Not really far-fetched, but maybe preferable still as separate
instruments. I've heard that an AOA indicator is not only fairly
standard now on bizjets and airline transports, but the pilots really
like it. A Flight Options pilot told me today that on his BeechJet
the AOA indicator is on the glare shield. Very useful for
take-off/landing (don't have to fuss over the charts which compute key
indicated airspeeds), but also at high flight levels where one AOA
reading to remember, under all weight and atmospheric conditions,
keeps you out of deep stall.
I ran NASA's FoilSim program on the issue, and it appears that AOA is
less than 1/2 as sensitive (to airspeed changes) at 150 MPH than at 60
MPH, using Europa weight, wing area and similar airfoil. The program
is now a Java applet on nasa.gov, in the education section of Glenn
Research Center, and targeted to young students, but I figure they
should have the math right!
Regards,
Fred F., A063, N3EU
Andrew Sarangan wrote:
>
> That's a good point. Even though theoretically AOA is a better concept than
> airspeed, it may be hard to measure it accurately, especially at cruise speeds
> and beyond. Nevertheless, I am still not convinced that this is not possible.
> A single instrument calibrated in terms of AOA and airspeed does not seem like
> a far-fetched idea.
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