I'll make it out there someday when work allows, Jim.


And - unrelated to your post - that's a beautiful Tripacer!

Thank you! I never meant to buy such a beautiful plane as a freshly minted PPL....thought I'd get a beater, not something that requires fresh wax and a decent MX bill to keep everything at show quality - but I couldn't say no after I first saw it....

Over the years, I have seldom had airspeed indication numbers for short final and touchdown. I just haven't looked because I use better indications like control feel, stick position, relative wind noise, buoyancy, and apparent rate of closure.

Groundspeed has so much more to do with getting down and stopped in the space available anyway. Given Evanr42's numbers on my demonstration of the apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach, I was 65 mph airspeed (50 mph groundspeed in 15mph headwind component) on short final. I was 55mph airspeed and 40mph groundspeed on touchdown. Power was necessary to manage sink rate throughout.

Why did I pitch up a bit more from short final to touchdown? 65 is too much airspeed to safely handle this airplane on the ground. The indication that I needed to slow down a bit was the increase in the apparent brisk walk rate of closure. By pitching up a bit and adding a bit more power, from short final to touchdown, I maintained the apparent brisk walk rate of closure to touchdown.

The apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach is simply a stabilized apparent rate of closure approach. It is the same stabilized apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach you make to every stop sign with your auto, unless you zoom up to it and stand on the brake. As with your auto, the rate of closure doesn't appear to increase above a brisk walk until short final.

Nice Tri Pacer... If you look close in the logbook you will see either mine or my Dad’s name in it... glad to see you are enjoying it...

Jimmy has an original -20 he is working on now.. going after the elusive Oshkosh reward.. [emoji6]

Brian

I am embarrassed by my forgetfulness in the last post. Since the start of this thread I have flown with:

jmurtap

Schwartz

Blackwater

CFOT

Tangogawd

cyamaha

ME Pirate

Bart (local instructor)

Mike (unknown callsign but BCP)

evanr42

Slowmover is coming next month

Slowmover came by 2H2 today. Like all good Air Force pilots, he was studied up and ready to go. His time was limited but he aced the low ground effect takeoff and apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach. We went over to Monet and he checked out on hover taxi down the long runway. We went up to Kingsley's, MO9, for some grass and pipeline but didn't have time to chow down at the Hanger Kafe.

Joe is starting a new job at American Airlines, but will stay contact flying current in the 180 and a little instructing on the side.

I enjoyed talking his ear off all the way.

I'm really getting senile. Joe was a natural at energy management turns. But then, he is a glider pilot.

If you have trouble getting into the pdf of "Safe Maneuvering Flight Techniques" on my signature box, email me at [email protected] and I will attach it to a return email. I couldn't get it to come up but I'm a computer clutz.

How people fly, use and maneuver the aircraft, differs somewhat. I have found very few, almost none, who I felt were incapable. Not really interested, yes. Incapable, no.

I question the motive of old pilots who question any young and low time pilot's ability for various operations. The amount of time in the log book is far less important than what they have done with that time.

Any maneuvering flight, crop dusting, air to ground gunnery, mountain flying with low powered aircraft, etc., like instrument flying, requires specialized training rather than lots of hours.

The basics of everything I teach, save mountain flying, were covered in the six or so hours pre-solo with my Ag students. Yes they needed practice to hone their skills, but they were competent.

Most learn at a much faster rate than general aviation gives them credit for. And new things are added to the requirements for various steps. Reasons for the additions, and even the steps, are often more administrative than educational. And attitudes can be more restrictive than regulations.

I am not sure if my pms are going out. Plvssr come on anytime. Contact me [email protected] or 417-830-0638.

Plvssr, Paul, got put up at Kingsley's crop dusting school billets in the Hanger Kafe last night and we flew some interesting thin to thick fog this morning. Temp and dew point 21 in no wind and visibility going from 7 without ceiling to 2.5 under a 200' ceiling as the sun rose higher. Nature is not always normal.

Finally, when MTV's PVFR (Partial VFR) finally burned off, Paul did a great job with low ground effect takeoff he has been using some time, energy management turns, the apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach, and rudder turns in low ground effect.

It got hot and his O-320 on his Pacer was a little weak so we didn't annoy it with hover taxi. Paul will have no problem working that out on his own. I couldn't help him with 700 hour (over many years) engine with 70s compression and sounding good seeming a little weak. It reminded me of the high time stuff I used to run. Maybe MTV or somebody can help. Could be I am just getting old, but Paul is young and healthy. Could be all you guys and gals coming by with your heavy metal spoiling old contact.

Anyway Paul's pretty Pacer with 30 year old fabric is training him well. Also had a good old instructor in Abilene.

Hey Jim, I responded to your offer, did you see it?

Thanks

I see now. Lulu gives themselves several days to print and then media mail takes several days. Write what they did to win and sign "for Jim." I will try to make it some year.

contactflying wrote:I see now. Lulu gives themselves several days to print and then media mail takes several days. Write what they did to win and sign "for Jim." I will try to make it some year.

Roger that, and the hanks again.

I thought I should do a little flying in case someone at the mountain flying seminar and clinic at Grande Prairie Alberta next week actually wants me to demonstrate something. I flew with Seth, the new part time instructor at Aurora Aviation. I got some practice in, but Seth really impressed me with how quickly he picked up the apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach. His second and all subsequent landings were slow and soft on the numbers.

Contact, on the other hand, is crashing down. Legs are getting weaker and cataract in one good eye getting worse. Optometrist says no surgery until really bad due to only one. Those wanting to fly with me might want to get by 2H2 in the next few years.

contactflying wrote:
Contact, on the other hand, is crashing down. Legs are getting weaker and cataract in one good eye getting worse. Optometrist says no surgery until really bad due to only one. Those wanting to fly with me might want to get by 2H2 in the next few years.

Ha! Sounds like you are improving Contact...fly with you anytime anywhere my friend!

I have completed going over everything with Seth and Bart at 2H2. Good energy management instructors here, MO9, Macon Missouri, Iowa Falls, Memphas, Prescott Arizona SW Alaska, and Santa Rosa California. Arnie Meyers and several others at Grande Prairie Alberta are not instructors but well qualified, and legal in Canada to teach non primary stuff. I am missing many I expect, but I am old and senile.

Teaching flying, rather than test prep, is still on my mind and will be as long as I breathe.

I stopped by Aurora Aviation today and flew with Bart. 20 gusting to 30 was keeping students down, as I expected, so we took the old 172 out. They fly all day six days a week so iterations of normal flying can mess with muscle memory. Bart was getting off fine at the angle across on takeoff but kept trying to go down the painted centerline just before touchdown when landing. I had to keep yelling, "head for the trailer park."

Bart is a really good pilot and instructor. Currency is required for contact as well as instrument flying. And instrument currency isn't adequate for contact flying. And preparation for the private flight test is not contact currency. It is basic instrument currency.

Someone should come up with a sliding scale for headwind component of angle and speed of crosswind to come up with how far down the runway edge to angle. Not really. It just isn't done that way.

My body is going. You pilots who haven't flown with me, and want to, need to get by Aurora 2H2. I flew out to Kingsley's Hanger Kafe with the new instructor, Kim. The direct crosswind was strong enough that I had to have rudder assistance with my bad right leg, even with the angle across the runway. Also the 172 had a a creeping throttle and I needed both hands with the elevator (weak arms) so I was making simulated high DA takeoffs until Kim put the throttle back in.

Wait! You might not want to come fly with me.