Contact Flying

Our Army was well financed. Ten hours of maintenance for each hour of flight on the Huey, a pretty simple helicopter. Certainly no tilt rotor.

Anything from the Sprague clutch to the Jesus nut, the drive train, can kill you quickly if not changed out while still quite new. Now add the weight and complexity of a swing into place mast, swashplate, head, and roter system. I don't see any company insuring it. It will be very expensive and very dangerous.

Spending other peoples money is a habit politicians have a hard time breaking. The longer they stay in office, the better they get at it. I will vote for anybody who pledges to serve only one tour because he will vote against spending more money and thus will not be reelected. About a third of eligible voters here vote in non-presidential elections. If we voters don't care enough to vote, what is to keep politicians from doing what they think is in their best political interest. John Boyd, "the fighter pilot who changed the art of war," asked every officer who came to work for him, "Do you want to be or do." He had no use for those who wanted to be. After the four stars in the Pentagon got him retired as a Colonel, he came back as a consultant for one days pay every two weeks. He had to take that much to be allowed to stay. He was most responsible for the F-16, not just the best fighter, but also the cheapest to build and maintain. That sort of "do" doesn't happen in government very often. Big airplanes are mostly just big, and expensive.

I sprayed with one notch flapperons all the time in my Callair A9-B. It had the same wing area as a Pawnee but the wing wasn't as efficient . With one notch, it handled one hundred and twenty gallons at 4,000' better on hot days when the DA was much higher. Both the Callair A9 (no flaps) and the A9-B were the best handling spray planes I ever flew. I think ribs in all the control surfaces helped.

There was once a world where foreign policies were clearer and war was the pre-declared result of well defined aggression. As soldiers, like Tennyson said, "ours not the reason why, outs but to do and die." At least they were fighting honorably declared wars without any exit strategy except victory or defeat. I fought honorably against honorable soldiers in an undeclared war with an exit strategy in Vietnam. Mine was not the reason why, but a declaration and some moral backing would have made defeat more palatable. Because of this moral weakness, we are not the powerful nation we used to be. In Vietnam, I covered Loaches (OH6-A) circling in a Cobra at 1200' as a Hunter Killer Team. You guys did the same thing with push pull Cessnas 337s (O-2s) covering a Bell-47. We Army aviators appreciated your help then and with our moral decline we really need your help now. Churchill showed the democracies how in WWII and the Iron Lady did the same in the Falklands. We need to get our shit together.

I think getting away from the expensive, time life limited, very dangerous if money not dumped on it, drivetrain from head through tailrotor is positive. Tilt rotor is also complex, expensive, and unsafe, however. Unless we panic, it is very difficult to kill ourselves in a little airplane. Helicopters can kill us in a thousand ways. A simple blade strike can kill many in the helicopter and on the ground. Helicopters don't just crash. They crash and then beat themselves to a pulp.

I turned back to the paddock next to the one my Ag student was spraying in from only one meter altitude in the first field. The student in the front hadn't switched tanks yet in a 135 hp Super Cub. The energy management or crop duster turn is what makes this possible. Zoom reserve from cruise, and ground effect in the field or on the runway, is what makes this possible. I had it on the ground in the next field by the time he had switched the tank. Going back to the runway? No! This is not possible as it requires a P crop duster turn. First, we are spraying crosswind starting the first swath on the downwind border. The P turn involves clearing the wing coming out of the field. We don't want to put the wing down into a wire or tree. Once the obstacle goes under the downwind wing, we turn (fall off the target) downwind. This is for offset. We turn about fifteen degrees in light crosswind and much less in a strong crosswind. As soon as we bleed much energy from this pitch up, we either level with a near full load or start the upwind turn if zoom reserve still remains. Either way we now trade airspeed for altitude in the upwind turn. This reduces our airspeed (the slowere we go the faster our turn rate) and groundspeed. The now headwind helps reduce the diameter of the turn back. We do not pull back on the stick in the turn except to prevent a great deal of nose tuck in a very steep (toward 90 degree) bank. We do, however, use a great deal of rudder in the turn to counter adverse yaw and to now (on our side with the upwind wing pointed toward the ground) help push the nose down. In a near 90 degree bank, our rudder controls the up-down pitch of the nose somewhat. Forward elevator here would only delay the turn. We are in a bit of a rush to get the nose pointed down the desired crop row before the down wing strikes something. And we certainly do not try to pull up with that wing down, causing the graveyard spiral effect. We want to level the wing going over wires, trees, and such. Having lots of practice turning at low altitude, I have had little trouble with the twelve engine failures I have had. However, the only time I put it down on a runway was straight ahead. As I had used the basic low ground effect takeoff I always use, I was at one meter with plenty of runway left when the motor stopped.

