THE IMPOSSIBLE TURN

A flying manoeuvre that is not for the faint of heart – even the most experienced pilots are discouraged from trying it.

Sometimes the plane’s engine(s) quit a few hundred feet above ground after takeoff despite thorough system checks before the flight. This wouldn’t be a problem if sufficient altitude has been achieved, as a pilot can turn the aircraft 180 degrees back toward the runway and land in the opposite direction of takeoff. Unfortunately, some pilots attempt the return at an unsafe altitude. The result is that the aircraft stalls during the turn, leading to an often-fatal outcome. The return to the airfield is therefore called The Impossible Turn.

Many pilots are trained not to return to the airfield unless a sufficient altitude is reached. Instead, they are trained to focus on pitching the aircraft for maximum glide distance and then pick a suitable place to land ahead of the aircraft’s current position. Pilots flying aircraft equipped with an aircraft ballistic parachute system – Cirrus planes for example have such a system (see Evolution Through Revolution, pp34-37)

– are taught that they should deploy their aircraft chute if the aircraft is 600 feet or higher than ground level.