Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/247918
not stalled with full aft-stick outside ground effect, it's even more not stalled in ground effect. And you can forget about aerodynamic braking. I suppose you could land at a fast enough airspeed with enough backstick still available to raise the nose wheel while keeping the mains on the runway. This would likely be a delicate maneuver, since the airplane is probably still going fast enough to fly. Even if you managed to accomplish this balancing act, the airplane's pitch attitude is likely to be insufficient for any meaningful aerodynamic braking. An issue of more concern is whether this airplane has enough elevator control authority in ground effect to ensure the main wheels land before the nose wheel. Whatever the plane's pitch attitude was during that full aft-stick non-stall outside ground effect, it could become progressively less as it descends into ground effect. As soon as the main wheels contact the runway, the elevator's moment arm shortens. In the air, the plane rotates about its center of gravity, but on the runway, the main wheels become the pivot point. Since the main wheels are farther aft than the center of gravity, the elevator's pitch authority is less. Sure hope there's enough to prevent the nose wheel from slamming onto the runway shortly after the main wheels touch. EAA Webinars What would you like to learn? These ground-effect implications of an elevatorlimited airplane are there during takeoff as well. Rotation speed is faster than necessary. Immediately after rotation, when the moment arm extends from the main wheels to the plane's center of gravity, it's possible that a corrective forward-stick adjustment will be required. While this is true for all airplanes, it could be more pronounced in a plane where full aft-stick and a bunch of extra knots are needed just to unstick the nose wheel. Aborted landings also fall into this category. So, maybe that unstallable airplane ain't all that after all. In the amateur-built world, there's no requirement that an airplane be stallable, and there's a high likelihood that no two amateur-built airplanes are exactly the same. So, if you find yourself with an unstalled airplane at altitude during your first test flight (not even going to get into whether you should be stalling the plane on its—and your— first flight), be prepared to deal with the potential consequences during your first landing. Ed Kolano, EAA 336809, is a former Marine who's been flying since 1975 and testing airplanes since 1985. He considers himself extremely fortunate to have performed flight tests in a variety of airplanes ranging from ultralights to 787s. SportAir Workshops Get Hands-on. Get the skills you need from the experts you trust. Dates EAA SportAir Workshops Offered Location January 18-19........... RV Assembly ..............................................................Frederick, MD January 18-19........... Sheet Metal & Gas Welding .......................................Lakeland, FL Interactive. Educational. Mobile. EAA offers a series of free live webinars moderated and presented by aviation experts on a variety of topics. Register today! EAA.org/webinars January 25-26 .......... Composite Construction, Fabric Covering,............... Oshkosh, WI Sheet Metal, Electrical Systems, Fundamentals of Aircraft Construction, Gas Welding, & What's Involved in Kit Building February 8-9 ............. Composite Construction, Fabric Covering,.........Chesapeake, VA Sheet Metal, Electrical Systems, Gas Welding, & What's Involved in Kit Building February 22-23......... Gas Welding ..................................................................Lakeland, FL March 22-23 ............. Composite Construction, Fabric Covering,.........Watsonville, CA Sheet Metal, Electrical Systems, & What's Involved in Kit Building Visit SportAir.org to register today or call 1-800-967-5746 for details. EAA Webinars are supported by EAA SportAir Workshops are sponsored by EAA Experimenter 39