AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021 - 102

RUDDER & WRENCH
NEVER AGAIN /
Speeding
toward the
trees
I didn't think the takeoff
through
BY STEVE ELLS
After spending a few hours talking airplanes, buying hadto-have
aero stuff, and meeting vendors, we were ready to fly
back to Paso Robles (PRB).
During past flights down into the LA Basin, I had often been
frustrated by my inability to make it all the way home because of
weather hiding the tops of the 4,000-feet-plus peaks that parallel
the Santa Barbara coastline, or marine layer fog. Fearing I might
again have to spend the night waiting out weather, combined
with departing late in the day was tickling up my let's-go trigger.
Dave, a big fella at 240 pounds, and I loaded up, did a quick
magneto check at the departure end of Runway 25 and asked
the tower for takeoff clearance.
" There's a 182 that just turned a close-in base. You can wait
for him, or if you're ready you're cleared for takeoff on twofive, "
came through my David Clarks.
I was ready, and wanting to show
Dave how to depart quickly, I released the
brakes and commenced a turning takeoff
roll from the hold-short line to 25.
Always conscious that I was the one
who would have to pay for engine repairs,
I gradually pushed the throttle forward.
I scanned the engine instruments
as we started accelerating; rpm was at
2,700, manifold pressure at 27, oil pressure
at 78; looks good, I thought. I loved
the 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360 in
my Comanche.
Dave didn't make any noise that I
remember but he must have been transmitting
some concern because when I
looked up, it seemed like we were running
out of runway pretty quickly.
And beyond the end of Runway 25 are
trees. My grip on the yoke tightened. Not
good, I thought to myself as we continued
to eat up runway.
On long runways I usually just raise the
nose at about 55 mph and let my beloved
Comanche fly itself off when it's ready. Not
I WAS DEL IGHTED when Dave bought a Piper Comanche 180
and moved it into a hangar two down from me. He was just
starting the flying game, and I was hoping to help him get on
the right track by sharing with him a few flying tricks I had
learned in the past 40 years. He turned out to be enthusiastic
flyer.
Little did either of us know then that during one of my
" teaching " flights I showed him three tricks that no pilot
should ever do. We were fortunate that day. Here's the story of
the September 10, 2015, flight down to the Corona Municipal
Airport (AJO) in California for an Aircraft Spruce & Specialty
open house.
102
AOPA PILOT / September 2021
today; today it was take-charge time. So, when we got to 60 mph,
I pulled the airplane off the runway, flattened the pitch angle to
stay in ground effect, and raised the landing gear to gain speed
and reduce drag. The gear comes up quickly in a Comanche, but
since the trees were getting bigger it seemed to take quite a while
that day. Dave must have realized we were going to clear the
trees because I remember hearing a strong exhalation in my
headphones as he let out a sigh of relief.
We crawled out of there at about 80 mph, well below the
best rate of climb speed. It was the best I could do with the
power I had. An hour and 50 minutes later we touched down
at Paso Robles.
SARAH JONES
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021

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