fuel tank? Have him/her explain the basic operation of the engine. Know how the yoke is connected to the elevator. Be able to locate required inspections in the aircraft maintenance records – log books.
Be very familiar with the POH. This contains operational limits for your aircraft as it also has the performance tables. Make sure you are able to locate most anything in the POH.
Be very familiar with all airport signage. There are several online training aids to assist you in learning these. In the WFIA forum found by going to Flymall.org, click on the WIFA logo upper right corner, click on WIFA forum, and under WIFA ground school view the slides for ground lesson 4 (Harry has all of the airport signage in this presentation).
We started the Exam by going over all of my documents. He will review your log book to verify that you have the proper experience. He will review your medical certificate and other FAA documents.
Be sure to bring with you the following:
* IACRA Documents
* ID
* Logbook
* Medical Certificate
* Your Charts
* Airport Facility Directory
* POH
* Your aircraft maintenance records
* Plotter & Flight Computer
He started the exam portion with cards showing airport signage. I was asked to identified each one by its formal name and classified it to “Sign” next to the pavement or a “Mark” on the pavement. We continued on by limits questions: Weather, Airplane, Inspections. Next I was asked question that needed an explanation, for example:
- What happens if a fuel tank vent becomes clogged?
- I was asked to explain how the stall horn works?
Next we moved on to the navigation part of the test. We opened the sectional and then started going over different scenarios for some flights:
- Flying to Tangier Island (eastern Washington D.C.), what would your steps be to land there?
- You are flying 2000 feet along the coast north of Atlantic City (next Philadelphia) and would like to land in Millville, explain your options.
- You plan to land in Sky Bryce (about 60NM west of Dulles), what are the different airspace classes during your approach into Sky Bryce?
- Which airspace class is Webster Naval Outlying Field (KNUI)?
- Explain the P-40 Area, how can you look for the current status?
- Go over the Washington SFRA and rules.
The oral exam was about 2 hours, the atmosphere was “Educational”, instead of “Testing”.
The Practical Exam Part:
The airborne exam is mostly a safety check of your flying skills. It is better for you to show good control during all the landings than lose 150 foot by steep turn maneuvering.
First part was the pre-flight checklist. This examiner showed me the elevator balance weight located inside the elevator. Be sure to keep your checklist out during the flight and use it. Nobody rush you. Do not forget to set your timer for the cross country portion. I climbed to my cruise altitude, and then turned to my heading towards my first check point. After reaching my second point I was asked to calculate my current GS and my planed flight time to the final destination. We deviated from the cross country to the practice area. First I went under the hood and did a climb, decent, and turn by the instruments.
We did the following maneuvers:
* Slow Flight Clean configuration.
* Power off Stall
* Power on Stall
* Lost procedures using the VOR.
* Engine out over an open field
We went to Carroll County Airport. I got the weather there. We did a short field landing at KDMW. I did a short field takeoff and then a soft field landing. All landings were full stop.
Leaving KDMW I did a soft field takeoff then turn and intercepted the 218 radial from EMI to KGAI. Once established on the radial he told me that I had a broken throttle cable or stuck throttle – fixed at 2300 RPM. Questions were: How should I decent? How should I land?
Should I keep to the same destination? Should I inform ATC? I descended with the yoke using flaps to reduce my speed or to keep my speed low. I could use the mixture to control engine RPM. Landed back at KGAI!
Gimli Glider
If a Boeing 767 runs out of fuel at 41,000 feet what do you have? Answer: A 132 ton glider with a sink rate of over 2000 feet-per-minute and marginally enough hydraulic pressure to control the ailerons, elevator, and rudder. Put veteran pilots Bob Pearson and cool-as-a-cucumber Maurice Quintal in the cockpit and you’ve got the unbelievable but true story of Air Canada Flight 143, known ever since as the Gimli Glider.
Flight 143’s problems began on the ground in Montreal. A computer known as the Fuel Quantity Information System Processor manages the entire 767 fuel loading process. The FQIS controls the fuel pumps and drives all of the 767’s fuel gauges. Little is left for crew and refuelers to do but hook up the hoses and dial in the desired fuel load. But the FQIS was not working properly on Flight 143. The fault was later discovered to be a poorly soldered sensor. An improbable sequence of circuit-breaking mistakes made by an Air Canada technician independently investigating the problem defeated several layers of redundancy built into the system. This left Aircraft # 604 without working fuel gauges.
