Allen,
Yes it has been investigated signifigantly. But not because it is a V
tail!
Every plane out there has quirks. Some have high stall speeds, some
have wierd stalls, etc. All when flown correctly are harmless! You
actually hit the nail on the head. The "low time" is the factor in 99% of
these cases. Stall/spin accidents on final are common in all planes for low
time pilots, the Bonanza is no exception. The key though is that it is not
the plane, nor the Vtail that caused it. Bonanzas specifically were
extremely popular because of the V (and low cost at the time) making them a
common plane in the sky. More flying = more problems when the pilots are
low time. Especially when transferring from a Cessna type trainer into a
complex plane (retracts+flaps + higher power) like the Bonanza! You can't
stick those huge C-150 flaps out when too high, that means a trip into the
weeds or worse in a Bonanza!
Jason Werner
----- Original Message -----
From: "Allen Robinson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: V-tail myths (was RE: [RCSE] I'm afraid of my sailplane)
> The Beech V35 is one of the most investigated planes by the NTSB. The
> V35 is known as the doctor killer. Lots of young doctors with money
> bought these planes and crashed them. It's not that they fly bad just
> different, low time pilots and different handling planes equals a deadly
> mix.
> The main idea of the V-tail is one less control surfaces so 1/3 less
> drag. However the V-tail needs to be about 1/3 bigger for good flight
> control so no gain there [:)]
> I like the look of a V-tail sailplanes. I'm building one right now (
> NESP Sparrowhawk C) can't wait to fly it [:)]
>
> Allen
>
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