Re: FLAPS-Caution
- From: Steve Leonard <REMOVE_TO_REPLY.zuni228@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 27 Aug 2005 03:10:13 GMT
Roy, you hit the nail on the head. Advice on RAS is
worth exactly what you pay for it. In my case, $9.95
per month for my dial-up (yeah, and I don't have a
cell phone either!) interent access. Pilot ability
and how you react to things that are different than
what you have seen before is what will make or ruin
a first flight in a new type. Instruction needs to
be in person and with someone that knows your abilities.
If someone gives you advice on flaps, ask to see their
logbook and see just how much 'flap' time they have.
I know someone that is looked at as something of an
authority on flapped ships and I have heard him give
out advice that is DEAD WRONG.
Examples of ability: I know of someone that said he
had at most 100 hours ina 1-26 when he got his first
glass ship. An ASW-12! And flying from a 2,500 foot
strip, with trees around. Never harmed it.
Another pilot with literally hundreds (maybe even over
1000) hours in all sorts of powered airplanes from
Cubs, to Pawnees to Ercoupes to an RV-3, got his glider
rating. Did fine in his club's 1-26. Bought an HP-14
and never could figure out how to fly it. He never
let go of the spoiler handle in the other gliders he
flew, but for some reason, he thought he could set
and let go of the handle on his flaps. His first landing
in his HP was a gear up landing, complete with a 270
degree rotation groundloop and stopping right on the
centerline of the runway! He also had problems on
takeoff, as he insisted on holding full back stick
at the start of the roll, since that is what you do
in a 2-22 or 1-26 to get the skid up. Even after I
had told him to treat it just like a Cub or Pawnee.
Stick forward (somewhere between neutral and full,
whatever makes you comfortable) to get the tail up.
As a result, he came off slow and PIO'ed. Didn't
hit the ground, but did not leave him feeling good.
Both good pilots, but different abilities to adapt,
learn or listen to advice given.
And that crap about 'You have to be more accurate with
your speed control with a flaps only glider.' Puuh-leese!
If you cannot hold ANY glider within about 3 to 5
knots of your target speed in normal conditions, you
probably are not ready to be flying by yourself!
As Udo said, just because the stall speed goes down
when the flaps do does NOT mean you fly your approach
slower. You MUST fly your approach at a speed that
will let you bring the flaps up to zero at any point
in the pattern short of over the runway and ready to
touch down.
And for those of you that don't like flaps, please
keep flying safely what you do choose to fly. And
I will keep flying all my ships, flapped or not, to
the best of my ability.
End of my useless advice for this posting.
Steve Leonard
(Not a CFIG, but I did stay at a Holliday Inn Express
last night!)
:-)
.
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