In order to make their flight from Montreal to Ottawa and on to Edmonton, Flight 143’s maintenance crew resorted to calculating the 767’s fuel load by hand. This was done using a procedure known as dipping, or “dripping” the tanks. “Dripping” could be compared to calculating the amount of oil in a car based on taking a dipstick reading.
Among other things, the specific gravity of jet fuel is needed to make the proper “drip” calculations.
The flight crew had never been trained how to perform the calculations. To be safe they re-ran the numbers three times to be absolutely, positively sure the refuelers hadn’t made any mistakes; each time using 1.77 pounds/liter as the specific gravity factor. This was the factor written on the refueler’s slip and used on all of the other planes in Air Canada’s fleet. The factor the refuelers and the crew should have used on the brand new, all-metric 767 was .8 kg/liter of kerosene.
After a brief hop Flight 143 landed in Ottawa. To be completely safe, Pearson insisted on having the 767 re-dripped. The refuelers reporting the plane as having 11,430 liters of fuel contained in the two wing tanks. Pearson and Quintal, again using the same incorrect factor used in Montreal, calculated they had 20,400 kilos of fuel on board. In fact, they left for Ottawa with only 9144 kilos, roughly half what would be needed to reach Edmonton.
Lacking real fuel gauges Quintal and Pearson manually keyed 20,400 into the 767’s flight management computer. The flight management computer kept rough track of the amount of fuel remaining by subtracting the amount of fuel burned from the amount (they believed) they had started with. Their fate was now sealed.
According to Pearson, the crew and passengers had just finished dinner when the first warning light came on. Flight 143 was outbound over Red Lake Ontario at 41,000 feet and 469 knots at the time. The 767’s Engine Indicator and Crew Alerting System beeped four times in quick succession, alerting them to a fuel pressure problem. “At that point” Pearson says “We believed we had a failed fuel pump in the left wing, and switched it off. We also considered the possibility we were having some kind of a computer problem. Our flight management computer showed more than adequate fuel remaining for the duration of the flight. We’d made fuel checks at two waypoints and had no other indications of a fuel shortage.” When a second fuel pressure warning light came on, Pearson felt it was too much of a coincidence and made a decision to divert to Winnipeg. Flight 143 requested an emergency clearance and began a gradual descent to 28,000. Says Pearson, “Circumstances then began to build fairly rapidly.” The other left wing pressure gauge lit up, and the 767’s left engine quickly flamed out. The crew tried crossfeeding the tanks, initially suspecting a pump failure.
Pearson and Quintal immediately began making preparations for a one engine landing. Then another fuel light lit up. Two minutes later, just as preparations were being completed, the EICAS issued a sharp bong–indicating the complete and total loss of both engines. Says Quintal “It’s a sound that Bob and I had never heard before. It’s not in the simulator.” After the “bong,” things got quiet. Real quite. Starved of fuel, both Pratt & Whitney engines had flamed out.
At 1:21 GMT, the forty million dollar, state-of-the-art Boeing 767 had become a glider. The APU, designed to supply electrical and pneumatic power under emergency conditions, was no help because it drank from the same fuel tanks as the main engines. Approaching 28,000 feet the 767’s glass cockpit went dark. Pilot Bob Pearson was left with a radio and standby instruments, noticeably lacking a vertical speed indicator – the glider pilot’s instrument of choice. Hydraulic pressure was falling fast and the plane’s controls were quickly becoming inoperative. But the engineers at Boeing had foreseen even this most unlikely of scenarios and provided one last failsafe&emdash;the RAT.
The RAT is the Ram Air Turbine, a propeller driven hydraulic pump tucked under the belly of the 767. The RAT can supply just enough hydraulic pressure to move the control surfaces and enable a dead-stick landing. The loss of both engines caused the RAT to automatically drop into the airstream and begin supplying hydraulic pressure.
