interesting flight into Lincoln Park last night

[Keith Smith]

RNAV (GPS) RWY 19 into N07 last night. Nearest weather reporting 5nm away was calling 7500 broken but I was seeing something entirely different. Reaching MDA (1280), no field in sight, held that to the missed approach point and initiated the missed. Just as I started the procedure, a large hole came into view so I opted to circle for runway 19.

The runway is just under half a mile in length, so this gives you an idea of how tight the circling was kept. It was a low, tight pattern with a short approach. I got it slowed to gear speed just prior to abeam the numbers.

It's an odd feeling to have started the missed and then land less than 60 seconds later.

The big takeaway is that you'll never know when a tight pattern is going to be needed, it's a great tool to have in the box. Having done these 'rushed' landings in the sim a bajillion times definitely helps.

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[Keith Smith]

And here's a pic on the way over to Nashua earlier that morning, level @ 9K

http://i.imgur.com/tWWOpeJ.jpg

[David Gilbert]

Keith are you going to be putting any more of your RW flights on YouTube? I certainly enjoy watching them but you haven't put one up in a while.

[Keith Smith]

I'm now flying with a Bose A20 headset (it was a gift) which doesn't permit me to the mount the camera the way I did before. I need to find an alternate approach.

[asad112]

I really enjoy practicing tight patterns. It can be difficult when operating out of busy/towered fields, but if you have the opportunity it should be practiced. I did my primary training out of a sleepy satellite class D with a 3000'x30' runway, essentially in the middle of suburbia -- not a lot of emergency landing spots. My instructor drilled the tight pattern principle into my head early on. To be honest, I now get an uneasy feeling flying these huge patterns I seem forced into when operating at a towered field. I really miss flying those short final legs, not the legs long enough to write your novel during.

[Keith Smith]

What I should've noted in the original post was that there were 4 things that posed a challenge in this case:
1) getting slowed to gear extension speed in time to safely continue
2) managing energy through the base to final
3) managing bank angle and nailing the lineup on final, not wanting to overshoot since there would be minimal time to correct a poor line-up with a such a short final. Overbanking in a low energy state is a documented killer of Lancairs. The recovery from stall requires significant altitude, which was absolutely not available.
4) completing the pre-landing checklist. Doing a 'rushed' approach where everything is time compressed makes it harder to get the administrative side of things squared away.

It's hard not to enjoy maneuvering in the Lancair. When I spotted the field, my eyes were drawn to a midfield downwind spot and in my mind I said, "that's where I need to go." Minimal pressure on the stick, throttle slowly back to idle, duck under the cloud deck (which existed on the downwind side, but not over the field itself, the small miracle that allowed all this to happen at all), roll out on downwind....it all happens in the blink of an eye, but as I look back on it, that turn and the 180 turn to final were really a lot of fun.

The plane is just a pleasure to fly. Everyone should have one!

[overload]

Out of interest, what sort of calls would you announce on the unicom frequency in these situations - did you have time to make the calls?
Eugene

[Keith Smith]

Eugene, that's a great question. The answer may surprise you, especially since I am normally relentless about making CTAF calls. The simple answer is that when the weather is low like this and below normal VFR minimums, the only other traffic that's going to be at the airport is another IFR departure or arrival. Since it's one-in-one-out, I knew the airspace was mine and would be void of any other active aircraft, other than someone crossing a runway to get fuel, perhaps. A courageous helicopter may have elected to do pattern work (I think their weather mins are different), but if that was the case, they would be making right traffic rather than left.

To answer the question, though, I was swapped to the CTAF by Caldwell Tower when I was more or less over the field (I had just started the missed). I made a quick call to say that I was entering a left crosswind for rwy 19, then I called on downwind. I think I made the base call and definitely made the final call.