Demystifying The Killer Turn

Everyone gets the big scare speech early on in their flight training: "If you lose power on takeoff," say our trusty CFIs, with the requisite sobering tone of voice, "DO NOT try to return to the airport if you are below X feet above ground...always find an emergency landing area somewhere ahead."
Everyone has their favorite altitude number for "X", which is a factor of many variables, including aircraft engine off glide ratio and density altitude.  Usually it's a comfortably conservative number, say 1000 feet minimum AGL.

There's a good reason for that cautionary buffer zone of course: many pilots - and passengers - have died trying to make the killer turn back to the airport from too low an altitude.
In an attempt to demystify the infamous "Impossible turn", AOPA online managing editor Alyssa J. Miller goes about the worthy business of investigating firsthand just how high one should be above launch airport altitude to feel safe about turning back for that oasis of engine-out safety: the runway.

It's all based on aviation journalist Barry Schiff's Impossible Turn Maneuver Checklist, also replicated in the article.  Miller's goal is to "find out how much altitude you need to turn around safely—not to try to turn the aircraft around in a pre-set amount of altitude."
It's an important distinction, that difference between knowing the absolute minimum altitude you'll need vs. having a mindset of "must turn in 500 feet" to wrestle with.
And she does a service thereby for all of us by accumulating some real world numbers.
Taking wing, she climbed to a safe altitude with CFI Sandy Geer, then recorded several repetitions of:
<> simulated engine failure on takeoff
<> stabilizing to best glide speed
<> turning 270 degrees (a turn left or right dictates you will need more than just 180 degrees to line back up with the runway)
<> flaring, as if performing a landing
<> then recording the total altitude lost from pulling the power.
Miller's best altitude loss number was 300 feet in a Cessna 172!  The average altitude lost for the entire group of simulations was between 300 and 500 feet.  I'm itching to try this in an LSA...especially a motorglider.
After discussing their efforts, they each settle on a minimum above ground comfort altitude: CFI Reed's is 1000 feet AGL, while Miller says she might consider 750 feet her personal minimum.
Both note that in a true emergency situation any number of distractions will lead to greater altitude loss, or as we say Webside: YRMV (Your Results May Vary).  
It's a thought-provoking read, with a helpful accompanying video.  
At Sebring next month, I'm going to add this maneuver to my pilot report flight list, which should also give me some interesting comparison figures between different models of LSA, since all flights will take place from the same airport. 

FAA Amends Sport Pilot Examiner Medical Rule

Getting into the New Year garage cleanup spirit, the FAA has amended its Part 61 flight training rule, finalized in 2009, with some needed clarifications and corrections.

photo courtesy Aviation Advertiser

The stated purpose is to "revise the training, qualification, certification, and operating requirements for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors, and pilot schools."
The primary change as it relates to our corner of the aviation universe: Flight examiners giving the checkride for the Sport Pilot ticket do not need a medical certificate as long as they have a U.S. driver's license: i.e. the same self-certification of competence to fly requirement that governs the Sport Pilot license qualification.

Outrage at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year contest

This year the prestigious and widely-viewed BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) has hit rock bottom in terms of equality. Of the 10 nominees on the list there are no women, yes that’s right ZERO women. How can this be? The BBC claim they have no part in the decision which is made (apparently) by prominent newspaper and magazine editors. I suppose this demonstrates how widespread the level of sexism is in sport. And yet we are nearly at the end of 2011…how can this still be happening?!

SPOTY began in 1954 and since then there have been 12 women winners. You don’t need good maths skills to figure out that that means lots more men have won the trophy than women. But that’s not the central issue because it’s a popularity contest on the night, judged by the British public. The main problem is when not a single sportswoman appears on the list of 10 contenders. Over the past few years there have been at least one or two women nominated, but to have 10 men and no women is an insult to all the fantastic female athletes we have in this country. Chrissie Wellington is an obvious choice – four-time World Ironman champion (and someone who should really have been nominated years ago), Helen Jenkins - current ITU triathlon World champion, Emma Pooley - bronze medallist in World road TT and 2^nd overall in the women’s Giro d’Italia, Victoria Pendleton – European team sprint champion, Beth Tweddle  - European champion in gymnastics, Helen Glover and Heather Stanning – silver medallists in World rowing champs…I could go on.