As Pearson began gliding the big bird, Quintal “got busy” in the manuals looking for procedures for dealing with the loss of both engines. There were none.. Neither he nor Pearson nor any other 767 pilot had ever been trained on this contingency. Pearson reports he was thinking “I wonder how it’s all going to turn out.” Controllers in Winnipeg began suggesting alternate landing spots, but none of the airports suggested, including Gimli, had the emergency equipment Flight 143 would need for a crash landing. The 767’s radar transponder had gone dark leaving controllers in Winnipeg using a cardboard ruler on the radar screen to try and determine the 767’s location and rate of descent.
Pearson glided the 767 at 220 knots, his best guess as to the optimum airspeed. There was nothing in the manual about minimum sink – Boeing never expected anyone to try and glide one of their jumbo jets. The windmilling engine fans created enormous drag, giving the 767 a sink rate of somewhere between 2000 and 2500 fpm. Copilot Quintal began making glide-slope calculations to see if they’d make Winnipeg. The 767 had lost 5000 feet of altitude over the prior ten nautical (11 statute) miles, giving a glide ratio of approximately 11:1. ATC controllers and Quintal both calculated that Winnipeg was going to be too far a glide;the 767 was sinking too fast. “We’re not going to make Winnipeg” he told Pearson. Pearson trusted Quintal absolutely at this critical moment, and immediately turned north.
Only Gimli, the site of an abandoned Royal Canadian Air Force Base remained as a possible landing spot. It was 12 miles away. It wasn’t in Air Canada’s equivalent of eppensen manuals,but Quintal was familiar with it because he’d been stationed there in the service. Unknown to him and the controllers in Winnipeg, Runway 32L (left) of Gimli’s twin 6800 foot runways had become inactive and was now used for auto racing. A steel guard rail had been installed down most of the southeastern portion of 32L, dividing it into a two lane dragstrip. This was the runway Pearson would ultimately try and land on, courting tragedy of epic proportions.
To say that runway 32L was being used for auto racing is perhaps an understatement. Gimli’s inactive runway had been “carved up” into a variety of racing courses, including the aforementioned dragstrip. Drag races were perhaps the only auto racing event not taking place on July 23rd, 1983 since this was “Family Day” for the Winnipeg Sports Car Club. Go-cart races were being held on one portion of runway 32L and just past the dragstrip another portion of the runway served as the final straightaway for a road course. Around the edges of the straightaway were cars, campers, kids, and families in abundance. To land an airplane in the midst of all of this activity was certain disaster.
Pearson and Copilot Quintal turned toward Gimli and continued their steep glide. Flight 143 disappeared below Winnipeg’s radar screens, the controllers frantically radioing for information about the number of “souls” on board. Approaching Gimli, Pearson and Quintal made their next unpleasant discovery: The RAT didn’t supply hydraulic pressure to the 767’s landing gear. Pearson ordered a “gravity drop” as Pearson thumbed frantically through the Quick Reference Handbook, or QRH. Quintal soon tossed the QRH aside and hit the button to release the gear door pins. They heard the main gear fall and lock in place. But Quintal only got two green lights, not three. The nose gear hadn’t gone over center and locked, despite the “assist” it was given by the wind.
Six miles out Pearson began his final approach onto what was formerly RCAFB Gimli. Pearson says his attention was totally concentrated on the airspeed indicator from this point on. Approaching runway 32L he realized he was too high and too fast, and slowed to 180 knots. Lacking divebrakes, he did what any sailplane pilot would do: He crossed the controls and threw the 767 into a vicious sideslip. Slips are normally avoided on commercial flights because of the tremendous buffeting it creates, unnerving passengers. As he put the plane into a slip some of Flight 143’s passengers ended up looking at nothing but blue sky, the others straight down at a golf course. Says Quintal, “It was an odd feeling. The left wing was down, so I was up compared to Bob. I sort of looked down at him, not sideways anymore.”
The only problem was that the slip further slowed the RAT, costing Pearson precious hydraulic pressure. Would he be able to wrestle the 767’s dipped wing up before the plane struck the ground? Trees and golfers were visible out the starboard side passengers’ windows as the 767 hurtled toward the threshold at 180 knots, 30-50 knots faster than normal. The RAT didn’t supply “juice” to the 767’s flaps or slats so the landing was going to be hot. Pearson didn’t recover from the slip until the very last moment. A passenger reportedly said “Christ, I can almost see what clubs they are using.” Copilot Quintal suspected Pearson hadn’t seen the guardrail and the multitude of people and cars down the runway. But at this point it was too late to say anything. A glider only gets one chance at a landing, and they were committed. Quintal bit his lip and remained silent.
