The Europa is no more or less unstable than other aircraft but it is a
kitplane so there will be variations between different aircraft.
The problem of the wing dropping in the stall was identified early on by
Europa and the PFA and is easily resolved by the fitting of stall strips. In
the UK stall strips or a stall warner are a mandatory fitment to all Europa
aircraft. I am pretty certain that if you look in your builders/ pilots
manual you will find a passage relating to testing and setting this up.
The stall strips are fitted in such a way that both wings stall at the same
time which eliminates the tendency to drop a wing.
Stall strips are a common fitment to kitplanes and GA aircraft alike. Next
time you walk past a line of aircraft, take a look.
To suggest that this is a Europa specific problem is nonsense.
BTW the most likely cause of a wing drop in the first place is a
misalignment of the flaps which I would imagine is rather difficult to
correct. Far easier to fit the strips or a stall warner.
> ----- Original Message -----
> Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 9:32 AM
>
>
> All the recent correspondence following the tragedy at Oshkosh seems to
> point to a basic instability with the Europa. Is this inherent in the
> design or due to building errors?
>
> Trimming ailerons to achieve smooth integration with the wing profile is
> dodgy and may point to a basic error in construction with one wing having
> a different lift characteristic to the other. The descriptions of other
> incidents such as a very sudden wing drop and incipient spin are not
> asociated with any other GA or home build as far as I know.
>
> Questions.. do people's experiences of wing drops apply generally in the
> same manner or do they apply to different wings and perhaps mainly to the
> foam wing?
>
> Should there be improved ways of measuring the newly formed wing profile
> before finishing?
>
> Have any pilots flown different Europas to see if the problem is
> replicated?
>
> I have never known a severe - or even comparatively slight wing drop in
> the stall, power on or off, in GA aircraft so the apparent Europa problem
> is worrying and needs some more in depth investigation.
>
> Patrick
>
>
>-------------------
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