Len wrote: > Me thinks the real stall speed would be a bit higher in that at touch > down your in ground effect. My guess that a coupe at full gross out > of ground effect would probably need something around 60 to keep > livitating. I an not exactly a little guy so I carry at least 80 down > final
Len, Solo, I was flying near 1320 lb. With idle power, it probably would have been about 55 mph at touchdown. With 200 rpm, the slipstream pushes down extra on the tail and I got about 50 mph at touchdown. I tended to fly my final approach at about 1.3 times the idle minimum flying speed. Idle minimum flying speed of 55 * 1.3 = 71.5 mph. The 50 mph "stall" I had on landing came after I started a flare at about 70, leveled out a yard above the pavement, went to about 200 rpm above idle and held it off, held it off, held it off till I couldn't hold it off any more. THAT'S when I got the 50 mph airspeed with the 9° elevator up travel. This was a way that presented no danger of high sink rate I was level and just a yard high. As soon as I started to get sink, I touched down in a beautifully light squeaker landing. Having power from the engine, the slipstream lets the elevator push the tail down extra far and thus lets the wings go to a higher angle of attack which, in turn, allows for a lower airspeed. It never develops a full stall but it sure does sink! On short fields, I did not add the 200 rpm, landed at 55 mph and got on the brakes. I could **always** easily land on fields in a shorter distance than the length needed for takeoff. Ed
