Vignette 8: Routine Test Flight

Eight—Routine Test Flight



Feathered, the prop on the port engine of the plane protested the operation with a hideous noise. Frantically working the hydraulic controls, the pilot failed to bring the prop back to normal. He cut the engine back to idle. Posing mechanical difficulties, a routine test flight had soured.

The pilot turned to the radio officer. “Send a radio to Operations, Sparks, and find out what gives.”

“Okay, Skipper,” and he turned on the dynamotor. The Morse key clicked, hesitated, clicked out its message and was silent. . . then a few more clicks. “Got it, skipper, Operations says that the hydraulic system is only designed to defeather once. You will have to bring her in on one engine.”

A heavy silence filled the cockpit momentarily. Bringing a two-motored DC-3A in on one engine presented control difficulties.

With the offending engine cut, the pilot began the descent. . . took a lot of right rudder just to keep it in a straight line. As the airplane neared the Miami International Airport, Sparks wondered how much of a job this would be. Routine test hops had a way of being anything but routine. Still, Operations had sounded confident. Good. As he looked out of the window, a procession of fire equipment and a “meat wagon” met his eye as they lined up along the runway. Not so good. Operations could sound confident; they weren’t on the airplane.

Relief flooded over him as the wheels touched the ground, rolled, swung the airplane around in a wide circle and came to an uneventful halt.