Best plan for a 'water landing'

[Barry.h]

It always amuses me when the airline safety presentation says “in the event of a water landing ….â€. I have to fight the urge to jump up and say “no … if we finish in the water that is NOT a landing!â€.

I have been pondering the best plan should I ever be faced with a ‘Water Landing’ in the Dimona I fly. I have had the unfortunate experience of a nose-over in the Dimona in very long grass and to finding yourself upside-down in a very dark cockpit is very disorienting. Fortunately the canopy shattered and we could get out – otherwise we would have been waiting for assistance trapped very securely in the cockpit. I suspect there would be a very good chance of nosing-over in a TMG upon impact with the water.

I have watched the Mythbuster’s investigation of getting out of a car if it is sinking in water. They demonstrated that the pressure differential when there is any air in the cabin makes it impossible to open a door – let alone a big canopy. You have to wait (patiently) for all the air to go before you begin putting effort in to opening the door.

I am thinking jettisoning the canopy would be a good idea in case of nosing over. It would be a violent rush of water for sure, but I would much rather have a clear escape route if the highly probable situation of being inverted happened.

An alternative strategy would be to touch wing-down-first and force a ‘ground loop’ to try and avoid a nose-over. You might still want to do this without a canopy too.

Does anyone know of a recommended procedure? It is not a pleasant through – and a situation to be avoided at all cost – but it is better to have a plan prepared should the situation ever occur.

[Barry.h]

It always amuses me when the airline safety presentation says “in the event of a water landing ….â€. I have to fight the urge to jump up and say “no … if we finish in the water that is NOT a landing!â€.

I have been pondering the best plan should I ever be faced with a ‘Water Landing’ in the Dimona I fly. I have had the unfortunate experience of a nose-over in the Dimona in very long grass and to finding yourself upside-down in a very dark cockpit is very disorienting. Fortunately the canopy shattered and we could get out – otherwise we would have been waiting for assistance trapped very securely in the cockpit. I suspect there would be a very good chance of nosing-over in a TMG upon impact with the water.

I have watched the Mythbuster’s investigation of getting out of a car if it is sinking in water. They demonstrated that the pressure differential when there is any air in the cabin makes it impossible to open a door – let alone a big canopy. You have to wait (patiently) for all the air to go before you begin putting effort in to opening the door.

I am thinking jettisoning the canopy would be a good idea in case of nosing over. It would be a violent rush of water for sure, but I would much rather have a clear escape route if the highly probable situation of being inverted happened.

An alternative strategy would be to touch wing-down-first and force a ‘ground loop’ to try and avoid a nose-over. You might still want to do this without a canopy too.

Does anyone know of a recommended procedure? It is not a pleasant through – and a situation to be avoided at all cost – but it is better to have a plan prepared should the situation ever occur.