I did an interview today on BBC radio York about this very issue and the interviewer Jonathon Cowap asked me if the issue is really about the appeal of women’s sports. But women’s sport in appealing and interesting, and just as good as men’s sporting performances, but women are not given the chance to demonstrate their athleticism, strength and skill because the media mostly ignore them. Sportswomen are not taken seriously enough in this country and the BBC SPOTY contest clearly demonstrates this. What a shame, not only for the sportswomen who have produced fantastic performances this year and deserve to be recognised, but for young girls growing up who see celebrities as their role models, instead of strong female athletes. Perhaps the BBC don’t realise how damaging this type of inequality is, but when news of female obesity makes the headlines, hopefully they will see the connection. Every action has a reaction, and the Sport, Gender and Media conference organisers will keep campaigning for more gender equality in sports until it is achieved.

Can I suggest boycotting the SPOTY programme until some sort of quota system is implemented? I am very interested to hear people's suggestions and reactions to this news.

Men's Only List: BBC Sport Personality 2011 Top Ten

Many of you may have noticed the uproar last night and today against the Sport Personality 2011 Top Ten list. While we'll follow this post shortly with a more detailed response, we wanted everyone to listen to Amy Pressland, co-organizer of the Sport, Gender and Media conference, as she took to the airwaves at BBC Radio York. Listen to today's show, 29th November, and jump ahead to 2:38:00 for her comments.

A disappointed Sport, Gender and Media organizing team.

Meet the Conference Team!

Amy Pressland

My name is Amy Pressland. I am one of the Sport, Gender and Media conference (10^th March 2012) organisers. I am currently in the final year of my PhD at the Centre for Women’s Studies (CWS) at the University of York. My research focuses on the representation of sports/women in British contemporary middle-brow print media. My personal interest in the media coverage and representation of sportswomen stems from feeling frustrated at the lack of reporting by national newspapers on female elite athletes. I am an athlete myself; I compete in long-distance swimming races and triathlons. I have always been an active person and was part of most of the team sports at school. I believe sport is a fantastic activity through which participants can learn more about themselves, how to treat others, and improve their health and wellbeing.

I came up with the idea for the Sport, Gender and Media conference, partly influenced by my own research, and partly with an aim to provide a platform to widen participants’ knowledge of the key irsues within the study of sport, gender and media and inspire further investigations. My fantastic co-organiser, Geneva Murray, also studies gender and sport at CWS and is passionate about creating a ‘space’ where scholars and students alike can discuss and share ideas around this topic. We feel that opening up a dialogue on sport, gender and media is particularly relevant because of the proximity to the London Olympic Games in 2012.

M. Geneva Murray

I am thrilled that the Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of York is hosting a Sport, Gender and Media conference, and that I get to be involved in the co-organization of it. I am nearing completion of my PhD at York and I am still as much in love with my topic today as I was when I chose it. Utilizing theories on the institution of heterosexuality, I conducted a qualitative study on all-female roller derby which evaluated the way in which derby aligns with or challenges heteronormativity. I formerly played roller derby with the Leeds Roller Dolls as Toxic Pink Stuff, and currently help train York’s new roller derby team.

I think Amy Pressland said it all in explaining why this Conference is important! I hope to meet all of our readers on 10 March 2012! In the meantime, enjoy the blog.

Natalie Stokes

I’m excited to be part of the conference because sport plays a major role in my life.  I think sport has the potential to empower and challenge people to achieve and experience life in ways they never thought possible!  En route to practicing medicine, I am obtaining an MA degree in Gender, Violence and Conflict at the University of York as a Fulbright Scholar from the US.  I enjoy nothing more than a good sweat before the sun rises!  I love challenging myself through powerlifting, rock climbing, and mountain biking – among other things. 

Abigail Tazzyman

I am a first year PhD student in the Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of York. My research focuses upon female cultures of body management; that is the methods utilised by women to alter their physical appearance. This will entail consideration of woman’s negotiation of their physical body and personal body image with their enactment of alteration and the physical body image they aim to achieve through this. I have had personally an on-going relationship with sport from a young age, once an avid swimmer I now climb, hike and mountain bike. This conference is important to me on several levels; my own personal relationship to sport, my interests in female body image and the presentation of the female body, combined with sport still being (at both amateur and a professional level) a deeply gender divided arena. The conference thus represents for me a forum where issues which I hold as important can be discussed, debated and challenged.

Nicole Zarafonetis

I am currently in my first year of her PhD at the University of York at the Centre for Women’s Studies. Originally from the US, I enjoy a variety of sport, particularly swimming and softball. When I'm not advocating for gender justice, I like to spend my spare time working out at the gym.

