Arlen
Well Known Member
I've looked back through a couple old threads about ditching, and there is plenty of discussion about not being able to open the canopy in flight and the difficulty of getting it open if under water. But I have a couple other questions.
In my Bonanza (retractable), I always considered ditching as a very viable option in an engine-out scenario with no obvious landing areas nearby. Land it flat on its belly in water, and one has a couple minutes to climb out on the wing. I'm thinking this is not so in an RV.
Here is that article about the guy who ditched the RV-8 and flipped over in Hawaii in 2004: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/01/19/news/story1.html
So, do the RVs usually or always flip over in a water landing?
Would it be better to take a controlled slow-as-possible crash landing into a field - even if not appearing to be ideal - or trees instead of water?
In my Bonanza (retractable), I always considered ditching as a very viable option in an engine-out scenario with no obvious landing areas nearby. Land it flat on its belly in water, and one has a couple minutes to climb out on the wing. I'm thinking this is not so in an RV.
Here is that article about the guy who ditched the RV-8 and flipped over in Hawaii in 2004: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/01/19/news/story1.html
So, do the RVs usually or always flip over in a water landing?
Would it be better to take a controlled slow-as-possible crash landing into a field - even if not appearing to be ideal - or trees instead of water?