It becomes a hard concept if one has had thousands of iterations or round out, hold off, and flair, but the apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach eliminates the need for round out and hold off. If learned early, it is a much easier approach. I have soloed many tailwheel students in six or seven hours using it. Because the airplane is slowed gradually to near stall speed by short final, the nose is up, protecting any nose gear, so no need to round out. Because the airplane is near stall speed by short final, there is not much hold off. We now flair for three point landing or to protect the nose gear or level the airplane for wheel landing. Stabilizing apparent rate at a brisk walk, rather than stabilizing airspeed at too much to land, greatly simplifies the whole procedure. The apparent brisk walk rate of closure is what we use to slow our autos for a stop at an intersection. We have thousands and thousands of iterations. It is something the student already knows and, with a little stall practice, can apply safely. We need not be mushing down, but the knowledge of that happening or not happening can be taught. We do not need to be 1.3 Vso to keep from mushing down or stalling. Yes, in a downwind approach, we will be mushing down at the short final point unless we add some more power. Also we will have to be careful, in a strong headwind component, to protect and nose gear. The airplane will be quite level with significant airspeed even though the ground speed is fine. In a Champ or very light airplane, we have to be careful to not get going backwards in a strong headwind. Anyway, it works good with pre-solo students as well as old pros. It is easy on airplanes, especially tailwheel airplanes. The time when they could be damaged by a ground loop is very short.

It becomes a hard concept if one has had thousands of iterations or round out, hold off, and flair, but the apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach eliminates the need for round out and hold off. If learned early, it is a much easier approach. I have soloed many tailwheel students in six or seven hours using it. Because the airplane is slowed gradually to near stall speed by short final, the nose is up, protecting any nose gear, so no need to round out. Because the airplane is near stall speed by short final, there is not much hold off. We now flair for three point landing or to protect the gear or level the airplane for wheel landing. Stabilizing apparent rate at a brisk walk, rather than stabilizing airspeed at too much to land, greatly simplifies the whole procedure. The apparent brisk walk rate of closure is what we use to slow our autos for a stop at an intersection. We have thousands and thousands of iterations. It is something the student already knows and, with a little stall practice, can apply. We need not be mushing down, but the knowledge of that happening or not happening can be taught. We do not need to be 1.3 Vso to keep from mushing down or stalling. Yes, in a downwind approach, we will be mushing down at the short final point unless we add some more power. Also we will have to be careful, in a strong headwind component, to protect and nose gear. The airplane will be quite level with significant airspeed even though the ground speed is fine. In a Champ or very light airplane, we have to be careful to not get going backwards in a strong headwind. Anyway, it works good with pre-solo students as well as old pros. It is easy on airplanes, especially tailwheel airplanes. The time when they could be damaged by a ground loop is very short.

Instructing in Champion 7AC, I have had students ground loop after rolling out a bit on landing. Using the apparent rate of closure (slow at bottom power/pitch) approach kept the speed slow enough that no damage would be done after a short roll out. They learn quicker if they manipulate the controls from the start. Dynamic proactive rudder movement, lots when slow and less when fast, is how we stay ahead of the airplane to prevent a ground loop. Like the tennis player waiting on the serve, we need move our weight from left to right foot and back repeatedly. Flat footed we will never get to the serve. Flat footed, we will be reactive rather than proactive. The only way to keep it straight is to put the nose just left, just right, etc. to bracket the straight line. Waiting and reacting is too late.

In my country crop dusters and pipeline patrol pilots are considered by our Federal Aviation Agency as "Those of whom we do not speak." If your are interested in the stinky side of aviation, read Safe Maneuvering Flight Techniques. I expect you are aiming high like most pilots. I spent my time low and loved it. SAFE MANEUVERING FLIGHT TECHNIQUES PDF.pdf SAFE MANEUVERING FLIGHT TECHNIQUES PDF.pdf SAFE MANEUVERING FLIGHT TECHNIQUES PDF.pdf

Jabba jenny, I left a very important word out of my explanation in answer to your question about using unbalanced rudder or rudder only on landing: rudder. Sorry about that. Throughout your flying career, in normally controlled airplanes, you will find landings much easier and less troublesome if you learn to aim the longitudinal axis or nose (look between your legs) down the centerline extended and the centerline when lower and the centerline when on the ground with rudder only. The only useful purpose of the aileron, once established on final (on the centerline extended) is to manage drift by banking into any crosswind or just to keep the wing level. You don't even have to know or worry about if there is a crosswind. Just counter any drift with the wing. Use the aileron to react to any drift by banking. The rudder, our finest longitudinal axis trim device, is a different matter. Just as we walk the rudder pedals dynamically and proactively on the runway to push the nose just left, just right, etc. to bracket the centerline, we do the same thing on final to bracket the centerline extended. We are already directing our course to the numbers with throttle to control glide angle and elevator to control apparent rate of closure (airspeed if you are tied to it.) Now we control drift with wing and longitudinal axis with rudder. This can be practiced cheaply without an airplane. Riding a bike is good practice of dynamic, proactive control with body shift and pedal movement. You will find yourself leaning one way while pushing down on the opposite pedal. Also rubbing you tummy while patting your head. In primary helicopter school we talked about walking and chewing bubble gum at the same time. There are more things related, in life, than not if we think about it. Have fun and do what you must to get along. We instructors are a hard headed lot. I'm just trying to help. I'm not trying to ruffle feathers. Contact

