Rejected takeoff refresher
Rejected Takeoff Refresher
By Thomas Turner CFII, ATP, MEI
Presented by:
About Thomas Turner Holder of an ATP certificate with instructor, CFII and MEI ratings and a Masters Degree in Aviation Safety, 2015 NAFI Hall of Fame inductee, 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year and 2008 FAA Central Region CFI of the Year, Master CFI Thomas P. Turner has been Lead Instructor for Bonanza pilot training program at the Beechcraft factory; production test pilot for engine modifications; aviation insurance underwriter; corporate pilot and safety expert; Captain in the United States Air Force; and contract course developer for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He now directs the education and safety arm of a 9000member pilots’ organization. With over 4000 hours logged, including more than 2500 as an instructor, Tom writes, lectures and instructs extensively from his home at THE AIR CAPITAL— Wichita, Kansas.
This refresher is excerpted from 61 Critical Pilot Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Click here for details and samples.
This document is a transcript of the accompanying audio program Copyright © by PilotWorkshops.com LLC. This product is licensed for individual use only and may not be copied or shared with others. You may copy it onto multiple personal devices or computers.
Rejected Takeoff Refresher I was instructing in an older Beech Baron twin at Wichita, Kansas’ Colonel James Jabara Airport. If you've never flown a Baron, you might be surprised to find that there are rudder pedals, but almost never any brakes, on the instructor’s side of the airplane. My student, a fairly experienced Baron pilot, powered up for takeoff. The right engine’s propeller speed lagged, however, and he wisely reduced throttle on both engines to keep from rolling toward the right side of the runway. Surprising me, once he had regained directional control he reapplied full throttle to both engines—and again started to drift to the right. I called "abort, abort, abort!" as per our pre-departure briefing and again, the pilot reduced throttles and realigned the airplane with the runway centerline. Then, when I thought we were stopped, a third time the pilot set full power. We were easily in the last 1500 feet of the runway at this point, far too little remaining to achieve takeoff speed. The pilot firmly held the throttles forward despite my repeat call of "abort, abort, abort!" and I couldn't pull the throttles back against his grip. Without brakes, I was forced to pull back the mixture controls to override the pilot's power command. I continued to voice "abort, abort, abort!" and then "brake, brake, brake" as we neared the end of the pavement. The engines, starved for fuel, quit, and the propellers ticked to a stop as the nose-wheel halted mere feet short of the end of the runway. We restarted the engines and taxied back to the ramp, where mechanics found a failed propeller governor on the right engine. Okay, this is a dramatic (yet true) description of a Rejected Takeoff, or RTO. Most RTOs are the result of engine anomalies or power outages on takeoff. Some are other distractions, like open windows or doors, or a seat belt closed into the door and slapping against the outside of the fuselage. Regardless of the reason, too often RTOs result in runway excursions, many arising from loss of directional control through the aborted-takeoff process. Failing to be prepared for a rejected takeoff or to promptly execute an RTO when needed is a common pilot error. Rejecting a takeoff can be as uneventful as simply reducing power and rolling to a stop. It may take the form of noting a problem during your engine run-up, and never taxiing onto the runway at all. A takeoff abort may require a quick "chop" of the throttles up to or at liftoff speed, or even a few feet in the air over the runway. In the worst case, a takeoff abort may have to begin at a point where you can't come to a stop on the remaining runway. In that case, at least you’ll be at a slow speed when you go off the departure end. Here's what you need to do in the case of a takeoff abort:
Pay attention to what your airplane is trying to tell you. Don't skimp on your preflight inspection; don't absentmindedly rush through the Before Takeoff checklist and your engine run-up. Double-check the security of seat belts, doors and windows before taxiing onto the runway. Brief your passengers to maintain a "sterile cockpit" (they should refrain from talking or asking you questions except in
the case of clear danger). Do this from the time you "power up" for run-up until you tell them you're at 1000 feet above the ground. The purpose of all this preflight work is to keep you from having to abort in the first place.
