Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site uiucuxc Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!falk From: falk@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Deadstick- Straight-Tail 150 Engin Message-ID: <103500002@uiucuxc> Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 11:33:00 EST Article-I.D.: uiucuxc.103500002 Posted: Wed Oct 30 11:33:00 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Nov-85 04:21:05 EST References: <322@ssc-vax.UUCP> Lines: 46 Nf-ID: #R:ssc-vax.UUCP:-32200:uiucuxc:103500002:000:2853 Nf-From: uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU!falk Oct 30 10:33:00 1985 {} Your tale of a close call (water where there should have been avgas) and the resulting lessons that you learned reminded me of some important lessons that I learned on my first solo cross-country a number of years back. I was going happily on my way to my second stop (the refueling stop) in a 3-stop trip. It was a beautiful day and I was excited (I was really a pilot, I was flying all this way on my own). I was using dead-reckoning and had checked and rechecked my route before leaving, but, I got careless. Instead of flying due north and following a parallel set of a road and railroad tracks, I flew N-NE following a 2nd set of parallel road/RR tracks (I hadn't noticed that there were TWO road/RR track pairs coming out of this small, northern Wiscon- sin town, and I didn't pay close enough attention to my compass). Anyway, when I got to where my airport should have been, it, of course, wasn't there. I was very low on fuel and lost- I immediately began eyeing the terrain (mostly cornfields) for a suitable emergency landing site. I circled the water- tower to find out the name of the town I was at, and I couldn't locate it immediately on the map, so I called the nearest, fairly large FBO at Appleton. I did a few left turns on their instructions so they could locate me on their radar, and they directed me into the Appleton airport. As I got closer (airport in sight), I requested a straigt-in approach, downwind (actually, wasn't much wind at all that day, but they were using the runway from the other side). I recall very clearly telling them that I was "a little low on fuel" and wasn't sure I could make the pattern. They cleared me and I landed without problem. When I taxied up to the gas tanks, the guy said "top off your tanks, m'am?" I said, "yes, top off the tanks". He later came back and said, with a little astonishment, that he filled over 20gals (in an old C-150 where usable fuel was just under 22gal- I had a little over a gallon of usable fuel left when I landed!!). I was very scared and didn't want to fly anymore that day, but I was over 100mi.from home and didn't have much choice (I actually considered renting a car and driving home, but knew that would be the cowards way out and I would never get my ticket that way). After regaining my composure, I took off, found the air- port that I was supposed to have landed at(it wouldn't have counted for my cross-country if I hadn't done that), and then completed the 3rd leg without a hitch. Moral? One, don't get too overconfident, that's when you make mis- takes. Two, keep a close eye on the compass as well as on your landmarks. I really feel that having the close-call like that made me a better pilot, its too bad that a CFI can't "schedule" one close-call for all students before they get their ticket( :-) ) Connie Falk (falk@uiucdcs!uiucuxc)