Landing airplanes

Dan Luke wrote:

With all the recent discussion about the landing quirks of various aircraft,
I've started to feel I must be missing something.

In every airplane I've ever landed, including the "notorious" Mooney and
Twin Commanche, I've used the same technique: pull the power off and round
out close to the runway, increase back pressure to hold it off as long as it
will keep flying, hold the back pressure on roll out.

The amount of power I carry might vary a bit, but one airplane lands pretty
much like another, it seems to me; I've never had trouble with any of them.

I am certainly no great stick-and-rudder man. Am I just too insensitive to
detect the differences every one talks about?

Dan, I'm with you. I've had folks tell me that a given airplane had to
be landed with power otherwise it would crash onto the runway. Except
for a few designs that use engine thrust to move air over the wing to
provide extra lift, or use vectored thrust to provide lift, this simply
makes no sense aerodynamically. The issue is energy management and the
source of energy can be airspeed or power.


Matt

After so many hours in the ultra sensitive R22, airplanes are a cinch.

Matt Whiting wrote:
The issue is energy management and the
source of energy can be airspeed or power.

Your statement above reminds me of that great video of Hoover doing
aerobatics in with power off. What a pilot huh?

Monk

Flyingmonk wrote:

After so many hours in the ultra sensitive R22, airplanes are a cinch.

Matt Whiting wrote:

The issue is energy management and the
source of energy can be airspeed or power.


Your statement above reminds me of that great video of Hoover doing
aerobatics in with power off. What a pilot huh?

Yes, absolutely. Bob was a joy to watch. He didn't believe all of this
crap about needing power to do stuff, even in fairly high performance
airplanes. He just went out and did it. Energy is energy, doesn't
matter if it is provided by the engine(s) or by airspeed or by altitude.
All can be used to achieve the desired outcome.


Matt

Bob is absolutely one of the world's finest pilots, and probably the
smoothest aerobatic pilot I have ever known.
You are correct about the Shrike routine. It was indeed a study in EM
(energy management).
It's interesting to note for the group at large, that 500RA (Bob's Shrike)
was maintained by Byerly Aviation in Florida for the 20 years Bob had the
airplane.
Byerly made several modifications to the bird that made Bob's wonderful
routine possible.
500RA had an accumulator that stored hydraulic pressure that allowed Bob to
lower the gear inverted with both fans feathered, and also a special setup
for unfeathering both props. Bob would pull both fans back into feather
without having to idle back the throttles and mixtures. The restart was made
possible by micro-switches that triggered electric pumps that unfeathered
the props for him.
The accumulator also stored enough pressure to give Bob nosewheel steering
for his "dead stick landings".
Bob, by his very survival in the low altitude aerobatic environment for as
long as he was in it, and flying a variety of airplanes to boot, has
established himself as truly one of the world's all time best in the
business.
Bob was one of the initial charter members of the International Fighter
Pilots Fellowship that I founded in 1971. In every contact I have had with
him through the years, he has always been a gracious friend and a quiet
force in our community.
Dudley Henriques



"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Flyingmonk wrote:

After so many hours in the ultra sensitive R22, airplanes are a cinch.

Matt Whiting wrote:

The issue is energy management and the
source of energy can be airspeed or power.


Your statement above reminds me of that great video of Hoover doing
aerobatics in with power off. What a pilot huh?

Yes, absolutely. Bob was a joy to watch. He didn't believe all of this
crap about needing power to do stuff, even in fairly high performance
airplanes. He just went out and did it. Energy is energy, doesn't matter
if it is provided by the engine(s) or by airspeed or by altitude. All can
be used to achieve the desired outcome.


Matt

I saw Mr. Hoover and the Shrike at Salina, KS many years
ago. It is very impressive in person, but he missed the
spot on the ramp when he rolled back in, by about 6 inches.
Thanks for the info on the modifications to the Commander.

Jim


"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...
| Bob is absolutely one of the world's finest pilots, and
probably the
| smoothest aerobatic pilot I have ever known.
| You are correct about the Shrike routine. It was indeed a
study in EM
| (energy management).
| It's interesting to note for the group at large, that
500RA (Bob's Shrike)
| was maintained by Byerly Aviation in Florida for the 20
years Bob had the
| airplane.
| Byerly made several modifications to the bird that made
Bob's wonderful
| routine possible.
| 500RA had an accumulator that stored hydraulic pressure
that allowed Bob to
| lower the gear inverted with both fans feathered, and also
a special setup
| for unfeathering both props. Bob would pull both fans back
into feather
| without having to idle back the throttles and mixtures.
The restart was made
| possible by micro-switches that triggered electric pumps
that unfeathered
| the props for him.
| The accumulator also stored enough pressure to give Bob
nosewheel steering
| for his "dead stick landings".
| Bob, by his very survival in the low altitude aerobatic
environment for as
| long as he was in it, and flying a variety of airplanes to
boot, has
| established himself as truly one of the world's all time
best in the
| business.
| Bob was one of the initial charter members of the
International Fighter
| Pilots Fellowship that I founded in 1971. In every contact
I have had with
| him through the years, he has always been a gracious
friend and a quiet
| force in our community.
| Dudley Henriques
|
|
|
| "Matt Whiting" wrote in message
| ...
| Flyingmonk wrote:
|
| After so many hours in the ultra sensitive R22,
airplanes are a cinch.
|
| Matt Whiting wrote:
|
| The issue is energy management and the
| source of energy can be airspeed or power.
|
|
| Your statement above reminds me of that great video of
Hoover doing
| aerobatics in with power off. What a pilot huh?
|
| Yes, absolutely. Bob was a joy to watch. He didn't
believe all of this
| crap about needing power to do stuff, even in fairly
high performance
| airplanes. He just went out and did it. Energy is
energy, doesn't matter
| if it is provided by the engine(s) or by airspeed or by
altitude. All can
| be used to achieve the desired outcome.
|
|
| Matt
|
|

Jim Macklin wrote:

I saw Mr. Hoover and the Shrike at Salina, KS many years
ago. It is very impressive in person, but he missed the
spot on the ramp when he rolled back in, by about 6 inches.

Oh, the shame if it all. :-)

Matt

I had the pleasure of flying with Bob about 4 months ago, to a dedication of
a new airport in Idaho.

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c5/kgr...0__medium_.jpg

Karl
"Curator"
N185KG

We discussed his straw hat
"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...
Bob is absolutely one of the world's finest pilots, and probably the
smoothest aerobatic pilot I have ever known.
You are correct about the Shrike routine. It was indeed a study in EM
(energy management).
It's interesting to note for the group at large, that 500RA (Bob's Shrike)
was maintained by Byerly Aviation in Florida for the 20 years Bob had the
airplane.
Byerly made several modifications to the bird that made Bob's wonderful
routine possible.
500RA had an accumulator that stored hydraulic pressure that allowed Bob
to lower the gear inverted with both fans feathered, and also a special
setup for unfeathering both props. Bob would pull both fans back into
feather without having to idle back the throttles and mixtures. The
restart was made possible by micro-switches that triggered electric pumps
that unfeathered the props for him.
The accumulator also stored enough pressure to give Bob nosewheel steering
for his "dead stick landings".
Bob, by his very survival in the low altitude aerobatic environment for as
long as he was in it, and flying a variety of airplanes to boot, has
established himself as truly one of the world's all time best in the
business.
Bob was one of the initial charter members of the International Fighter
Pilots Fellowship that I founded in 1971. In every contact I have had with
him through the years, he has always been a gracious friend and a quiet
force in our community.
Dudley Henriques



"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Flyingmonk wrote:

After so many hours in the ultra sensitive R22, airplanes are a cinch.

Matt Whiting wrote:

The issue is energy management and the
source of energy can be airspeed or power.


Your statement above reminds me of that great video of Hoover doing
aerobatics in with power off. What a pilot huh?

Yes, absolutely. Bob was a joy to watch. He didn't believe all of this
crap about needing power to do stuff, even in fairly high performance
airplanes. He just went out and did it. Energy is energy, doesn't
matter if it is provided by the engine(s) or by airspeed or by altitude.
All can be used to achieve the desired outcome.


Matt

"karl gruber" wrote in message
...
I had the pleasure of flying with Bob about 4 months ago, to a dedication
of a new airport in Idaho.

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c5/kgr...0__medium_.jpg

Karl
"Curator"
N185KG

We discussed his straw hat

God, I hope that isn't the same Plantation hat he's been sitting on in the
P51 for the last 30 years. That thing must be falling apart by now. I think
he's worn it since day one. Some of us even had a bet going at one time that
he wore it to bed at night!! :-))
Dudley Henriques

Dudley Henriques wrote:

God, I hope that isn't the same Plantation hat he's been sitting on in the
P51 for the last 30 years. That thing must be falling apart by now. I think
he's worn it since day one. Some of us even had a bet going at one time that
he wore it to bed at night!! :-))
Dudley Henriques

Dudley,

FWIW, they have "a" Panama Hat of Bob's at the NASM Udvar-Hazy
facility.

Dunno if it's "the" hat or if he just donated one from his collection.

Jay B

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...

God, I hope that isn't the same Plantation hat he's been sitting on in
the
P51 for the last 30 years. That thing must be falling apart by now. I
think he's worn it since day one. Some of us even had a bet going at one
time that he wore it to bed at night!! :-))
Dudley Henriques

He told me that he now auctions them off and the proceeds go to charity.

Best,
Karl
"Curator"
N185KG