Maintain control. Keep the airplane going in a straight line with the wings level. There's no better way to maximize your chance of survival and minimize the danger of damage than to keep the airplane under control. Conversely, if you let circumstances distract you from maintaining control, you're no longer in command of your airplane, and will have to live with the results.
Reduce power. Get the power to idle. The rapidity with which you need to reduce power—whether you should reduce or chop the throttle—depends on your circumstances.
Aborting from well below rotation speed, with lots of remaining runway? Bring the power smoothly back to idle. Rolling toward the last thousand feet of the runway? Get the throttle to idle now. Lose an engine on takeoff in a twin-engine airplane? Chop the throttles to remove "asymmetric thrust" that threatens to force you off the side of the runway. Regardless of the circumstances of your RTO, the most important thing after maintaining control is to reduce power right away. After reducing power, brake as needed to come to a safe stop. What if you're getting dangerously close to the end of the runway? If time and maintaining aircraft control permit:
Pull the mixture control(s) to idle cutoff. Not only does this eliminate residual thrust that occurs even at idle, it also stops most fuel circulation in the engine compartments—important for fire protection if your runway departure leads to a collision and engine compartment damage.
Shut off the fuel. Turning the selector(s) OFF prevents additional fuel from flowing into the engine(s), where things are hot and ready to burn.
Turn off the alternator/generator and battery master switches. Electricity can spark a fire if you collide with something after leaving the runway; turning the switches off shuts off this dangerous ignition source.
A successful RTO begins by recognizing the possibility of an RTO exists on every takeoff. It means having a practiced plan in place for aborting the takeoff and maintaining directional control while preventing the chance of a post-impact fire if you’ll roll off of the runway. It’s a common pilot error to forget the need to be ready for a rejected takeoff. Review your RTO actions every now and then while sitting in the airplane, visualizing the scenario and actually moving the controls. Brief yourself on the RTO procedure each time you line up for take off.
By Thomas Turner CFII, ATP, MEI
Presented by:
About Thomas Turner Holder of an ATP certificate with instructor, CFII and MEI ratings and a Masters Degree in Aviation Safety, 2015 NAFI Hall of Fame inductee, 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year and 2008 FAA Central Region CFI of the Year, Master CFI Thomas P. Turner has been Lead Instructor for Bonanza pilot training program at the Beechcraft factory; production test pilot for engine modifications; aviation insurance underwriter; corporate pilot and safety expert; Captain in the United States Air Force; and contract course developer for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He now directs the education and safety arm of a 9000member pilots’ organization. With over 4000 hours logged, including more than 2500 as an instructor, Tom writes, lectures and instructs extensively from his home at THE AIR CAPITAL— Wichita, Kansas.
This refresher is excerpted from 61 Critical Pilot Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Click here for details and samples.
This document is a transcript of the accompanying audio program Copyright © by PilotWorkshops.com LLC. This product is licensed for individual use only and may not be copied or shared with others. You may copy it onto multiple personal devices or computers.
