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#1
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Snaps in the Decathlon
My latest endeavor has been to learn to snap-roll the Super D. A
couple of training flights in an Extra 300 proved that I could learn to fly them, but transferring that experience to the Decathlon has been humbling. (As an aside, I *strongly* suggest you do not go fly an Extra 300 when you own a Decathlon. I *love* the Super D and all, but Holy Cow, Batman! The Extra is simply an astonishing machine.) Anyway, my snap rolls suck. The break is mushy, the rotation is sloppy, my exits are horrible. The rotation is slow enough that I actually can 'think' while it goes around, but I haven't been able to get any meaningful acceleration with forward stick. Any Decathlon instructors wanna gimme a few tips? (And *please* don't tell me to just trade up to an Extra... poking fun at an addict in withdrawl is cruel and mean.) Dave Russell |
#2
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Dave, one of the reasons we stopped doing snaps in the lower competition
levels was because of seats breaking in the Decathlons and Citabrias. As with many maneuvers, people are flying their entries too fast, causing higher forces on the airframes and components, causing things to break. (Remember the Pitts longeron breaks? Pitts put out a really good report based on the testing they did to determine why their airplanes were breaking this way.) Eric Mueller's book recommends practicing your maneuvers at the slowest possible airspeed which will allow completion without stalling. This serves to provide control feedback to the pilot and reduce the forces on the aircraft. Dave Russell wrote: My latest endeavor has been to learn to snap-roll the Super D. A couple of training flights in an Extra 300 proved that I could learn to fly them, but transferring that experience to the Decathlon has been humbling. (As an aside, I *strongly* suggest you do not go fly an Extra 300 when you own a Decathlon. I *love* the Super D and all, but Holy Cow, Batman! The Extra is simply an astonishing machine.) Anyway, my snap rolls suck. The break is mushy, the rotation is sloppy, my exits are horrible. The rotation is slow enough that I actually can 'think' while it goes around, but I haven't been able to get any meaningful acceleration with forward stick. Any Decathlon instructors wanna gimme a few tips? (And *please* don't tell me to just trade up to an Extra... poking fun at an addict in withdrawl is cruel and mean.) Dave Russell |
#4
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Rich,
Rich Stowell wrote: (Dave Russell) wrote in message . com... Anyway, my snap rolls suck. The break is mushy, the rotation is sloppy, my exits are horrible. The rotation is slow enough that I actually can 'think' while it goes around, but I haven't been able to get any meaningful acceleration with forward stick. I have the same problem as Dave, except I'm flying a Citabria 7KCAB (fixed pitch, 150hp). And it's only a problem when I fly solo. I can do a reasonable snap roll with an instructor in the back. Here's what I suggest you try in your airplane [Super D]: Establish level slow flight at 85 mph. Leave the power alone thereafter. Mentally give yourself a countdown -- 3, 2, 1 -- at 1, smoothly but briskly apply full rudder as you would for any spin entry. When you sense that the rudder is passing though 3/4 of its full travel, "flick" the elevator aft just far enough to induce the stall. At 85 mph, that'll be about a 2 to 2-1/2 G tug on the stick. You want to generate that G with as little stick movement as possible. Here are the steps I was taught for the 7KCAB: - 1800 RPM, slow to 65mph - 2200 RPM and lower the nose to accelerate to 80mph - flick the elevator and as the nose goes through the horizon, briskly feed in the rudder - recover with opposite rudder and slight forward stick - recovery seems to take about 1/2 turn rolling left, 1/3 turn rolling right This works pretty well when flying dual but I'm always getting mushy slooowww rolls when trying it solo (if I'm able to make it go around at all). Any hints? Thanks, Boris |
#5
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In article , Borislav
Deianov wrote: I have the same problem as Dave, except I'm flying a Citabria 7KCAB (fixed pitch, 150hp). And it's only a problem when I fly solo. I can do a reasonable snap roll with an instructor in the back. Fly solo from the rear seat. It snaps reallly well! Run some CG calculations for different fuel loads. |
#6
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EDR wrote in message ...
Fly solo from the rear seat. It snaps reallly well! Run some CG calculations for different fuel loads. May be illegal, but... my 7GCAA was well within the CG limits in that configuration. :-) -DJR |
#7
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Dave Russell wrote:
EDR wrote in message ... Fly solo from the rear seat. It snaps reallly well! Run some CG calculations for different fuel loads. May be illegal, but... my 7GCAA was well within the CG limits in that configuration. :-) Where does it say it is illegal? |
#8
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Where does it say it is illegal?
Isn't there a placard that says "Solo from front seat only"? -John *You are nothing until you have flown a Douglas, Lockheed, Grumman or North American* |
#9
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In article , Ditch
wrote: Where does it say it is illegal? Isn't there a placard that says "Solo from front seat only"? What year? There might be on the newer ones. |
#10
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Borislav Deianov wrote in message ...
Rich, Rich Stowell wrote: (Dave Russell) wrote in message . com... Anyway, my snap rolls suck. The break is mushy, the rotation is sloppy, my exits are horrible. The rotation is slow enough that I actually can 'think' while it goes around, but I haven't been able to get any meaningful acceleration with forward stick. I have the same problem as Dave, except I'm flying a Citabria 7KCAB (fixed pitch, 150hp). And it's only a problem when I fly solo. I can do a reasonable snap roll with an instructor in the back. Here's what I suggest you try in your airplane [Super D]: Establish level slow flight at 85 mph. Leave the power alone thereafter. Mentally give yourself a countdown -- 3, 2, 1 -- at 1, smoothly but briskly apply full rudder as you would for any spin entry. When you sense that the rudder is passing though 3/4 of its full travel, "flick" the elevator aft just far enough to induce the stall. At 85 mph, that'll be about a 2 to 2-1/2 G tug on the stick. You want to generate that G with as little stick movement as possible. Here are the steps I was taught for the 7KCAB: - 1800 RPM, slow to 65mph - 2200 RPM and lower the nose to accelerate to 80mph - flick the elevator and as the nose goes through the horizon, briskly feed in the rudder - recover with opposite rudder and slight forward stick - recovery seems to take about 1/2 turn rolling left, 1/3 turn rolling right This works pretty well when flying dual but I'm always getting mushy slooowww rolls when trying it solo (if I'm able to make it go around at all). Any hints? Thanks, Boris Hi Boris, Of course, someone in the back seat shifts the c.g. a bit more aft, allowing you to attain slightly higher angles of attack and better stall/spin departures. I would recommend trying essentially the same thing I suggested to Dave for your solo ventures, namely: In your Citabria, establish level slow flight at 80 mph. Leave the power as is for now (later you can try adding a bit more power, but for now, work on the rudder/elevator timing). Lead the snap roll with brisk rudder application followed by sufficient aft elevator to stall (about a 2 G or so tug on the stick). As soon as the airplane departs, release a touch of the aft elevator, etc. I believe rudder-then-elevator will have better results for you than the other way around. Let me know how that goes and we can continue with the lesson! Rich http://www.richstowell.com |
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