Evangeline Tsao

I am currently in my first year of a PhD in the Centre for Women's Studies. I am passionate in photography and I am glad to have an opportunity to capture the wonderful moments of this conference. I am not good at sports myself, but I do enjoy swimming and biking for leisure. Occasionally I try new things, and I finally did my first rock-climbing this April at Sheffield - with some screaming and swearing in the process, and feeling absolutely great afterwards. I personally hope that this conference can give me more confidence in doing sports and hopefully I will start to like running, or have a chance to challenge myself with other sports that I have never done before. I suppose carrying a huge camera and running around can be considered as some kind of ... exercise.



Amy and Geneva are delighted with the support they’ve gotten from the Centre for Women’s Studies and their fellow students. This is not an exhaustive list of the support team, and more names may be added, but you will be hearing from all of the above on the blog and in various online campaigns.

MU bungkam Chelsea 3-1

Senin, 19 September 2011 08:29

 
Jakarta - Manchester United membungkam tamunya yang juga musuh bebuyutannya Chelsea, pada big match yang berlangsung di Old Trafford, MInggu malam ini, dengan skor besar 3-1.

Chris Smalling langsung menghentak di awal pertandingan setelah membawa MU unggul 1-0 di menit 8. Sekitar 30 menit kemudian, Nani menggandakan keunggulan United menjadi 2-0.

Chelsea makin tersudut setelah Wayne Rooney mengkreasi gol ketiga MU di menit 45. Baru satu menit kemudian Fernando Torres memperkecil keunggulan MU menjadi 3-1.

MU hampir saja memperbesar skor jika saja penalti Rooney di menit 57 bisa merobek jala gawang Chelsea yang dijaga Petr Cech.

Dengan kemenangan besar ini, MU memantapkan posisi di teratas klasemen sementara Liga Inggris,
dibayang-bayangi Manchester City yang malam ini hanya mampu bermain imbang melawan Fulham.

Fulham berhasil menahan Manchester City yang sudah unggul 2-0 lewat kontribusi Sergio Aguero.

Fulham tidak menyerah dan dua gol dari Bobby Zamora dan Danny Murphy memupus peluang City untuk meraih tiga poin guna memantapkan posisinya di puncak klasemen.

Di pertandingan lain, Sunderland menyusul langkah fantastik Tottenham Hotspur yang menang besar 4-0 atas Liverpool, dengan membenamkan tamunya Stoke City juga dengan skor 4-0.

Sunderland sudah unggul di menit lima dari tendangan Titus Bramble. Menit 11, Black Cats menggandakan gol dari sundulan Jonathan Woodgate.

Berikutnya, Craig Gardner dan Sebastian Larsson memantapkan kemenangan 4-0 Sunderland atas Stoke City.

Ferguson Damprat Putri Dalglish

Jumat, 16 September 2011 | 07:56

MANCHESTER - Permusuhan antara Manajer Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, dengan Kenny Dalglish (Manajer Liverpool) bisa mengarah ke pribadi. Pasalnya, Ferguson mendamprat putri Dalglish saat sesi wawancara.

Insiden ini terjadi seusai pertandingan Manchester United lawan Benfica di Liga Champions yang berakhir 1-1, Rabu atau Kamis (15/9/2011). Ferguson tampak bersikap ketus saat
diwawancara Kelly Cates yang juga putri Kenny Dalglish. Cates merupakan reporter dari ITV.

Cates saat itu menanyakan apakah tentang situasi penjaga gawang MU. Pada partai lawan Benfica, Ferguson menurunkan kiper Anders Lendegaard yang ternyata tampil mengesankan. Sementara kiper utama David De Gea justru dicadangkan.

Ditanya soal kiper, Ferguson langsung menunjukkan kemarahannya kepada Cates. Cates menanyakan  apakah permainan bagus Lendegaard akan membuatnya dalam dilema dalam memilih kiper.

Ferguson lalu langsung menjawab, "Tidak sama sekali. David (De Gea) akan bermain pada Minggu ini. Itu pengertian yang sudah kami buat sebelum pertandingan ini (lawan Benfica) dan tak akan berubah."

Sebelum Cates mengajukan pertanyaan berikutnya, Ferguson semakin marah dan mengatakan, "Saya tak tahu kenapa kamu menanyakan hal ini. Kamu hanya mencari hal-hal bodoh!"

Cates tampak tersinggung dan terpukul. Kemarahan Ferguson kepada Cates itu bisa membuat Manajer Liverpool yang juga ayah Cates, Kenny Dalglish, ikut tersinggung.

MU akan bertemu dengan Liverpool pada 15 Oktober di Stadion Anfield.

Dre@ming Post______