Tony/Graham,
Many thanks for these messages -- vital info indeed.
Should we interpret the specific references to the Classic to mean that the XS
wing has different stall characteristice, or are you just being careful to limit
your comments to your particular experience?
Best regards,
Nick Hammond
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Angle of Attack indicators (and stalls)
>> If you are a Classic, I would be inclined to fit both strips and a
warner.
>> The buffet strips need to be tuned to give a straight stall , flaps
down.
>> What happens is that the strips cause the stall to start at the LE,
which
>> tends to be much more progressive. We had no stall strips, we wanted
>> maximum TO performance for the short strip we operate from, so our
stall
>> started at the trailing edge and was vicious.
I'd second that statement.
I've flown a number of Europas now and the three Classics I have flown
without stall strips are quite a handful in a fully developed flap down
stall. You still get the buffet but if you push it further then the
reaction can, as Graham says, be vicious. On ZK-NWM without stall strips
my first fully developed flap down stall had me inverted in a spin entry
and took over 400 feet to recover from.... not something I'd look
forward to on approach! ZK-RJL isn't quite as severe but the wing still
disappears faster than is comfortable.
My standing recommendation to the NZ Classic builders is that, even if
you feel you can handle the stall without the strips installed, they
should still add the strips and the stall warner in order to provide a
greater safety margin.
With the strips installed the buffet is extremely noticeable and the
break away is less severe. If that's not enough then the loud beeping
---From the stall warning should let you know that you're doing something
wrong. On ZK-UBD, which has the strips fitted, I've been able to sit it
in the stall and just let the plane drop out of the sky in a very nose
high attitude.
In all cases power on, stick forward has always recovered from the stall
and stick forward, opposite rudder has recovered from the spin entry.
Naturally all of this testing is done with as much space between the
plane and the ground as practical, and allows at least 2500 feet for the
plane to recover and another 2000 feet for the pilot to recover.
Tony
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