I am disappointed to see that some Europa builders have recently made
criticisms
without identifying themselves. I can understand anonymity in the case of
self criticism
(I learnt about flying from that type articles) but if the identities are
not known
one has to assume that the individuals concerned do not have the
qualifications or
experience to to justify their disparaging statements.
I am sure most of us prefer to see the forum being used for constructive
rather than
destructive inputs. In the case of aircraft handling feedback is important
and should be
analysed by those with significant experience on type. Initially of course
this was limited
to Europa themselves who passed on their experience in an understandably
cautious
fashion as it takes time to determine what is significant. Now that we are
fortunate enough
to have independent experienced operators such as Martin Stoner we should
consider
their opinions before speculating, especially in this case where first hand
information
was available.
As to the recent incident, it goes to show that we all have things to
learn. That is part of
the attraction of flying in the first place. I am a professional pilot
(with military and
civil experience but limited GA time) and am not afraid to pass on my
mistakes to avoid
others repeating them. I had a similar incident with a Jodel (with no
damage
fortunately). I was using a small amount of differential brake with a
20-25kt tailwind.
The aircraft weathercocked rapidly and the tail lifted. Only immediate
brake release and
full aft stick (as the wind came forward of the abeam) prevented the prop
striking the
ground. All of this was preventable with hindsight and so could be
classified as operator error.
This type of incident is therefore hardly unique to the Europa. As with
most
incidents/accidents it takes several conspiring sets of conditions for the
event to happen
(classically demonstrated in this case). Martin's honest and informative
debrief is an
example to us all. Just because you do not hear about other aircraft having
such
incidents doesn't mean that they haven't happened or will not happen in the
future. All
you can say is that this type of incident is more applicable to tailwheel
aircraft. Trigear
aircraft have their own problems. I would much rather land on a rough
surface with a
taildragger (small nosewheels are very vulnerable in this respect). Ivan
has never
claimed that the Europa is foolproof nor that it is incapable of catching
out an
experienced pilot. If you do not wish to elevate your skills then perhaps
the Europa is
not for you. If so do not expect to find an alternative that can operate in
and out of
grass strips and still give efficient cruise performance. Having looked
around at
Oshkosh I have yet to find a serious competitor with the same blend of
capabilities.
I understand that Martin has only just joined the forum hence his debrief
has only
recently appeared. Perhaps in future we could encourage pilots to pass on
any
significant events promptly direct to Martin for analysis so that a
considered debrief can
be published. The debrief would include all the relevant facts followed by
Martin's
evaluation. At this point anyone wishing to contribute their opinions can
do so knowing
that they have the full picture of what happened.
Nigel Charles
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