I'm a TU canopy guy and am always dismayed by the what ifs of these scenarios. I have the jettison linkage available but not sure what if anything I could do with that in an actual ditch scenario. If time was available it might be better spent beating holes in the canopy. For example where does the canopy go once released? Does it slip back and do something unfortunate to the rudder right when alpha control becomes critical?
I'm looking at a couple of OnSpeed configuration files for airplanes that have been properly calibrated. We have a 1/4 degree accuracy.
AOA is defined here as boresite AOA, as in referenced to the fuselage reference line (not wing chord).
Stall warning angles (calibrated to 1.1x Vs):
RV-10
Flaps 0: 13.5 deg
Flaps 15: 16.2 deg
Flaps 30: 19.7 deg
RV-4
Flaps 0: 16.8 deg
Flaps 20: 18.9 deg
Flaps 40: 20.0 deg
No data yet from a -9. We have data from a couple of Slings, different numbers, but same trend. Flaps down AOA goes up.
Correction: it was a 6A. Same airfoil as the -4.
The point is you can definitely fly at a higher AOA with flaps down.
Lenny
May or may not apply to Cessna's, but I seem to recall that some aircraft seat's are designed to take the vertical G load of a crash.......
I think the caption as he is talking to his old friend would be “Why did you try to kill me?”.
Guess it’s just a matter of perspective.
Just thinking aloud with no experience in this (thank heavens!), but I don't see a huge difference in stall speed with flaps. What I *do* see is a pitch difference. So I'm thinking that no flaps will help me keep that nose up at a cost of a couple knots airspeed.
I took a water egress course last year prior to flying the Caribbean. In answer to your question, flaps up was preferred.
This information is given for transport category aircraft and is from a respected document:
"Ditching
It is extremely dangerous to land into the wind without regard to swell systems.
Touchdown should be made parallel to the largest swell system, crabbing into the
wind as required until the flare. If a smaller secondary swell system is present,
attempt to touchdown on the backside of a secondary swell while remaining
parallel to the larger swell system. Avoid touching down into the “face” of a swell.
Avoid landing in areas where the seas are short and rough. This is indicated by
whitecaps and shadows appearing close together . Select an area where the shadows and whitecaps are not so numerous. Touchdown should be at the lowest speed and rate of descent, which permit safe handling and optimum nose-up attitude upon impact. Keep wings parallel with the surface, not with the horizon."
I must have missed that accident report, or my memory is failing me. Glad you got on the ground safely! Did you find out why the engine failed?...
When I had my engine out back in Feb with my 7 I was faced with a situation. When I knew I wasn’t going to clear the fence line I banked to the left about 30 deg or so and unfortunately stalled the left-wing 15 feet above the ground causing the left wing to hit first and pivot the nose into the ground which caused the right wing pancake into the ground which pretty much stopped me from sliding. Of course I wasn’t trying to stall the plane or purposely hit the left wing first. When I hit it definitely threw me partially to the co-pilot side. My neck was immediately sore but luckily I didn’t get seriously injured. If I had banked to the right my head would have hit the side of the canopy which more than likely would’ve been better than me almost snapping my neck due to the weight of my head being thrown to the copilot side.
100ft deepI'm thinking the water is not very deep so the nosewheel stopped it from flipping over.
How many ping pong balls in the wings and fuselage would keep the plane from sinking?
Not gonna show my work, but my math says about 23,880 balls. You would need about 0.8m³ (cubic meters) of volume in seawater to displace 2'000 lbs (816kg) and ping pong balls are about 33.5cm³ (cubic centimeters).
Not taking into account the empty space in the fuel tanks, or any other hollow parts of the aircraft. It's almost doable.
yes, into the wind. he used every advantage. he is probably not an average pilot. he must be a CFI or a sailplane pilot.
Not gonna show my work, but my math says about 23,880 balls. You would need about 0.8m³ (cubic meters) of volume in seawater to displace 2'000 lbs (816kg) and ping pong balls are about 33.5cm³ (cubic centimeters).
Not taking into account the empty space in the fuel tanks, or any other hollow parts of the aircraft. It's almost doable.
Thanks emsvitil
Soooo, taking the buoyancy figure provided by Mickey's math, 23,880 balls x 2.7g equals 6.4476kg, pretty good ROI me figures...
Now remains to devise a mean of confining them and not obstructing any of the flight controls.
Next question, what altitude are they rated for? Could they be helium filled? Or Hydrogen maybe
Thanks for that jrs14855, wouldn't have thought it had been done before.