Dear Colin, If the weather is good, I fly about 3 to 4 times a week. I fly with my "other"plane out of the 1200 foot strip. I have been testing different landing techniques in preparation for the completion of my KR2. I have found that the technique that you describe, "push the stick forward to pin the aircraft on the ground, ride the bumps, I can see clearly and you balance the aircraft on brakes and rudder and slowly have to push more forward as the speed bleeds off", is the technique that I believe to be the most viable option. One reason it appears viable is that I spend less time floating and more time slowing down. A given touchdown speed gives a fairly consistent landing distance taking wind and weight as variables. I can duplicate landings consistently and so far safely. I have found that, for me, I use 70 MPH instead of your 80 MPH, 70 MPH is still a controllable speed and I only have 1200 feet. Everything else seems about the same. Thank you for sharing.
I greatly appreciate everyone's input and value their opinion. This is a fantastic group. thanks, Joe On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 6:11 PM, colin hales via KRnet <krnet at list.krnet.org > wrote: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FJuTyf2sJc > Hi all, > I've been reading the messages about landing and approach speeds. I've > read some quite scary stuff. I don't like posting on here because all you > get is shot down and people tell you what you are doing is dangerous. So > I've hardly ever quoted or responded because everything is "Each to their > own!" > Attached is a link to a video I posted on youtube recently about such > events and approaches. I'm not saying anyone should copy what I do, in case > of litigation. I'm also going to say what I don't do and the reasons why I > don't do them. That is all gents. Enjoy... Remember, I'm not telling anyone > how to do it. This is just food for thought. > This only works for a taildragger of course. For a nose gear plane I'd do > similar, except I'd ride a little less forward pressure, a lot of back > pressure to save the nose wheel, is really not a good idea. if you hit a > hump, the plane can take off again at low speed and that is going to hurt. > Now you have a high angle of attack and little control-ability, no > visibility and can all end up in tears. But with forward pressure, yes it > may get airborne over a hump, but you are at the right angle of attack to > place down again gently, you have some back pressure effect left, there is > no chance of it climbing high. So I always go for very little back > pressure. If anyone disagrees, remember, don't reply, I do not care, I'm > just telling you what I do. > So in the video are different approaches in my KR2. 1st is Vagar on the > Faeroe Isles after descending around some cloud at about 1.30 seconds in. > 2nd TKM on Iceland a 500 meter grass strip, 3rd Kulusuk a gravel strip in > Greenland, 4th Nuuk International on a man made hill, 5th in a hurry to > land at Sanderson USA and final arriving at Oshkosh. > Normal decent speed is 120 mph, circuit 100 mph over the fence 80 mph > touch down 60 mph tail down 20 mph. I wheel on for good visibility and > better control, three point landings are a no no, you loose all vision and > can end up floating. Landing at any speed close to the stall is a stupid > idea, can causes the aircraft to fall out of the sky uncontrollably and > bounce all over the place. I've never heard of anyone landing an aircraft > close to the stall speed, it just is scary to read even scarier to do. > My Kr2 stalls at 42 mph reliably, I land or hope to at about 60 mph and > push the stick forward to pin the aircraft on the ground, ride the bumps, I > can see clearly and you balance the aircraft on brakes and rudder and > slowly have to push more forward as the speed bleeds off and the elevator > looses effect until the tail drops at about 20 mph, when everything has > come to a virtual stop anyway. > I have tried to three point KR2 and lots of other aircraft, it just feels > wrong and a very poor method. Wheeling Kr2s on is easy, you just fly > towards the ground, parallel the ground till the wheels touch, catch the > tail, job done... > The short approach to the grass strip technique is to hit the end of the > runway at 60 mph and hard on the brakes. That runway was 500 meters long > 1,500 feet and I had 100 meters to go when I pulled over. If you go in slow > and un-sighted because of a high angle of attack, you can end up floating > along when you should be on the ground slowing down. > I see No need for complicated flaps or air brakes, spoilers or belly > boards and actuators, you just close the throttle and it virtually stops in > the air, 100 mph to touchdown speed in about 4 seconds. If in a hurry as I > was on the approach to Sanderson you can do everything 20 knots faster you > just wear out your brakes quicker. > Its only food for thought. > Enjoy. CH. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at http://tugantek.com/archmailv2-kr/search. > To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to KRnet-leave at list.krnet.org > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change > options >
