Well, I will say some planes
are built better then others and some pilots have less ability then others. That
being said, a poorly built Lancair would have less structural integrity then an
expertly built Lancair. This would include materials used, quality of build and
finish, W & B.. just to name a few. Then there's pilot ability. I believe
Clint said it best when he said " A man's got to know his limitations".....
It is quite
obvious that a quality built Lancair will most always exceed it's pilots
abilities.
If Lance was afraid to exceed
the status quo of his time there would be no Lancair's. If the Rutan brothers
were afraid to exceed Vne they would never have touched the stars. Every
plane at Reno exceeds Vne.. But, then again, there are Cessna drivers as well.
Again, I ask what the stats
are for Lancair's coming apart from exceeding Vne in clear smooth air??? I can't
recall a one. Anyone???
Lance designed and
manufactured a very strong very advanced kit, if built right, as intended, it
will far exceed your expectations. And the only flutter you'll get is when your
heart flutters from the performance Lance designed for pilots that are willing
to enjoy it.
Randy
Stuart
LNC-2
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 5:51
PM
Subject: [LML] Re: Vne is NOT a
meaningless number
Randy,
Count me in Robert's corner on this - exceed VNE
at your own peril, but please don't do it with unwitting passengers
onboard.
I've seen too many films in the military of what
happens to airplanes when flutter begins at excessive airspeed. It's
not something you feel coming on like stall buffet and recover
from. It can tear an airframe apart in the blink of an eye. Sure,
differently built planes will experience flutter onset at differing
airspeeds, but why would any sane person intentionally exceed a limitation set
by the plane's (or kit's) manufacturer? In the absence of a detailed set
of data, including testing an airframe to failure in a wind tunnel, that
limitation is all you have. Sure, it likely has a buffer built into it,
but intentional ignorance of the redline on the ASI in any
airplane that wasn't specifically designed and modified to do it,
experimental or not, is a bad idea.
Skip Slater
N540ES
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