To Go or Not To Go

A takeoff decision

- LES ABEND

I had myriad reasons why my Piper Arrow hadn’t slipped the surly bonds in weeks, so when the day’s weather transformed into a beautiful Florida clear-and-a-million sky, I had no excuses. The mission was uncomplicated. I’d fly to an airport only 15 minutes away, top off the tanks, and return home while practicing a GPS approach or two.

After a methodical engine run-up, and a “not everybody gets to do this” grin on my face, I pushed the throttle forward on all 200 horses of the IO-360. A scan of the JPI and analog gauges indicated we were go for launch. As the runway lights and centerline markings started to blur with normal acceleration, I noticed that both the Aspen Avionics flight display and the analog airspeed were indicating 35 knots. Approximating the distance traveled on the 5,500-foot runway, I quickly realized that the airspeed should be higher. Ruh-roh.

For whatever reason, the Aspen groundspeed wasn’t supplying information to assist in clarifying the issue. So, do I abort? Plenty of concrete was in front of the nose, but that’s not how my airline-pilot brain is wired. Aborted takeoffs terminate in blown tires, fires, and a trailblazing trip through unforgiving dirt.

Instead of stopping, I applied gentle back pressure to the yoke. The airplane leaped into the air. That abrupt reaction answered the question of a flyable airplane. Both airspeed indications seemed stuck at 73 knots no matter how I adjusted the pitch attitude. I was being lied to. A groundspeed accelerating through 100 knots confirmed the assessment.