I was wondering what caused the airplane to stall. After it stalled,
why did it drop a wing? What was the density altitude?
Bob
> ----------
> From: markt@avnet.co.uk[SMTP:markt@avnet.co.uk]
> Subject: Re: Introduction
>
> Barry You wrote: > The whole issue revolves around
> >whether the Europa can be operated from a 280 meter (hedge to hedge)
> farm
> >strip.
>
> I speak from experience when I say that the Europa is capable of
> operating
> from 300 mtr grass most of the time one up. The snag, as I discovered,
> comes
> when something is not quite right and you have failed to detect it.
> There is
> absolutely no room for error and, at a certain stage of either takeoff
> or
> landing, you are committed and there is no room to change your mind.
>
> Last October I was attempting to take off from my 300m grass strip
> after 40
> hours and many other successful flights from the same strip. The
> conditions
> were as near perfect as possible and everything appeared to be normal
> until
> I rotated. There was insufficient power from the engine to push the
> aeroplane rapidly into the air after lifting the tail and it stalled a
> few
> feet above the ground, level with the end of the strip. It dropped a
> wing
> and cartwheeled into the adjoining field. I escaped virtually unhurt
> but the
> plane was a write-off.
>
> Why did it happen? I failed to detect that the engine was not
> developing
> absolute full power - and it needed this to fly out safely. Maybe it
> was
> just 100 rpm off the top - but that was all it needed to turn a safe
> take-off into disaster. When I did realize that it wasn't really going
> to
> fly, there was no room to stop - or to do anything else, for that
> matter!
> There was only time to shout "Oh s--t!"
>
> Graham Singleton summed it up very accurately. And the truth is that
> there
> is simply no room for error. If you are lucky you will never need that
> room
> - but...but...but...but.
>
> My advice has to be, find yourself a longer strip!
>
> Mark Talbot (starting all over again!)
>
>
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