Rejected Takeoff Refresher I was instructing in an older Beech Baron twin at Wichita, Kansas’ Colonel James Jabara Airport. If you've never flown a Baron, you might be surprised to find that there are rudder pedals, but almost never any brakes, on the instructor’s side of the airplane. My student, a fairly experienced Baron pilot, powered up for takeoff. The right engine’s propeller speed lagged, however, and he wisely reduced throttle on both engines to keep from rolling toward the right side of the runway. Surprising me, once he had regained directional control he reapplied full throttle to both engines—and again started to drift to the right. I called "abort, abort, abort!" as per our pre-departure briefing and again, the pilot reduced throttles and realigned the airplane with the runway centerline. Then, when I thought we were stopped, a third time the pilot set full power. We were easily in the last 1500 feet of the runway at this point, far too little remaining to achieve takeoff speed. The pilot firmly held the throttles forward despite my repeat call of "abort, abort, abort!" and I couldn't pull the throttles back against his grip. Without brakes, I was forced to pull back the mixture controls to override the pilot's power command. I continued to voice "abort, abort, abort!" and then "brake, brake, brake" as we neared the end of the pavement. The engines, starved for fuel, quit, and the propellers ticked to a stop as the nose-wheel halted mere feet short of the end of the runway. We restarted the engines and taxied back to the ramp, where mechanics found a failed propeller governor on the right engine. Okay, this is a dramatic (yet true) description of a Rejected Takeoff, or RTO. Most RTOs are the result of engine anomalies or power outages on takeoff. Some are other distractions, like open windows or doors, or a seat belt closed into the door and slapping against the outside of the fuselage. Regardless of the reason, too often RTOs result in runway excursions, many arising from loss of directional control through the aborted-takeoff process. Failing to be prepared for a rejected takeoff or to promptly execute an RTO when needed is a common pilot error. Rejecting a takeoff can be as uneventful as simply reducing power and rolling to a stop. It may take the form of noting a problem during your engine run-up, and never taxiing onto the runway at all. A takeoff abort may require a quick "chop" of the throttles up to or at liftoff speed, or even a few feet in the air over the runway. In the worst case, a takeoff abort may have to begin at a point where you can't come to a stop on the remaining runway. In that case, at least you’ll be at a slow speed when you go off the departure end. Here's what you need to do in the case of a takeoff abort:
Pay attention to what your airplane is trying to tell you. Don't skimp on your preflight inspection; don't absentmindedly rush through the Before Takeoff checklist and your engine run-up. Double-check the security of seat belts, doors and windows before taxiing onto the runway. Brief your passengers to maintain a "sterile cockpit" (they should refrain from talking or asking you questions except in
the case of clear danger). Do this from the time you "power up" for run-up until you tell them you're at 1000 feet above the ground. The purpose of all this preflight work is to keep you from having to abort in the first place.
Maintain control. Keep the airplane going in a straight line with the wings level. There's no better way to maximize your chance of survival and minimize the danger of damage than to keep the airplane under control. Conversely, if you let circumstances distract you from maintaining control, you're no longer in command of your airplane, and will have to live with the results.
Reduce power. Get the power to idle. The rapidity with which you need to reduce power—whether you should reduce or chop the throttle—depends on your circumstances.
Aborting from well below rotation speed, with lots of remaining runway? Bring the power smoothly back to idle. Rolling toward the last thousand feet of the runway? Get the throttle to idle now. Lose an engine on takeoff in a twin-engine airplane? Chop the throttles to remove "asymmetric thrust" that threatens to force you off the side of the runway. Regardless of the circumstances of your RTO, the most important thing after maintaining control is to reduce power right away. After reducing power, brake as needed to come to a safe stop. What if you're getting dangerously close to the end of the runway? If time and maintaining aircraft control permit:
Pull the mixture control(s) to idle cutoff. Not only does this eliminate residual thrust that occurs even at idle, it also stops most fuel circulation in the engine compartments—important for fire protection if your runway departure leads to a collision and engine compartment damage.
Shut off the fuel. Turning the selector(s) OFF prevents additional fuel from flowing into the engine(s), where things are hot and ready to burn.
Turn off the alternator/generator and battery master switches. Electricity can spark a fire if you collide with something after leaving the runway; turning the switches off shuts off this dangerous ignition source.
A successful RTO begins by recognizing the possibility of an RTO exists on every takeoff. It means having a practiced plan in place for aborting the takeoff and maintaining directional control while preventing the chance of a post-impact fire if you’ll roll off of the runway. It’s a common pilot error to forget the need to be ready for a rejected takeoff. Review your RTO actions every now and then while sitting in the airplane, visualizing the scenario and actually moving the controls. Brief yourself on the RTO procedure each time you line up for take off.
