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  #11  
Old 01-15-2016, 11:44 PM
Mhead's Avatar
Mhead Mhead is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Northwest Arkansas
Posts: 102
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My employer had a Cessna 441 Conquest II that took off with the tow bar attached. Pilots heard a banging and nose wheel wouldn't retract fully. They landed on the mains and held the nose up as long as possible, but still had significant damage and ended up being totalled. Line guy towed them out of the hanger in subzero temps and didn't remove the tow bar. Left seat retired, right seat had a career change when the company went a different direction. I flew with them a lot and they were a great pilot team. Split second lapse can end careers or worse.
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Northwest Arkansas
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  #12  
Old 01-16-2016, 05:57 AM
Tooch Tooch is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Amelia, Va
Posts: 268
Default Me Too

I took off with my tow bar attached to my RV-7A when I first got it. I was used to flying a tailwheel plane for 10 years so I wasn't in the habit of looking at the front of the plane. I was lucky. No prop strike, just messed up the front wheel pant up a bit. Don't know how the bar came of the plane after I took off. When I came home, I found it half way down the grass runway. Lesson learned, I always do a final walk a round before I get in the plane to take off. Something I should have already been doing.
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  #13  
Old 01-16-2016, 12:12 PM
rightrudder rightrudder is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Laguna Hills, CA
Posts: 1,805
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Checklist.
Checklist.
And checklist.

If I ever get interrupted, I'll either start over or go at least 3 items back.
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Doug
RV-9A "slider"
Flew to Osh in 2017, 2018 & 2019!
Tail number N427DK
Donation made for 2020
You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky -- Amelia Earhart
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  #14  
Old 01-16-2016, 06:02 PM
KTOA KTOA is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 36
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When pre-flighting I teach you can stop mid-stream but you have to touch the last item you checked and keep your finger there until you are ready to continue. Only then can you untouch that item.

Complete focus is key and important. Sets the tone and hopefully keeps them out of trouble in the future.
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  #15  
Old 01-16-2016, 11:02 PM
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Infidel Infidel is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: WV22
Posts: 849
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Does losing the right main wheel on a J3 Cub count? The wheel separated on take off and fortunately there were people on the ground to inform us of the missing appendix prior to landing. A bad preflight.....yep.
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  #16  
Old 01-17-2016, 06:25 AM
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f1rocket f1rocket is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Martinsville, IN
Posts: 2,326
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On my -12. I keep the tow bar handle bungee corded to the pitot cover on the spinner. No way you can even start the engine with it attached.
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Greenwood, IN

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  #17  
Old 01-17-2016, 08:14 PM
gerrychuck gerrychuck is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Moose Jaw, SK, Canada
Posts: 550
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanH View Post
See there...another tailwheel advantage. A fella can fly around with his tow bar and never damage a prop

I beg to differ! An ag pilot I know very well took off from my local airport a number of years ago in his Snow Commander (forerunner of the Air Tractor) with the big "Y" shaped tow bar still attached to the main gear. As in "great big tow bar used for towing a 10,000 lb taildragger with a tractor". He successfully pushed it down the runway until he broke ground, at which point it bounced off the pavement and up into the prop. He managed to make it back around for a landing with a very significant chunk of the prop missing. Can't remember if he had to tear down the Pratt or not. Wouldn't ask...just one of those things you don't bring up!
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Moose Jaw Saskatchewan
RV6A "Second Wind" C-GERZ (born N242UL)
O-360 A1A, Sensenich FP prop

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