Exceeding the critical angle of attack is when the wing stalls, not what causes it to stall. If we know that pilots cause airplanes to stall, why do we teach them to almost stall on takeoff and delay the inevitable, and now desirable, on landing? Why are we advised to increase airspeed in gusty landing conditions while seldom advised to do likewise on takeoff? Neither Vx nor Vy may be appropriate on takeoff. With a long runway ahead, neither is appropriate.

How many lives would be saved if we taught pilots to takeoff as fast as practable and to land as slow as practable, in small aircraft, and leave the attractive nuisance V speeds to larger aircraft? KISS might be the more appropriate principle in small aircraft.

Yup.

How do you crash in the middle of a runway on takeoff? Climb out too steeply with gusty crosswinds.

This is what Vx looks like with a cross wind creating rotors at treetop level. Over half the runway was still available for acceleration in ground effect at the point aircraft control was lost, but the pilot opted to leave the ground as quickly as possible and climb as steeply as possible, with no airspeed reserve. Nobody was hurt, but it didn't have to end this way. Climbing into that disturbed air at the top of the white arc instead of at the bottom would have been helpful, and there was plenty of room to make that happen.

I'm not sure where pilots got the idea that backcountry departures need to be slow and steep...generally they don't. If they do, calm wind is helpful.

Hammer wrote:Yup.

I'm not sure where pilots got the idea that backcountry departures need to be slow and steep...generally they don't. If they do, calm wind is helpful.

Well we all know that slow and steep is required because somebody may be watching. I call it the maximum show off departure. So were do you want your energy? In elevation or speed. I think that if there is plenty of runway like most Idaho strips I will take speed any day. At least until you are well into the white arch

Operating from a long runway need not prevent our gaining good muscle memory for shorter strips. Staying in low ground effect until near the obstacle is just as possible. The tremendous zoom reserve in cruise airspeed should make an impression. The apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach, or any power pitch to touchdown slowly and softly on the numbers, is just as possible as in the backcountry.

Defaults are established whether we intend or not. Accelerate in ground effect to Vx or Vy as appropriate does not mean you must pitch up more than necessary to just miss obstructions. Nor does it mean that Vx or Vy is appropriate for every takeoff. Landing your default normal does not mean you must touch down well down the long runway.

My default, staying in low ground effect until near the obstacle has been a life saver in several engine failures. Gust spread was never defeating. The apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach has saved me from needing to consider the statistically dangerous go around more than a couple of times in 17,000 hours. Angle across in crosswind conditions becomes a nada.

The down side of taking off fast and landing slow and possibly at an angle (both takeoff and landing) is that peers will talk. Take them out and show them the energy and safety advantage.

The narcotic of saving altitude, rather than using vertical space available, lures us more dangerously the more engines we have. Twin pilots have a higher fatality rate per engine failure than single engine pilots. Single engine pilots have a higher rate than glider pilots. The more engines we have the greater our errant belief that we are bigger than God and that we can always maintain altitude. Do downdrafts take us all the way down to earth, or do we stall in the futile attempt to maintain altitude with elevator rather than managing the energy of both engine and nature. Pitching up in a strong downdraft goes against good energy management and can result in stall.

The muscle memory of not pulling back on the stick in all turns, regardless of bank angle, is as life saving as it is rare. The instinctive ability to calculate amount of zoom reserve in the form of airspeed, without looking at the airspeed indicator (which poorly indicates the same), is invaluable.

And finally making use of ground effect, at the numbers rather than well down the runway, to land slowly and softly on the numbers well below Vso is a useful skill. While not necessary on long runways and seemingly more dangerous, it is a way to safely establish the default that may save tin and skin without our ever knowing.