Hey everyone. Just seeking some advice. My Citabria does not have a stall horn. It doesn't really bother me because I know how it flies and go by feel. That said, as I am looking to be flying out in the Rockies more this summer, I would like to have all available tools for myself. Is it worth putting a stall horn in? Or would I be better off spending a bit more and going with an Angle of Attack?
Thanks in advance for your ideas.

David

Spend the money on GAS for that airplane. With experience, your butt will be a FAR better stall indicator than those mechanical thingies.

MTV

mtv wrote:Spend the money on GAS for that airplane. With experience, your butt will be a FAR better stall indicator than those mechanical thingies.

MTV

+1

Fly it as much as you can. Work on short field technique, slow flight, etc. In my opinion, AOA indicators have their place in heavier machinery, but light aircraft should be flown with the butt, at least in visual conditions.

While there's no substitute for knowing your airplane, I am a bit of a proselyte for AOA indicators. I really like the Alpha Systems mechanical one that I had installed in my LRB 3 years ago. After 180 or so hours flying with it, I'm persuaded that it's a big help, especially since I fly with significantly varying loads, from just me with partial tanks to full gross. While the book figures work well at full gross, they are way off when running light. It's especially helpful during slow flight doing maneuvers, as it accounts for the difference in stall speeds at different angles of bank, different flap deflections, etc. I find that I rarely use my airspeed indicator any longer, other than to glance at it occasionally on normal approaches, except for instrument approaches which I habitually fly at a pretty high indicated airspeed.

Cary