Why did Pearson select 32L instead of 32R? Gimli was uncontrolled so Pearson had to rely on visual cues. It was approaching dusk. Runway 32L was a bit wider, having been the primary runway at Gimli in prior year. Light stantions still led up to 32L. And the “X” painted on 32L, indicating its inactive status, was reportedly quite faded or non-existent. Having made an initial decision to go for 32L the wide separation of the runways would have made it impossible for Pearson to divert to 32R at the last moment. Pearson says he, “Never even saw 32R, focusing instead on airspeed, attitude, and his plane’s relationship to the threshold of 32L.”
The 767 silently leveled off and the main gear touched down as spectators, racers, and kids on bicycles fled the runway. The gigantic Boeing was about to become a 132 ton, silver bulldozer. One member of the Winnipeg Sports Car Club reported he was walking down the dragstrip, five gallon can full of hi-octane racing fuel in hand, when he looked up and saw the 767 headed right for him. Pearson stood on the brakes the instant the main gear touched down. An explosion rocked the 767’s cabin as two tires blew. The nose gear, which hadn’t locked down, collapsed with a bang.. The nose of the 767 slammed against the tarmac, bounced, then began throwing a three hundred foot shower of sparks. The right engine nacelle struck the ground. The 767 reached the tail end of the dragstrip and the nose grazed a few of the guardrail’s wooden support poles. (The dragstrip began in the middle of the runway with the guardrail extending towards 32L’s threshold) Pearson applied extra right brake so the main gear would straddle the guardrail. Would the sports car fans be able to get out of the way, or would Pearson have to veer the big jet off the runway to avoid hitting stragglers?
The 767 came to a stop on its nose, mains, and right engine nacelle less than a hundred feet from spectators, barbecues and campers. All of the race fans had managed to flee the path of the silver bulldozer. The 767’s fuselage was intact. For an instant, there was silence in the cabin. Then cheers and applause broke out. They’d made it; > everyone was alive. But it wasn’t over yet. A small fire had broken out in the nose of the aircraft. Oily black smoke began to pour into the cockpit. The fiery deaths of passengers in an Air Canada DC-9 that had made an emergency landing in Cincinnati a month before was on the flight attendants’ minds and an emergency evacuation was ordered. The unusual nose-down angle the plane was resting at made the rear emergency slides nearly vertical. Descending them was treacherous. The only injuries that resulted from Pearson’s dead-stick landing of Flight 143 came from passengers exiting the rear emergency slide slamming into the asphalt. None of the injuries were life-threatening. The fire in the aircraft’s nose area was battled by members of the Winnipeg Sports Car Club who converged on the plane with dozens of hand-held fire extinguishers. Pearson had touched down 800 feet from the threshold and used a mere 3000 feet of runway to stop. A general aviation pilot who viewed the landing from a Cessna on the apron of 32R described it as “Impeccable.” The 767 was relatively undamaged.
Air Canada Aircraft # 604 was repaired sufficiently to be flown out of Gimli two days later. After approximately $1M in repairs, consisting primarily of nose gear replacement, skin repairs and replacement of a wiring harness it re-entered the Air Canada fleet. To this day Aircraft # 604 is known to insiders as “The Gimli Glider.” The avoidance of disaster was credited to Capt. Pearson’s “Knowledge of gliding which he applied in an emergency situation to the landing of one of the most sophisticated aircraft ever built.” Captain Pearson strongly credits Quintal for his cockpit management of “Everything but the actual flight controls,” including his recommendation of Gimli as an landing spot. Captains Pearson and Quintal spoke at the 1991 SSA Convention in Albuquerque about their experiences. Pearson was, at the time, still employed and flying for Air Canada, and occasionally flying his Blanik L-13 sailplane on the weekends; he has since retired to raise horses. Maurice Quintal is now an A-320 Pilot for Air Canada, and will soon be captaining 767’s; including Aircraft # 604.
An amusing side-note to the Gimli story is that after Flight 143 had landed safely, a group of Air Canada mechanics were dispatched to drive down and begin effecting repair. They piled into a van with all their tools. They reportedly ran out of fuel en-route, finding themselves stranded somewhere in the backwoods of Manitoba.
