Unplanned problems and thank you to Miami Departure

[Mat Lawrence 965555]

Wanted to thank the gentleman working Miami Departure last night and ask if how I handled this was good or could have been done differently.

 

I'm new to VATsim but have been using FS for years. I'm also now a student pilot taking lessons for real (hope to have my PPL this summer!). I was using the KingAir 350 out of Miami yesterday evening on an IFR flight to Atlanta. I should have known this flight was doomed from the getgo and just found something else to do for the evening. None of this was intentional just for the sake of making the flight interesting, all the failures were turned off and I was intending on an uneventful flight just to practice flying with ATC.

 

So I file my flight plan and get cleared. The only controller working the area was Miami Departure so he was handling everything. Luckily, it wasn't too busy for him. I get instructions to taxi to 8R and hold short. So I pull out my map and start to leave the gate, however the plane wouldn't go straight. My throttle was only controlling the left engine and the right was just sitting at idle. I called departure and told him I was going to be delayed and would get back to him when ready to taxi again. Stupid plane. Eventually, I just reloaded the aircraft and it all worked fine. So, on to taxi again. I get to where the map says I should be looking at 8R but the runway in front of me says 9L. I guess he saw me sitting there and cleared me to takeoff. I asked if he showed me at 8L and he said yes. I replied "Roger, I'm looking at 9L, not 8R." He advised me that the runways were renumbered. I guess I missed that bulletin... So I acknowledge my takeoff clearance and get moving.

 

As I get airborn, I bring the gear up and do a quick instrument check. Much to my dismay, I see a the big red Master Warning and the nose wheel light is on. Left oil pressure is in the toilet and my nose gear won't come up. Bastard plane. Now, mind you I've never done an emergency procedure with ATC before so I more or less did what I knew from studying for my license. I distinctly remember that ATC will do what they can for you but they are not going to tell you how to fix it or land the plane. At the same time, departure called me to give climbout instructions. I figured I might as well follow through with this and see what happens. Ensuing radio traffic was more or less as follows. Tell me if I did ok?

 

"Midwest 1015, climb runway heading to 6,000"

"Departure Midwest 1015, I've got a left oil pressure warning and my nose gear won't retract. I'm going to need immidiate return."

"1015, turn left for runway 8R."

[i began the left turn although without a given heading, I just brought it around about 120 degrees to be in a downwind to the other side of the field]

"Midwest 1015, what is your status" (or something like that, don't remember exactly)

"Departure, Midwest 1015, oil pressure is holding but I'm going to need vectors to the closest runway"

"Midwest 1015, turn left blah blah blah, for visual runway 8R or 12, your choice"

[Followed his instructions which put me smack in front of 12]

"Departure Midwest 1015, looks like I'm lined up for 12"

"Clear to land visual runway 12"

 

That was the last of it. I held the flare as long as I could but the nose had to come down eventually. When it did, apparently it collapsed and [crash].

 

After my plane reappeared at the gate, departure called me and asked "how did that go?" I said "It went great until the nose gear collapsed and the plane crashed."

 

I got cleared again and did the flight again without incident.

[Garry Morris 920567]

Sounds ok.

 

When your throttle stops controlling all of your engines, pressing E then the numbers 1 and 2 very quickly on the keyboard will set the throttle to control those engines. In a 4 engined plane, it would be E 1 2 3 4 very quickly. This often happens when you're trying to type and forget you're not in the Squawkbox/FS Inn chat window. Invariably you hit E, then you can unsynch the engines.

 

That failure is funky, especially with everything turned off. Are you using FSP[Mod - Happy Thoughts]engers or some other program as well???

 

Sounds like you did fine overall. You didn't tax the controller anywhere past where he wanted to be (or he probably would have declined the emergency). You have original FS Scenery, which I'm sure the Miami crew is used to. You might find out from their web site where to download updated scenery for greater fun factor.

[Matthew Treptau 957518]

Sorry to hear about your bad experiance. As for the wrong runway, the runways at KMIA on FS2004 are mixed up so you can not depend on charts.

 

Cheers,

Matt

 

Whoops, just saw you said that in your post Garry.

[Mat Lawrence 965555]

Nost using FSpax or anything like that. It hasn't done that since so I don't know. I can't be toooo surprised. I took off with the Baron once, pulled up to hard and the tail hit the ground. The entire empenedge of the plane broke off. It was just a nose, 1/2 the cabin, and two wings. Yet it kept flying. It was pretty comical.