----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Hi all, Don't knock the "seat of your pants" concept. I confess that I have been doing that for years. When I feel light in the seat or it drops out from under me, my hand immediately goes to the throttle until it feels right. I know I should pay more attention to the air speed but after 15 years and 1150 hours of looking out of the cockpit, I have more problems backing the car out if the garage than I do landing the coupe. I promise to monitor the air speed from now on. Honestly. For Greg...More on GPS altitude tonight. Bill Coons Tim and Martha Briggs wrote: >----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- > > >Kevin > >I practice power off landings, pulling back to idle abeam the numbers, full >up trim and do a circle to the numbers. I conciously keep the nose below >the horizon to keep from getting too slow. Frankly, I'm not watching my >airspeed too much but more on how my approach is shaping up. I'd guess I'm >between 70-80 mph. I like to keep the nose down and some energy on the >airplane. Doing this, I'm almost always a little high on final and will slip >as needed to drop altitude. I don't know what I'd do if I found myself high >on final with no rudder pedals - the slip works beautifully because you can >maintain your energy (airspeed) while sinking faster. The plane recovers >instantly from the slip. > >It will probably be different for each airplane, but a CFI and I tried a >number of speeds and evaluated the power-off rate of descent. For my >airplane, 70MPH IAS now seems to be the magic number. It used to be 100MPH >IAS until I recently reconnected my pitot static lines on the left wing. 70 >MPH now gives the best rate of climb and the lowest rate of descent (about >500fpm) at idle. My coupe will very gently stall at idle, with full fuel >and a passenger if I pull through the spring "warning" to max up travel. It >barely drops the nose and you can just hold back pressure and it will >lightly bob up and down losing 50-100 feet each cycle. In this mode, it >indicates somewhere around 40-50MPH. > >Maybe I should pay more attention to the airspeed indicator and less to the >"seat of my pants" but the airplane has a definite feel/sound when the >airspeed is good. > >Hope this helps > >Tim > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Kevin Gassert [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 6:06 PM >To: 'Tim and Martha Briggs'; 'Licentious 99'; [email protected] >Subject: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Approach and landing speeds. > > >Tim, > Have you not found any airspeed that will allow you to pull the throttle >before turning base and make a landing power off? > >Kevin > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Tim and Martha Briggs [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 6:36 PM >To: Licentious 99; [email protected] >Subject: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Approach and landing speeds. > >----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any >advice in this forum.]---- > > >My two cents: > >I've been trying different techniques to get a smooth landing and settled >into the following for my 415G w/0200. My airspeed indicator was reading >high for so long I focused more on power and trim settings: > >Downwind Solo: 2000 rpm, full up trim holds me level. If I have a >passenger, 2100 rpm works. >Base: Pull back to 1500 rpm (1600rpm with a pax), establish 500fpm decent >rate >Final: Keep 1500/1600 rpm all the way down final, keeping the nose down. >Flare: I "power through" initial ground effect and begin to flare while >SLOWLY pulling off the power - about the same rate of up elevator input and >throttle retarding. >Touchdown: If I did everything right, it squeaks on the mains as the >throttle hits its stop. Relax back pressure on the roll out. > >I have found this process gives me fairly consistent greasers and I'm off >the runway at the first exit. I used to pull off the power over the numbers >but often found myself too slow and sinking in the flare - requiring a blast >of power. I have to consciously keep the nose down as I go through inital >ground effect or I flare too high and then sink. The coupe to me has a >non-linear (exponential?) rate of sink with decreasing airspeed. If I get >below a certain speed, it just sinks and the elevator has little to no >effect - even with the spring-loaded extra elevator travel on the G model. > >Hope this helps > >Tim > > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Licentious 99 [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 12:01 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Approach and landing speeds. > > >----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any >advice in this forum.]---- > > >Just to beat a dead horse let me add my two cents worth!! > >I have a 415D and have have found that you need to start the flare at 80mph >(power off) because at 70mph you run out of elevator, perioid, end of >discussion!!! > >I thought these numbers were high but I read what Greg and others have said >and they are right. Below 70mph (Power off) I am out of elvevator and must >add a little power. I might say that adding power has not been a >problem....even greased it in nicely a few times .... but not good technique >and my hardest landings were always when I ran out of elevator. > >I have compared my Lowrance GPS speed with the IAS in the Ercoupe and they >agree within a few MPH at all altitudes and speeds on calm days. My IAS is >CORRECT. > >I have found that at 1750 RPM (C-85 engine) and 80 MPH I am right on the >glide path at KHWO. After going to idle I flare at 80 MPH and touch down by >70 MPH and never need to add power. On windy/gusty days or crosswind days I >add a little speed to 85MPH at flare.....this works for me very well. If I >flare below 80 MPH I may ar may not have to add power...it is hit or miss. > >Ed Burkhead is right about everything vis a vie Ercoups but as regards this >issue I would tend towards the higher approach speeds if it was your first >landing in a 415D. > >Regards, >Ed > >_________________________________________________________________ >Discover the best of the best at MSN Luxury Living. http://lexus.msn.com/ > > >========================================================================= === >== >To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm >Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ > > > >========================================================================= === >== >To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm >Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ > > > > >========================================================================= ===== >To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm >Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ > > > > > > ========================================================================== ==== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
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