Forced landing site selection
Pick site once glide established.
Survey:
- Work out glide distance.
- Look ahead and to each side.
- If time and altitude permit, bank aeroplane to check below and behind.
Goal: no good field or aerodrome missed.
Field quality:
| Field | Rating | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Established airfield | Best choice | Also best: hard-packed, long, smooth field, no high obstacles at approach end |
| Road or highway | May be best in some areas | Unseen hazards: power lines, signs, traffic |
| Cultivated field | Good | Land parallel to furrows |
| Pasture field | Avoid where better option exists | Usually harbours boulders or tree stumps |
- Avoid: contour plowing, deep ditches, other unsuitable features.
- All else equal, pick field near houses, or at least a road; matters most in winter.
Wind and field length:
- Headwind shortens roll; downwind lengthens it.
- Slope also affects roll.
Landing direction (if altitude or no suitable field rules out into wind):
- Land into wind
- Crosswind
- Downwind (last resort)
Reading wind from ground:
| Sign | Indication |
|---|---|
| Smoke | Best indication. Drifting off slowly: light wind. Breaking away abruptly: strong wind |
| Grass and grain fields | Ripple with wind |
| Dust | Blows with wind |
- Direction unknown: land in direction of wind at time of take-off.
Trap: into-wind landing not always available; downwind landing extends roll.
References
- TP 1102 Ex.22, Forced Landing: Select a Landing Site; Determining the Wind Direction