A "shaky" engine out "practice forced landing"

 

Every once in a while in this journey there is an event that I feel stands out. In this case, a simulated engine out while in the pattern at KEVY, Summit Airfield in Delaware. This was different because all my 3 previous simulated engine out practices were all at ILG with its 150-foot wide and 7000 feet long runways, in controlled airspace with the tower watching out for you once he clears you to land. This was different. Summit has a 65-foot wide runway - less than half of ILG and about a 4500 ft in length. There was a helicopter in a pattern on the grass runway running perpendicular to RW 17/35. When my CFI Raysean pulled the throttle right at the numbers, my brain just went into the ' i gotta make the RW mode' - and add to that this was an uncontrolled airfield - ' I have to make my radio calls clear - esp to that chopper guy'.. I have to say that I was startled that he pulled the throttle at that time... I was never expecting it. but as training kicked in on the words "you lost your engine" and i quickly pointed towards the runway .. (in real life I doubt if I would 'get' that i lost the engine so fast) It took about 50 seconds from the moment he pulled the throttle back to the point i made the runway at which point I realized - damn I am too fast! - .. quick "Flaps" "1..2...3"... level off .. Still 100 feet too high and I could see the far end of the runway.. threw in a forward slip, lost altitude, levelled off and pulled steadily to make it slow down and land... BUT... i forgot there was a gusting wind coming in from the left that, in the last four seconds, A gust pushed me to the right of the centerline before the wheels touched the ground with a thud. That experience left me a bit shaky that while trying to get off the runway, you can see me try to 'Steer' with the yoke before i corrected myself... CFI asked : What could you have done better? Plenty that I could have done better.. .. I could have had the flaps before I reached the runway numbers, Slowed down a bit, lose altitude gradually instead of that (in my mind) crazy forward slip, and put in crosswind correction till the end.. oh if time permitted, run through the engine out checklist. Though in my mind, I went with my rule that below 1000 feet, just try to land safely.. checklists come out only at 2000 feet AGL or above.

 

To compare, here is another simulated engine out landing at KILG in a Warrior II