If you've read my Going Around post you'll be familiar with our gyro pilot, distracted by a couple of aeroplanes ahead of him, making a poor decision - to land on an occupied runway. He's still DISTRACTED! He vacated onto the grass and stopped while the last aeroplane, now clear of the runway and taxiing back to the parking area, passed in front of him. Toujours la politesse, don'cha know! Having landed the gyro, I teach my customers to bring the stick all the way back and to use the rotor's residual lift/drag to stop the aircraft. When the aircraft stops, ease the stick forward, squeeze the wheel brake and breathe. This routine takes no more than a couple of seconds, relaxes the pilot and ensures they have headspace to think about wind direction and stick position as they turn to vacate. I'm sure your instructor will have instilled a similar process in you. Alas, with the multiple distractions of orbiting, backtracking, late-vacating aeroplanes, the gyro pilot had vacated the runway and was now stationary with the stick fully back and his slowing rotors losing their rigidity and getting perilously close to hitting his empennage. Before I had a chance to ask the radio controller to say something, in the interest of safety, our pilot realised his stick should no longer be nuzzling his nadgers, eased it forward and averted an expensive tail-strike. We're still flying the aircraft until rotor, propellor and airframe are stationary so, no matter what's going on around us, it's our responsibility to continue to aviate until all the nose stops. I know of numerous other incidents which didn't end so happily.
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I had to do a go around recently. Here's the report I put on my flight log in the Gyropedia: Approached Old Warden and descended dead side for 03. Decided to do a short circuit as no traffic about and it avoids any houses and farms. Cruised along the runway with the intention of landing at the exit to the taxiway but there was no headwind component to the crosswind and the runway falls away towards the end and CFCL just kept on floating until I got to the 21 numbers and had to open the throttle for a go around otherwise I'd have been in the hedge! The next circuit was wider and I landed in the place I originally intended. Good experience.
I confess to being distracted by that duck on the runway at Chiltern Park! Right where I was aiming to touch down! :)
Absolutely, Steve. Pilots are terrors for thinking they positively MUST LAND ON THIS approach. How often do we practice Going Around outside of training? The only imperative for landing on This Approach is if the engine's stopped and won't restart.
Poor judgement demonstrated by all concerned. You only have read through the AAIB reports to see how frequently pilot distraction is stated as a primary factor in the numerous recorded accidents (including several Gyros) over the last few years.