flaps

Matt Whiting wrote:

Just once, but I noticed it instantly, and I was already pretty busy
flying an instrument approach into OSH of all places after having lost
my alternator. When I noticed the alternator light come on about 20
miles out, I turned off everything but one navcomm and the transponder.
However, once on short final, the old habit kicked in and I put the
flaps down even though I was on battery power alone at that point.

It's amazing how that works, isn't it?

Years ago, when I was working on my instrument rating, my instructor and I
had just taken off on a night IFR flight and were having trouble checking
in with NY Departure. The radio's were scratchy and they weren't getting
our xponder, when we noticed the panel lights dim. We told NY we were
returning home.

On the short flight there, we discussed the idea that we might have enough
battery to get the flaps down and not enough to get them back up if we
needed to go around. We decided to do a no-flap landing.

Exactly the same thing happened that you described -- habit kicked in and
without even realizing what I was doing, I reached out and put the first 10
degrees of flaps in on downwind. It's just hard to break the habit.

Matt Whiting wrote:




It is hard to miss Cessna flaps either. I have to admit to wondering
where Kobra mind was during that landing. Full flaps in any Cessna I've
flown is simply hard to ignore, but I haven't flown a 177.

I owned one. You can't miss them if you happen to be in the aircraft
during a landing.

Jay Honeck wrote:


When you own an aircraft -- especially one with a big, heavy 6-
cylinder engine that is slightly nose-heavy -- you think twice before
"practicing" such things. Tires, struts, brakes, firewalls, props,
and engines all become HUGE impediments to "practicing" landings with
the stall horn squalling, since you're paying for them all.

That's really disappointing to hear. I didn't realize this attitude
even existed but this does explain some things I see. I have more fun
plunking my airplane down in small spots than just about anything else.

Newps,

That's really disappointing to hear. I didn't realize this attitude
even existed but this does explain some things I see. I have more fun
plunking my airplane down in small spots than just about anything else.


Me too. And I own it, too. It's not a smart attitude not to practice with
your own plane. But you're right, it does explain a lot of the "driving
on" of larger singles one sees.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:38:14 -0700, Jay Honeck
wrote:

Spend an hour or two landing on the numbers with the stall horn squalling.

It's funny how much easier this was to do when I was renting
airplanes. Heck, I'd routinely drag it in at minimum forward air
speed and plunk it on the numbers, just to see how short I could land.

This should be a part of every ones practice.

When you own an aircraft -- especially one with a big, heavy 6-
cylinder engine that is slightly nose-heavy -- you think twice before
"practicing" such things. Tires, struts, brakes, firewalls, props,

Nope, not even with a Beech retract. I'd probably do two (or more) of
these about every time I'd go out and practice. After about the
second one I'd find the "airport bums" (group I hang out with) hanging
on the fence, grading the landings.

and engines all become HUGE impediments to "practicing" landings with
the stall horn squalling, since you're paying for them all.

I bought 'em to use and I used them to lean both the limits of the
airplane and myself.


This post, IMHO, above all else, is a real tribute to the utility of
manual, Johnson-bar flap actuators. Hard to miss when THOSE don't
work.

When I add flaps I look at them. It's become a habit.
OTOH the Johnson bar flaps in the Cherokee 180 could make for a very
impressive, short roll out after a STEEP descent.


:-)

"Roger (K8RI)" wrote:

I bought 'em to use and I used them to learn both the limits of the
airplane and myself.

Yep.

The Skylane has a reputation as a great short field airplane: I'm enjoying
making mine live up to that reputation.

Life is for living; airplanes are for flying.


--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
IMHO, full flaps are called for on a normal landing...it is only when
gusts or crosswinds raise their ugly heads that lesse deflections should
be used. The goal is minimum speed at touchdown, and you are depriving
yourself of a huge energy sink.

Spend an hour or two landing on the numbers with the stall horn squalling.

Bob Gardner



....but not in front of American, or Delta, or any of the others that need
100+ knots across the fence.

There are way too many folks taking an absolute position on this topic.
Flaps or no flaps depends on a whole lot of variables with wind being only
one of them.

Kobra however was intending on making a partial flap landing that was going
in the ditch, but he didn't catch the clues until later. That's the point we
should take away from this story.


--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas