X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Sender: To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:49:44 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from mta31.charter.net ([216.33.127.82] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.3) with ESMTP id 2949490 for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:58:39 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=216.33.127.82; envelope-from=troneill@charter.net Received: from aarprv06.charter.net ([10.20.200.76]) by mta31.charter.net (InterMail vM.7.08.03.00 201-2186-126-20070710) with ESMTP id <20080602135750.PMAZ2641.mta31.charter.net@aarprv06.charter.net> for ; Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:57:50 -0400 Received: from axs ([75.132.241.174]) by aarprv06.charter.net with SMTP id <20080602135749.WYBQ3194.aarprv06.charter.net@axs> for ; Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:57:49 -0400 X-Original-Message-ID: <003901c8c4b8$a5a2b6f0$6401a8c0@axs> From: "terrence o'neill" X-Original-To: "Lancair Mailing List" References: Subject: Re: [LML] AOA and flight testing tid bits X-Original-Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:57:50 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0036_01C8C48E.BC6F73C0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3138 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3198 X-Chzlrs: 0 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0036_01C8C48E.BC6F73C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Matt, I applaud your interest in trying to understand your flying. You might look at the December 1998 issue of Kitplanes magazine, page = 96. There's a 6-page article i wrote on Angle of Attack indicators. I = flew P2V s in the Navy until 1957, getting out the year after the US = Navy first put AOAs on every carrier-based aircaft, which cut landing = accidents FIFTY-PERCENT -- 50% -- the first year. Being in a Patrol = Squadron we didn't have them, but when I bought the last Waco project I = restored it and began test flying it in 1963, and I found I needed to = know what the wing was doing in slow-flight. I had two years of = aero-engineering in college and learned in a wind-tunnel session one day = that wings can stall at ANY airspeed, but always at ONE angle of attack. = So, as there were no non-military AOAs on the market in the 60s, I made = an AOA indicator for myself. I immediately learned that although I thought I 'knew' a lot about = flying, I didn't UNDERSTAND what controlled what. =20 I was surprised to immediately learn that I, the pilot, directly and = instantly controlled the wing's AOA with my elevator control. The = little free-floating vane on my AOA moved as though it was connected = with a string to the elevator. And that the wing's AOA could remain the = same in any flight attitude. I found I could fly for an hour holding my Waco's wing just one degree = below the wing's stall AOA, while climbin it, zooming, making 90-degree = banks, etc., just by watching my AOA vane. I learned that making steep approach turns in hot, gusty wind, to land = ,was 'no sweat', since I could SEE exactly how close I was flying my = wing to its stall AOA. I took-off once when the pitot line pulled off the tube and I noticed = zero airspeed on the A/S indicator, but just glanced out at my AOA and = relaxed... flew the AOA for climb around and landed, and reconnected the = A/S pitot tube. I also noticed that I became uncomfortable when flying in planes with no = AOAs... which back then was almost every GenAv plane. Like a kid with a boom-box I wanted to spread the joy, but quickly found = that most pilots were comfortable with what habits and instruction = that'd expensively learned from the FAA-guided courses and -- ho-hum -- = said 'that's nice', and what else was new. When I researched safety records I found that about one-fourth of all = GenAv fatal crashes resulted from stall-spins, and nearly a third of all = Experimentals. So I wrote the '98 article for Kitplanes, eagerly = accepted by Editor Dave Martin who was an ex-Navy ROI in F4s and = understood exactly how critical AOA info was for sale slow-flight. Going another step I contacted the FAA's head then, Najeeb Hallaby, who = lateralled me to his FAA Safety bureaucrat, whose people wanted the = indicator mounted on the instrument panel, where a pilot should NOT be = looking during a landing approach. The FAA had a lot inertia in their training curriculuum about airspeeds, = and the AOA idea faded away. So I still felt philanthropic and crusaderish and tried making and = selling them. More education: advertising is very expensive. One-off = or short-run production makes parts and labor costs high. But over the = years I sold about 120 of them, the majority to ultra-light guys who = don't 'know it all', and some to ex-Navy jocks, and guys flying for the = few (then) airline companies that put AOAs on their aluminum tubes. Over the years I had to admit that 'safety' was a hard-sell, and it was = was disappointing and certainly unprofitable, all that bother and work = and selling them for less than $150.=20 I mentioned their availability a time or two on this list but someone = accused me of self-interest with a hint of snake-oil-salesman-ness, so = I just stopped making them altogether. But you can make a completely adequate and functional one like mine, = yourself. I still make them for my own planes, the Waco tail-prop = AristoCraft, my Model W, the Jake, the Magnu V8 PickUp, my modified = Mitchell B-10 'flying wing', our Dragonfly, and have one on each = wing-stub of our Lancair 235/320. They are 'pilot information' and can be put on any plane, with no FAA = STC or PMA if you don't 'invade' the plane's structure or systems. For = experimentals you just do it yourself. For TC'd planes just a = mechanic's logbook entry. Some have been clamped to Cessna or Aeronca = wing struts. They could be glued to wing skins. Only weigh a few = ounces. Before ANY instruments were put an the newfangled 'airplanes', Orville = and Wilbur put a floating piece of yarn on their biplane, with marking = to tell them at what angle they were flying their wings. That was the = first, and the essential, flight instrument. They understood what they = learned in their own DIY wind tunnel ... that wings stall at an ANGLE!=20 You could DIY. FWIW. Terrence L235/320 N211AL at KGRE No virus found in this outgoing message Checked by PC Tools AntiVirus (4.0.0.26 - 10.072.012). http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/ ------=_NextPart_000_0036_01C8C48E.BC6F73C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi = Matt,
 
