Message text written by INTERNET:BRYNALL@aol.com
>On two occasions the first bounce has been more pronounced, and I found
myself instinctively opening the throttle again. She responded by flying
straight off the bounce;-Beautifull!
<
There is a small compromise when it comes to the flap settings with the
monowheel Europa, namely that they are either up or down - no difference
between take-off and landing settings. Whilst this means that there is a
little less drag for landing (which might encourage a bounce), if a go
around is necessary the response is better than with a full land flap
setting.
I have not yet flown my Europa (first flight should be in the next few
weeks) but talking to experienced pilots on type I gather that two things
in particular help to achieve a good landing with the monowheel,
1. Avoid flaring at too high a speed and hold off until the attitude
enables a '4 point' landing. The speed should then be low enough to
minimise the risk of a bounce.
2. If you are lucky enough to have a VP prop the fine setting for landing
helps to ensure increased drag in the flare with the throttle closed. This
contributes to reducing the long float in ground effect before touchdown.
On both landing and take-off a VP prop helps to reduce the time spent in
the 30 to 50kt range when directional control is at its most challanging.
On take-off this is helped further if more than the minimum 80hp is
available.
Whilst the monowheel takes more training and experience to master there are
times when the trigear can become the more limiting aircraft. Operating in
and out of small soft grass strips is a case in point. The small trigear
wheels can add a lot of drag and are more likely to cause problems on bumpy
surfaces. In one case the pilot had to offload his passenger to ensure
getting out of the strip safely whilst the monowheel managed to get
airborne with 2 persons on board.
Nigel Charles
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