Fellow Europaphiles,
I guess I have to add my 2 bits to these topics (one topic really).
Skid or slip, both are cross controlled conditions. If the ball
isn't in the center, you are cross controlled. The slip is less
dangerous, but you can stall out of it too, you just stall the "up"
wing instead of the "down" wing.
The turn from base to final is the source of one heck of a lot of
accidents. Usually the result of a delayed turn. The delay might be
due to a misjudgment of the winds, a bit too long on the scan up
final to check for someone out there, unexpected radio call,
whatever. You find yourself overshooting the turn and you want to
get back lined up on final. You steepen the bank but it isn't enough
and you are low and slow enough that you don't want to increase the
bank angle any more. Darn, you are so close to that center line,
maybe just a quick poke of that "down" rudder will chase the nose
around and get you close to lined up. You poke and, Bingo, the
"down" wing stalls, you flip over and you are in a spin at an
altitude where you'll never recover. It's very insidious. It can
happen to anyone regardless of experience level. I saw it happen to
a highly experienced glider tow pilot (many many hours) in a Super
Cub when he tried to hurry the turn to final so he get down to pick
up that next tow ASAP. Luckily, he walked (limped?) away from it
bruised but otherwise unhurt.
My private instructor warned me incessantly about it. Finally
demonstrating it to me at altitude. It impressed me! Man, one
minute you are in a nice turn, then you are doing an upside down spin
entry. I think we lost 1000 - 1500 feet (300 - 500 meters for you
folks on the east side of the pond) before we recovered. The other
interesting thing was no stall warning till it was way too late and
we were going over. That was in 1968 and I'm STILL impressed.
(Thanks to Carol "Speed" Conaway for that lesson!)
All I can say is resist that temptation to use that "down" rudder to
hurry the nose around when you are already uncomfortable with the
bank angle and turn rate. That "down" wing is on the inside of the
turn, moving much slower than the "up" wing on the outside. Even
though your airspeed may look OK, it probably wouldn't take much of a
kick on the rudder to make the low wing stop flying.
I'll get off my soapbox and let the rest of you fire away.
Good building and great (safe, please, I don't want to lose any more
friends) flying,
Bob Borger
Europa Kit #A221 N914XL, XS Mono, Intercooled 914, Airmaster C/S
http://www.europaowners.org/N914XL
(85%) tail kit done, wings closed, cockpit module installed, pitch
system in, landing gear frame in, rudder system in, outrigger mod in,
Fuselage Top on, lift/drag/flap pins in, wing incidence set, tie bar
in, flap drive in, Mod 70 done. Baggage bay in. Working in - 24
Instrument Panel, 25 Electrical, 28 Flaps, 29 Main Gear, 30 Fuel
System, 32 Tail, 34 Door Latches & 35 Doors, 37 Finishing. Airmaster
arrived 29 Sep 05. Seat arrived from Oregon Aero. Preparing ROTAX
914 for installation.
3705 Lynchburg Dr.
Corinth, TX 76208
Home: 940-497-2123
Cel: 817-992-1117
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