It is safer to allow the nose to go down naturally, not pull back on the stick, in all turns as I teach with the energy management turn. Around the airport and in other low level work, it is essential for safety. Why are we teaching climbing turns in the pattern at near stall pitch attitude? Because that's the way it has always been done. Not good enough. We could just as easily stay in ground effect long enough to gain zoom reserve for a safe climb, or we could fly level a bit. Many, many more pilots are killed on takeoff than in an unbalanced stall/spin turning base to final. At least the school solution is to make base to final a descending turn, so the pitch attitude does not favor a stall/spin as facthunter has pointed out. No! Safe maneuvering flight techniques are not advanced techniques for only crop dusters and others in low level work. No! These techniques are not rocket science, advanced, hard, complicated. I have taught this stuff to many zero timers who have soloed in tailwheel airplanes in less than ten hours. Many, many iterations of less efficient, less proficient techniques can be employed without a serious accident. Like facthunter said somewhere, panic is usually necessary to cause great harm. If we use good, efficient techniques as a normal practice, we are well prepared for the occasional situation that might otherwise panic us.

Yes, Garfly. The wingovers in your video were like what crop dusters do after part of the hopper load has been sprayed or in a very powerful spray plane. The milder energy management turns in my video are more like what would be done with a full load. With a full load, a level turn would be extremely dangerous unless the spray plane went way out in a very mild bank and came back many minutes later. This just wouldn't get the job done efficiently and would still be very unsafe. aro, I am not saying recreational pilots need be low or need turn steeply, most of the time. We all are low when taking off and landing. The same safety issues as with spraying come into play here. In the video Garfly put up, the pilot leveled the wing before going over the hanger. He got the turn completed quickly before impacting the ground or having to cross the hanger with one wing down. That is why we must bank steeply and use a lot of rudder to push the nose around. He pulled up wings level and allowed the nose to go down naturally in the turns. He ended the bank before pulling up. The same is true with your fear of a skidding stall/spin on the base to final turn. First good wind management would have us making this base to final turn into a headwind/crosswind component so as to be at the slowest ground speed possible (the slower we go the faster we turn) and so the crosswind would work to reduce the radius of turn. Second, it is much safer if we allow the nose to go down naturally in the turn as it was designed to do. I don't know about your country but here I see lots of videos of young guys low leveling down rivers and flying canyons. These are recreational pilots legally flying low in our desert and mountain west. They are putting wings down near terrain and wires and are making high load factor level turns near the ground. I have seen film of a lot of similar country in Australia and New Zealand. These guys need to know safe maneuvering flight techniques. They are not taught these techniques at the airport. There are few of us old guys who have flown this way all our lives and Ag training is expensive. Many in aviation say these young guys are making their own bed and need sleep in it. In this case that means possible/likely death. I don't. I tell them as much as I can on this computer and I fly with any of them for free. Contact

Coordinated turns or balanced turn are correct for turning, but overemphasis by us (instructors) about always being balanced is harmful to the beginning student as well as to the old pro. I am talking about normal airplanes with normal controls. Yes, we want a coordinated turn from base to final. Using good energy management, we want to let the nose go down as the aircraft designer designed it to do. Now if we get unbalanced, with the nose down, we will not likely stall. Once established on the centerline extended, we need to, regardless of crosswind or not, manage any drift or just wings level with aileron and manage dynamically and proactively to stay on the centerline extended and keep the longitudinal axis (called nose but always between our legs) pointed just left, just right, etc. to stay ahead of the airplane and keep the nose going down the centerline. It is not rocket science, of which I know nothing. It is not the student's or old pro's fault if they balance controls to dynamically and proactively turn left, right, left, etc. all the way down the final approach. They were taught that way. It is a common problem among instructors as well as students. My objective is to bring it to the attention of those who are open minded enough to try using our finest trim control, the rudder, to make landing less of a problem. Critical for tailwheel pilots and crop dusters keeping the wing (level not down in a turn) out of the wires going into a paddock. Not necessary for those who fly nose wheel airplanes or just don't mind snaking around and wagging the wings a bit on final.