(nowhere) wrote in message om...
Yes, according to Peter Garrison's "Aftermath" column in the November
issue of "Flying" you don't need to connect your elevator control! I
quote: "the NTSB report does not comment on the fact that a
disconnected elevator does not make an ASW-20, or for that matter any
other airplane, unflyable. The situation is aerodynamically no
different from what occurs when the pilot removes his hand from the
stick."

I think I'll start leaving the elevators off my ASW-15 now. Imagine
how the reduction in drag will improve the performance! Not having to
worry about pitch control will certainly cut down on the cockpit
workload as well. The benefits are endless!

Well, it may be flyable, but not landable! The stick free phugoid can
get pretty dramatic, even with the mass and friction of the stick
attached to provide some damping . If you have not tried this, you
should. Keep hands completely off and keep the wings level with
rudder. Let the phugoid fully develop--it's a real roller coaster
ride. Close to the ground, it's a crap shoot whether you would land or
crash.

There was an accident a few years back in a DG-800 that had a loose
nut on the elevator control. The pilot hit on the down part of the
phugoid and crashed wings level. He lived, but never flew again.

The same thing happened to United Flight 232, the DC-10-10, that
crashed while attempting an emergency landing at the Sioux City
Gateway Airport, Iowa, in 1989. After losing all hydraulics, they had
no movable flight controls. They were able to fly the aircraft with
differential thrust on the two wing engines, but they could not
control pitch on final approach.

I have not seen the article, but I'm surprised that a knowledgable
person would suggest that elevator control is optional.