"John Firth" wrote in message
...
There was a story in S&G some years ago about a ASW 20 sucessfully landed
without damage by use of flap changes; the pilot had read the manual.
Following the fatal crash of a Cessna 150/150 hp two plane, due to
a burned throughj elevator cable, two of us tow pilots experimented
with pitch trim on the Citabria. WE concluded that a good landing is
possible
(one that you walk away from) with use of trim and power. No we did not
try a landing.
Here is a reason for buying a ship with aerodynamic trim, not just
a spring on the stick.

John Firth,
Ottawa

Here's a story related to me by a jump pilot at a skydiver school. The
aircraft of choice in those days was a Howard DGA (Damn Good Airplane), a
single engine cabin monoplane powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 of 450 HP.
It was never an easy airplane to land even under the best circumstances.

As the pilot approached the drop zone he slowed the aircraft in preparation
of the exit of 5 skydivers, he felt a tap on his boot and the control wheel
came out of the panel - the bolt holding the control wheel tube had fallen
out. As he looked at the detached control wheel in his hands, the jumpers
looked too - and made a hasty exit.

Alone in the airplane, he re-inserted the wheel into the hole in the panel.
As he did so he felt the nested tubes catch at the burrs around the bolt
hole where the missing bolt had been. As long as he was gentle with the
elevators and ailerons, the friction held and he had control of the
airplane.

He flew around for an hour practicing gentle flying techniques and burning
off some fuel. The owner of the jump school and the Howard was on the radio
telling the pilot to just aim the old crate at an empty field and bail out.
The pilot had never been too keen on parachutes despite his job so he
insisted on a landing attempt.

Using the elevator trim for pitch control and limiting the wheel inputs he
lined up with the dirt runway. The trim proved inadequate for a full stall
landing and the DGA bounced badly collapsed the gear and bending the
propeller - but he walked away. The Howard was re-built and returned to
service.

Bill Daniels

Bill Daniels