Detlef Faber wrote > Sent: 26 December 2007 10:21 > To: FlightGear developers discussions > Subject: Re: [Flightgear-devel] RE water crashes or landing - > a changein design principle and default is suggested > > > Am Dienstag, den 25.12.2007, 22:24 +0100 schrieb R. van Steenbergen: > > gerard robin schreef: > > > With an aircraft which has gears retractable , the "landing" on > > > sea can be done smoothly on the belly. TableData "drag" (and > > > "lift") can be given with the best values according to the water > > > reaction. The values regarding landing on ground remains right. > > > We have, only, to select the right TableData according > to terrain type, > > > which is easy to do. > > > > > The possibility of belly landing an aircraft depends on the aircraft > > type -- an A/C with underwing mounted engines and a low wing is > > impossible to make a graceful belly-ditch (like the 737) since the > > engines would scoop up all the water and cause a huge > amount of drag > > (and pitch the nose forward). > > In this case the pilot approaches the water with a slight > bank, so only one engines hits the water. The drag will cause > the aircraft to make a strong yaw-movement, thereby loosing > speed and reducing the tendency to dive nose over. > > This is a standard procedure for emergency landing and has > been successfully (without loss of lives) conducted in the past. > > > IMO, the aircraft's fuselage, engines, and > > wings could also be considered contact points, albeit > higher situated > > than an extended landing gear. For example, when you land a > 737 or 747 > > over its recommended landing weight, you run the risk of > either breaking > > the gear struts or causing enough gear compression to > impact the engines > > on the runway. And of course, belly-landing an A/C on > tarmac or grass is > > just as possible as ditching on water, but those methods > could only be > > considered in an extreme emergency (like a jammed landing > gear). Even > > MSFS can be fooled into doing it: I once bellied a Learjet > 45 on the > > runway at Malaga in FS2004, only noticing that I made a > fuselage landing > > when I tried to taxi off the runway and the aircraft didn't > move (and I > > switched to external camera, realizing I forgot to lower > the gear before > > landing. Next time: THREE GREENS! :)) > > > >
And IIRC Boeing engine pylons are designed to detach if they are subject to rearward forces. I'm quite happy with the appearance of a water "landing" for the Seahawk: it sinks nicely by about the right amount. Of course we haven't modelled the disintegration for a high speed impact, but we are a flight simulator not a crash simulator. Happy Christmas Regards Vivian ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2005. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse0120000070mrt/direct/01/ _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list Flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel
