On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:35:22 +0100, Mxsmanic wrote:

What's the proper procedure to execute a forward slip, how should the
aircraft be expected to react when it is performed, and what are the
main uses of the forward slip?

Ideally, the plane should drop like a shotgunned duck. The velocity vector
remains pointed in the same direction, but the aircraft is maneuvered so that it
is no longer pointed in the direction of the relative wind. Hence...lots more
drag, which means the descent angle can be steeper.

The main use is that it allows you to maintain a reserve of altitude that you
can get rid of quickly once making the runway is assured. Or, if landing on a
runway with a physical barrier at the approach end (a line of trees, for
instance), one can increase the descent rate once clear of the trees and land
earlier on the runway.

And why is it called a _forward_ slip?

Because the airplane, while in a turning attitude, does not turn...it travels in
the same direction it was before the maneuver started.

Here's a couple of videos. This one is shot from an axle-mounted camera on my
airplane:

http://www.bowersflybaby.com/slip.wmv

The second one is video taken from the ground of me performing the same manu
ever on a different day:

http://www.bowersflybaby.com/slip2.wmv

Somebody said that MSFS cannot simulate forward slips correctly. What
is missing in the simulation?

The Fly Baby model on MSFS can't, but I always figured that was my fault. :-)

Ron Wanttaja