Thanks for the input everyone. I appreciate you all sharing experience of your thousands of KR landings versus my grand total of 5. I know I'm going too fast on final and my PIOs just before touchdown prove it. I've got the new belly brake down and I'm still trying to learn the delicate touch required to transition from keeping it just off the runway to greasing it on, just like Jim Faughn's How to Land a KR <http://www.krnet.org/faq/chapter11/faughn/perfect_landing.html> says. I've not yet touched down as smoothly as Jones demonstrates it IS possible. More flights and more landings to get it sorted out.
I guess why I'm confused is doesn't Joe Weber fly from a 1300' grass strip? It makes me think slow flight is closely related or is it another thread? (Sorry if this topic is too many words; I'm seeking safer flying) Slow flight... I know most builders aren't working towards the slow end of the flight regime but the range from slow to fast is what makes every airplane more useful. Van calls it "total performance." If the practical range of operations is 70 - 165 mph (+/-) that's an awesome range and it makes me think 50 - 165 is even more awesome. Slow controlled flight leads to safer transitions from flight to landing/ rollouts. Van's site says: "In the event of an unavoidable crash landing, (engine failure over rough terrain, for instance) their low landing speed has been a real lifesaver. A crash at 50 mph is 70% more survivable than one at 65 mph." https://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-design.htm Flying MCA (minimal controllable airspeed) at altitude lets us dial in pitch attitude, speed and power to come up with what works to maintain level flight. We did plenty of MCA training before solo. We also "dragged the runway" (level flight about 2 - 3 feet off the ground for close to 2000') as pre-landing practice. That's what my primary instructor wanted to see while dragging the runway; if 1500 rpm, full flaps and (what was it in a C150?) 48 mph indicated level flight, a tiny bit less than that would be a gentle descent (i.e. landing) onto the runway. You can see where I'm going, right? I guess the question is this: does anyone out there do MCA practice (maintaining MCA for minutes at a time, including 30 degree banked 360 degree turns in both directions) as a regular training aide? I still do it in the Cardinal at least every 5th flight. Or did my primary instructor just brainwash me? Thanks guys. John Bouyea N5391M/ KR2 OR81/ Hillsboro, OR -----Original Message----- From: KRnet [mailto:krnet-bounces at list.krnet.org] On Behalf Of Mark Langford via KRnet Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2014 7:32 PM To: krnet at list.krnet.org Subject: Re: KR> Touchdown Speeds? Larry Flesner wrote: > With 500+ hours I could not tell you what my actual touch down speed >is. The last time I look at the ASI on approach is when I cross the >numbers. I pretty much do the same, but also make an effort to gather data such as this to pass on to others, as questions like this come up often. I can't afford to pay much attention to the GPS on my short and narrow runway, but on a calm day when I'm doing touch and goes at somewhere like KFYM that's a lot more forgiving, I'll watch the GPS and take my time waiting for it to gently settle. So much of what I read on the web regarding KR landing and stall speeds is physically impossible, and I do my best to report very accurate information without any wishful thinking added in. A case in point is as Larry pointed out, a case of air speed indicator error at the low end, which is fairly common. Jim Faughn wrote the definitive work on landing a KR, but he mentions seeing speeds as low as 40 mph at touchdown. Now that I've pulled the panel out and replaced it with something semi-"calibratable", verfied against GPS on a calm day (at altitude), I can clarify that 40 mph is an Indicated Airspeed, not a True Airspeed. To be fair, GPS didn't exist when he wrote that, so error is understandable. Having said that, no discussion on landings is complete without a read of Jim's excellent work at <http://jfaughn.com/other/kr/uniquepartsofmykr/kr_landing.html> http://jfaughn.com/other/kr/uniquepartsofmykr/kr_landing.html. I'm not sure I'd change a word of it today except for the low speed part. But there's certainly no doubt that he was a lot better at landing N891JF than I am! On that topic, my wonder-wife read my mind and bought a GoPro-like Sony HDR-AS100V Action Cam for me for Christmas, which I'm in the process of mounting in N891JF, which should help nail down some performance numbers while the camera looks at the iEFIS and iFly720 during the landing. The camera even has it's own GPS built in, with a speed display option. I look forward to the information I can gain from this, as well as the critique of my landings and other antics. And maybe I'll capture a few more sunsets... Mark Langford <mailto:ML at N56ML.com> ML at N56ML.com <http://www.n56ml.com> http://www.n56ml.com _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at <http://tugantek.com/archmailv2-kr/search> http://tugantek.com/archmailv2-kr/search. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to <mailto:KRnet-leave at list.krnet.org> KRnet-leave at list.krnet.org please see other KRnet info at <http://www.krnet.org/info.html> http://www.krnet.org/info.html see <http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org> http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options