I applaud your = interest in=20 trying to understand your flying.
You might look at = the December=20 1998 issue of Kitplanes magazine, page 96.  There's a 6-page = article i=20 wrote on Angle of Attack indicators.  I flew P2V s in the Navy = until 1957,=20 getting out the year after the US Navy first put AOAs on every = carrier-based=20 aircaft, which cut landing accidents FIFTY-PERCENT -- 50% -- the first=20 year.  Being in a Patrol Squadron we didn't have them, but when I bought the last Waco = project I=20 restored it and began test flying it in 1963,  and I found I = needed to=20 know what the wing was doing in slow-flight.  I had two years of=20 aero-engineering in college and learned in a wind-tunnel session one day = that=20 wings can stall at ANY airspeed, but always at ONE angle of = attack.  So, as=20 there were no non-military AOAs on the market in the 60s, I made an AOA=20 indicator for myself.
I immediately learned that although I thought I  'knew' a lot = about=20 flying, I didn't UNDERSTAND what controlled what. 
I was surprised to immediately learn that I, the pilot, = directly and=20 instantly controlled the wing's AOA with my elevator control.  = The=20 little free-floating vane on my AOA moved as though it was connected = with a=20 string to the elevator.  And that the wing's AOA could remain = the same=20 in any flight attitude.
I found I could fly for an hour holding my Waco's wing just one = degree=20 below the wing's stall AOA, while climbin it, zooming, making 90-degree = banks,=20 etc., just by watching my AOA vane.
I learned that making steep approach turns in hot, gusty wind, to = land ,was=20 'no sweat', since I could SEE exactly how close I was flying my wing to = its=20 stall AOA.
I took-off once = when the pitot=20 line pulled off the tube and I noticed zero airspeed on the A/S = indicator, but=20 just glanced out at my AOA and relaxed... flew the AOA for climb around = and=20 landed, and reconnected the A/S pitot tube.
I also noticed that = I became=20 uncomfortable when flying in planes with no AOAs... which back = then was=20 almost every GenAv plane.
Like a kid with a = boom-box I=20 wanted to spread the joy, but quickly found that most pilots were = comfortable=20 with what habits and instruction that'd expensively learned from the = FAA-guided=20 courses and -- ho-hum -- said 'that's nice', and what else was = new.
When I researched = safety=20 records I found that about one-fourth of all GenAv fatal crashes = resulted=20 from stall-spins, and nearly a third of all Experimentals.  So = I wrote=20 the '98 article for Kitplanes, eagerly accepted by Editor Dave Martin = who was an=20 ex-Navy ROI in F4s and understood exactly how critical AOA info was for = sale=20 slow-flight.
Going another step = I contacted=20 the FAA's head then, Najeeb Hallaby, who lateralled me to his FAA Safety = bureaucrat, whose people wanted the indicator mounted on the instrument = panel,=20 where a pilot should NOT be looking during a landing = approach.
The FAA had a lot = inertia in=20 their training curriculuum about airspeeds, and the AOA idea faded=20 away.
So I still felt = philanthropic=20 and crusaderish and tried making and selling them.  More education: = advertising is very expensive.  One-off or short-run production = makes parts=20 and labor costs high.  But over the years I sold about 120 of them, = the=20 majority to ultra-light guys who don't 'know it all', and some to = ex-Navy jocks,=20 and guys flying for the few (then) airline companies that put AOAs on = their=20 aluminum tubes.
Over the years I = had to admit=20 that 'safety' was a hard-sell, and it was was disappointing and = certainly=20 unprofitable, all that bother and work and selling them for less = than $150.=20
I mentioned their = availability=20 a time or two on this list but someone accused me of = self-interest=20 with a hint of  snake-oil-salesman-ness, so I just stopped making them=20 altogether.
But you can = make a=20 completely adequate and functional one like mine, yourself.  I = still make=20 them for my own planes, the Waco tail-prop AristoCraft, my Model W, the = Jake,=20 the Magnu V8 PickUp,  my modified Mitchell B-10 'flying wing', our=20 Dragonfly, and have one on each wing-stub of our Lancair = 235/320.
They are 'pilot = information'=20 and can be put on any plane, with no FAA STC or PMA if you don't = 'invade' the=20 plane's structure or systems.  For experimentals you just do it=20 yourself.  For TC'd planes just a mechanic's logbook entry.  = Some have=20 been clamped to Cessna or Aeronca wing struts.  They could be glued = to wing=20 skins.  Only weigh a few ounces.
Before ANY = instruments were put=20 an the newfangled 'airplanes', Orville and Wilbur put a floating piece = of yarn=20 on their biplane, with marking to tell them at what angle they were = flying their=20 wings. That was the first, and the essential, flight instrument.  = They=20 understood what they learned in their own DIY wind tunnel ... that wings = stall=20 at an ANGLE!
You could = DIY. =20 FWIW.
 
Terrence
L235/320 = N211AL
at = KGRE
 


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