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Gary Casey wrote...
>>>One reason I opted for an ES is that it has a sister ship
that is certified and
anything really bad would presumably be corrected on both. Then I learned
that the certified version has a completely different airfoil, making
stall
and spin information non-transferable. Further I learned that the IV and
ES
(and the 320/360?) share the same airfoil - the ES just has a lot more of
it.>>>
Two stories that convinced me that I will use a lot of altitude and work
hard to keep the ball centered when it comes time to calibrate the AOA
indicator in my ES.
1. Around the time of purchase, I asked a company rep how certification
(leading to the Columbia) was going. He mentioned that they had
decided to redesign much of the plane, including the wing. When I
asked why they changed the wing, he said something like "on spin
number 17 we lost a lot of altitude." I inferred from the
discussion that they were having trouble with spin certification.
As I understand it, they chose to redesign the wing for the Columbia so
that it is spin resistant. The Columbia apparently does nothing but
mush on stall, like the well-coordinated stall in the factory ES
described on this list the other day.
2. A member of my local EAA chapter was at 10,000 feet conducting
power-off stall testing in his 320. The pilot was a
former airline captain with over 20,000 hours, an FAA examiner, and lots
of time in lots of small planes. As they approached the stall, a
wing dropped with very little warning and they found themselves in a
spin. It took them more than 4000 feet to recover.
My conclusions from these and other stories: i) a spin in these planes
can cause a large altitude loss, and recovery is not guaranteed (this is
emphasized in the ES manual); ii) an uncoordinated stall in these planes
can develop into a spin pretty quickly, or at least quicker than we
Cessna flyers are used to; iii) absent stall strips and/or an AOA
indicator or some other stall-warning device, these planes tend to
provide little warning of an impending stall.
How to practice given these stories is a personal decision. I know
that when I finish my ES,I personally won't practice stalls at 3000 feet
like I do in a Cessna. And I imagine I'll have a heightened sense
of awareness about keeping things coordinated. Perhaps the personal
minimums will fall some over time with experience.
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