Flaps and V-Tails of Death

In article ,
Eric Greenwell wrote:

Wallace Berry wrote:

So, I'd have to say that all the bad things I've been told about landing
flaps on gliders and V-tails are definitely untrue with respect to the
HP-16.

If you believe that, perhaps you haven't been told "all the bad things".
For example, I've had HP pilots tell me getting sucked up into a cloud
can be "awkward" to deal with when all you've got is flaps.

My first and only flight in an HP went like Mr. Berry's; even so, I hope
anyone beginning to fly a flaps only glider gets thorough checkout,
because there are ways to go wrong.

No doubt there are ways to go wrong, but every design has it's quirks. I
would sooner turn a low time pilot loose in that HP-16 than my 301
Libelle.

For sure my one experience in a landing flapped equipped bird is far too
little experience to generalize. That's why I limited my comments to the
HP-16. However, I have been told horror stories about V-tails and
landing flaps. You know the stories. I was told the V-tail HP's were
hard to fly and dangerous for any but the most experienced fliers. I'm
no ace but I thought the thing was very easy to fly. Maybe the other
HP's are different. The main myth is that you can't modulate the flaps
to control glide path. In the HP-16, I rolled the flaps on and off
within a fairly wide range and the glider behaved very much like a
glider with very effective divebrakes. I would be very comfortable
landing Jim's HP-16 in any reasonably landable field.

Deploying flaps at high speeds can be problematic in a number of ships.
I have heard that at least one 301 Libelle structural failure was due to
flap deployment at a speed significantly above Vne. However, a number of
ships which have flaps that deploy with the divebrakes have maximum
deployment speed limitations too. And, not to forget, deployment of just
divebrakes at high speeds can be dangerous. I think a couple of open
class ships have lost their wings when the divebrakes were deployed well
over Vne.

As for getting sucked into a cloud, I would have an easier time keeping
that HP-16 out of the cloud than my Libelle with it's relatively
ineffective divebrakes. I have been in the gear down, full divebrakes
and full slip configuration diving for the edge of the cloud at high
speed to keep from getting sucked in.


Fly safe,

Wallace