Flaps down I
> couldn't really get the aircraft to drop a wing although I didn't
> put in
> a lot of rudder. However, stalling clean with the aircraft
> balanced and
> about 20/30 degrees of bank, the wing dropped violently and the
> rotationcontinued until I very rapidly found myself completely
> inverted.
Hi Richard and all,
I have been reading the messages following the sad accident at Oshkosh. My
thoughts
went to the family and friends.
I got the impression that some of the Europa flyers would benefit from
additional
stall practice, preferably with an instructor. What compelled me to chime in
is your mention of rudder. Of course, in any attempt at intentional stalls,
the slip ball must be as centered as possible. The stall in a turn is no
different
: the ball must be centered. Most light airplanes are very docile in a turn,
and many of them gently lower the upper wing at the stall, after a lot of
warning.
I would not try a stall with much rudder inputs in a non-aerobatic airplane : a
stall with rudder input is exactly what we do to spin an aircraft.
What you describe in your message looks very much like a snap (flick for the
British)
entry into a spin. There is a possibility that the slip ball might have
been off-centre. It would be interesting to try again at a safe altitude, with
a knowledgeable instructor or aerobatic pilot. A the ball centered, of course.
There may be some dispersion in flight behaviour due to construction, but it is
very unlikely that the Europa have such a nasty stall characteristic.
FWIW,
Best regards,
Gilles Thesee
Aerobatics FI,
http://contrails.free.fr
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