| ----- Original Message -----
| From: "Garry" <garrys@tampabay.rr.com>
| To: <europa-list@matronics.com>
| Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 10:37 AM
| Subject: Re: Europa-List: wheel landings [was: Flying a heavy Europa XS?]
I remain completely baffled as to why so many Europa pilots have chosen the
mono over the trigear when given a choice.
Bafflement counts.
There is absolutely zero performance advantage to the mono, in rate of climb,
in cruise speed, in fuel burn, or whatever.
The dangling doughnuts ADD speed?
The difference is that the mono is inheritantly unstable in landing (and
takeoff)
configuration. Everyone (almost) else in the aircraft business, both large
and small, has abandon the taildragger design, and no one else is building mono
wheel planes.
U2R, TR1A, come to mind. You say 'bicycle', I say mono/tailwheel.
For the life of me I cannot understand why Ivan thought he could be successful
when the rest of the world says it's an unstable design. The proof is in the
results.
Europa mono's are ground looping, wheelbarrowing, bending props, running
off the tarmac, and generally destroying themselves with regularity. Perhaps
that is a smart marketing strategy........to design a product that requires
regular parts replacement and rebuilding, but as a pilot I'm not impressed.
I do acknowledge that there are a few among our ranks who get a certain
thrill out of placing themselves in danger on every flight, and love the
challenge of taming a wild and unpredictable beast. It makes for good chest
thumping and bragging rights at the local pub, but might I suggest that you
take up the (American) sport of bull riding.
The ancient Cretans were doing it in Greek times.
It's probably safer and more satisfying than trying to land a mono.
I liked it better when you said chest-thumping.
I'm not trying to stir up the ranks, but simply trying to understand the
motivation
of choosing an unstable design over a proper one.
Unstable and proper are not necessarily opposites. The odd spouse is both.
Both Europas are fabulous planes in the air, but one operates on the ground in
a proper fashion while the other acts like a drunk and wounded gooney bird.
Let's hear some logical and unemotional arguments in favor of the mono.
Trigear
pilot
Garry,
I guess you knew what would happen. .......even got a reply out
of David Miller over here! It's hard not to be emotional - the hobby attracts
emotion. I agree with all the replies. I suppose the
retracting gear and the wing design attracted me the most. Mind you, like
"did you remember to take out the garbage?", you're saved - 'did you
retract the gear?'
Yes, with a tick of power, and the stick at the back you could
sift into a tight strip at the same speed (maybe), but I have 17 inches of
lovely golf caddy rubber and you have a tiddly disc on a stalk to contend
with the uneven lumps that follow. I think I'll be saying, "where do I sign
in?" about the same time you're saying, ".... on the overshoot, may see you
next year.....".
I could be wrong - I was wrong once before.
Cheers, Ferg
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