Bill, I have only stalled my own mono XS Europa, but that I have found is
very benign in the stall in all configurations. The only time that I have
got into the start of a spin was when I deliberately stalled it in a steep
turn - for the experience. It went very quickly into a spin, but that
corrected itself instantaneously with opposite rudder and easing the stick
forward. Otherwise a straight & level stall with flaps/gear down and the
plane balanced is a non event, with little tendency to drop a wing and
instantly sorted by letting go the stick. I find it entirely well behaved in
doing a full rudder side slip with flaps down for a PFL.
I would suspect that the same would apply to any XS as long as
the wings have gone on at the same rigging angle, and the builder hasn't
chosen a Cof G too far aft. Classics of course have much more wing shape
variability and it might be that individual ones are less well behaved.
However my guess is that most stall spin accidents have little to do with
the stall characteristics of the aircraft, but more to do with the enormous
work load associated with an engine failure shortly after take off, It is
all too easy to inadvertently be helping the turn round with excess rudder
whilst losing sight of the airspeed, because you are stressed big time and
desperately trying to work out several other things in your mind.
If you can get a ride in someone else's Europa (or when yours is
built)and go up to a safe height I think you will be pleasantly surprised at
how nicely it stalls and sideslips with full flap. You will also probably
find that the ground run on landing barely exceeds 100metres, and much the
same on take off if you have 912S or 914, and a VP prop and are not too
hot/high/heavy!
Regards, David Joyce, G-XSDJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "William McClellan" <wilwood@earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 4:50 PM
Subject: Europa-List: Stall spin characteristics
> <wilwood@earthlink.net>
>
> I understand that the Europa is very prone to abruptly dropping a wing,
> trying to enter a spin, when stalled with full flaps in the landing
> configuration. On the other hand, in the clean, unflapped configuration
> the stall is very benign. I wonder if this is true of all Europa's or
> only some depending on the particulars of that builders end product and
> possible modifications. I have nearly 1000 hrs in a Citabria with very
> much of it flying into short "backcountry" dirt strips requiring
> significant STOL characteristics. I don't have flaps so regularly use
> severe straight and banked slips. The Citabria is a "dirty" plane
> compared to the "very clean" Europa so I believe the use of severe slips
> in the Europa is never warranted. My experience with very clean planes, I
> also have 1000 hours in my high performance glider and since the air
> brakes work so well, severe slipping is not needed...though some less than
> ultra clean gliders, ie, trainers, can make use of severe slipping!
> . It seems likely that Cliff Shaw's accident was a result of this abrupt
> spin stall characteristic in landing configuration. I have a rule (though
> not unique), "never skid a turn", keeping a nice margin above stall. It
> seems that the Europa (and probably all super clean planes, for instance
> the Cirrus), have a propensity to severe stall spin in landing
> configuration. I understand that many Europa pilots land with an airspeed
> up to 65 but this uses a greater landing distance considering the stall
> speed is in the 40's. Europa's original touted mission was short field,
> pasture strips. For those who often use this short field capability, I
> would like to know the particulars to make the Europa perform safely in
> this manner. Not having piloted a Europa, but am close to finishing my
> build, I am curious to these questions.
> Bill McClellan
>
>
>
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