Re: [Flightgear-devel] First real flight
Lee Elliott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sorry this is OT but there isn't anyone else who'd really understand. Still worth reading. Thanks, Martin. -- Unix _IS_ user friendly - it's just selective about who its friends are ! -- ___ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel
Re: [Flightgear-devel] First real flight
Martin Spott writes: Lee Elliott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sorry this is OT but there isn't anyone else who'd really understand. Still worth reading. Absolutely. I missed the original posting, so I had to yank it out of the archives: http://baron.flightgear.org/pipermail/flightgear-devel/2003-October/022083.html It was an interesting narrative, thanks. Most noticable difference - my seat here at home doesn't move. You don't feel the lift and sink through your backside:) Or the gusts and turbulence... Turbulence sucks: when I'm flying, I usually try to climb out above it. Turbulence often means thermals and updrafts, though, so I imagine that soaring types actually go looking for it. The gusts disappear usually a few hundred feet above the ground. The turbulence disappears anywhere between 1,000 and 10,000 feet above the ground, depending on all kinds of factors. The faster you go, the less you feel the gusts and turbulence. In a slow glider, I imagine that the effects are very pronounced. Most disconcerting difference - there was little sense of forward motion so when in moderate bank it felt more like we were tipping over rather than turning. In steeper banks there was a bit of G and it actually felt a bit more secure. If you felt any sideways pull, then the turns were not coordinated. Slipping turns are good ways to lose altitude, and I'd guess that soaring pilots use them quite a bit to get down to the field. Approach and landing was not what I'd expect either - stick out the airbrakes while still several hundred feet in the air and then dive down to the ground, level off and flair. Sadly, there are powered-plane pilots who try to do the same thing, even through flaps aren't exactly air brakes. Sorry this is OT but there isn't anyone else who'd really understand. On the contrary, it was an excellent posting. All the best, David ___ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel
Re: [Flightgear-devel] First real flight
On Monday 27 October 2003 23:41, David Megginson wrote: The faster you go, the less you feel the gusts and turbulence. In a slow glider, I imagine that the effects are very pronounced. The a/c we were in was quite a 'tame' craft and my friend showed me what the stall onset was like - at around 30kias you could fell a sort of 'thrumming' through the a/c - a very gentle oscillation (sp?) that was regular and superimposed, or 'under' the turbulance buffet. Sign of a good training a/c I guess - it was clearly felt even though it was pretty bumpy anyway. Most disconcerting difference - there was little sense of forward motion so when in moderate bank it felt more like we were tipping over rather than turning. In steeper banks there was a bit of G and it actually felt a bit more secure. If you felt any sideways pull, then the turns were not coordinated. Slipping turns are good ways to lose altitude, and I'd guess that soaring pilots use them quite a bit to get down to the field. Yeah - we were going down at that point but we were banked approx 50-60 deg (my guess). Very strange to compare 'theory'against practice:) Approach and landing was not what I'd expect either - stick out the airbrakes while still several hundred feet in the air and then dive down to the ground, level off and flair. Sadly, there are powered-plane pilots who try to do the same thing, even through flaps aren't exactly air brakes. It was from FlightGear that I was surprised at the approach. No, it's not the sort of thing you would do in a powered a/c. I wonder how much of this might be due to the all-up weight vs. lift ratios between a glider and a powered aircraft. The speed-brakes were perfectly balanced - I didn't detect any appreciable trim change - very impressive:) We watched a couple of the instructors checking each other out, flying close to the stall, practicing, into the wind. With 20+ kts wind across the field (the 15kt windsocks were horizontal most of the day) and typical stall speeds of ~ 30 kts, they were making barely 10kts ground speed:) They were doing some spins too:) Sorry this is OT but there isn't anyone else who'd really understand. On the contrary, it was an excellent posting. It was an excellent experience:) LeeE All the best, David ___ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel ___ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel
[Flightgear-devel] First real flight
Hello all, I finally got my feet off the ground for the first time for real today - I had a couple flights in a Grob 103 (http://www.glide.co.uk/aboutus/ images/EWP3.jpg is the actual a/c). One winch launch and one aero-tow. You don't half go up quick on the winch launch:) We had 20-25 kt oblique cross-winds and lots of small turbulence with the result that they were both pretty bumpy rides:) Hardly ideal soaring conditions and no-one stayed up very long - our air-tow was one of the longest flights at 20 minutes. Most noticable difference - my seat here at home doesn't move. You don't feel the lift and sink through your backside:) Or the gusts and turbulence... Most disconcerting difference - there was little sense of forward motion so when in moderate bank it felt more like we were tipping over rather than turning. In steeper banks there was a bit of G and it actually felt a bit more secure. Approach and landing was not what I'd expect either - stick out the airbrakes while still several hundred feet in the air and then dive down to the ground, level off and flair. It was amusing to balance the a/c on it's center-line u/c, on the ground after landing, just using the wind over the ailerons:) Sorry this is OT but there isn't anyone else who'd really understand. A most enlightening experience;) LeeE ___ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel
