Backcountry Pilot • Fantastic new video: The Approach

Fantastic new video: The Approach

Share tips, techniques, or anything else related to flying.
46 postsPage 2 of 31, 2, 3

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

I was taught to stay well clear of the back side of the power curve in a beaver...


Words of wisdom indeed... :lol:
Littlecub offline
Posts: 1625
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:42 pm
Location: Central WA & greater PNW
Humor may not make the world go around, but it certainly cheers up the process... :)
With clothing, the opposite of NOMEX is polypro (polypropylene cloth and fleece).
Success has many fathers...... Failure is an orphan.

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

mountainmatt wrote:Excellent video!

mtv wrote:Um...that last little segment illustrating a Carbon Cub bounce.....the pilot's left hand was firmly planted on the V Brace....right up to and through touchdown.

THAT is a REALLY bad habit to get into.

MTV


MTV, I'm not sure I see what you see. I see his left hand go from the throttle to the flap handle?


Uh, yep....too used to flap handles in the "traditional" location, I reckon.

MTV
mtv offline
Knowledge Base Author
User avatar
Posts: 10514
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:47 am
Location: Bozeman

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

mtv wrote:Uh, yep....too used to flap handles in the "traditional" location, I reckon.


You could go back and edit your comment to read "Woah, woah, woah, put that flap handle back where it belongs!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfZ9KTXK5sY&t=3m10s
rw2 offline
User avatar
Posts: 1799
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:10 pm
Location: San Miguel de Allende
FindMeSpot URL: https://share.delorme.com/LaNaranjaDanzante
Aircraft: Experimental Maule
Follow my Flying, Cooking and Camping adventures at RichWellner.com

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Wow! Thanks for all the kind words. I would be lying if I said that one didn't take a long time to make, the next few should be a heck of a lot easier.

I looked through here real quick, but have run out of time in front of my computer.. the day job calls. I will try to answer some of the questions this evening or tomorrow am.

Patrick

I saw a local denver guy asking about stuff. PM me. we should go fly sometime I am out of BDU and my Maule and carbon cub are down for the foreseeable future. Ill show you some fun places around here, and might be able to show you a few tricks for the Maule.
learntolandshort offline
Posts: 82
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:11 pm
Location: colorado

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

rw2 wrote:
mtv wrote:Uh, yep....too used to flap handles in the "traditional" location, I reckon.


You could go back and edit your comment to read "Woah, woah, woah, put that flap handle back where it belongs!"



I'm pretty sure he wouldn't post anything like that... as long as I'm alive :roll: :lol: :P
EZFlap offline
User avatar
Posts: 2226
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:21 am
.

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

EZFlap wrote:I'm pretty sure he wouldn't post anything like that... as long as I'm alive :roll: :lol: :P


Loyal customer?
rw2 offline
User avatar
Posts: 1799
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:10 pm
Location: San Miguel de Allende
FindMeSpot URL: https://share.delorme.com/LaNaranjaDanzante
Aircraft: Experimental Maule
Follow my Flying, Cooking and Camping adventures at RichWellner.com

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Littlecub, that made me ROFL! But seriously anyone, would you drive a Beaver on the backside of its power curve down to touchdown?
Floatsnskis offline
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2013 5:33 am
Location: Stockholm

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Floatsnskis wrote:Littlecub, that made me ROFL! But seriously anyone, would you drive a Beaver on the backside of its power curve down to touchdown?

Goes the same for turbines?
58Skylane offline
User avatar
Posts: 5297
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 12:36 pm
Location: Cody Wyoming

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Floatsnskis wrote:Littlecub, that made me ROFL! But seriously anyone, would you drive a Beaver on the backside of its power curve down to touchdown?

Sounds like that could get dirty!! [-X
M6RV6 offline
User avatar
Posts: 2313
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:52 pm
Location: Rice Wa. 82WN Magee Creek AERODROME
FindMeSpot URL: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... sWKXuhKlg2
Have as much Fun as is Safe, and Keep SMILIN! GT,

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

That was an excellent video! This is the stuff that I need to keep watching and learn! Great info! Not only does it apply to the back country, it applies to the event that if you ever have an engine out. Learning to nail your touch down spots can greatly increase your safety and passengers safety. Excellent video!
csstricker offline
User avatar
Posts: 67
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:18 pm
Location: Ogden, UT
FindMeSpot URL: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... HSiQDWEYn1

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

@ezflap

Where we live we get a lot of trashy air. Rarely is the wind smooth and one directional.

Because you are really using gravity and not power the effect of the turbulence seems to be less, and you have most if not all of your power ready to help out when you hit sink. If you hit tons of lift that is what really throws me off the most often (the Maule is great for this while the cubs are much worse). While I do increase the margins slightly it is basically the same thing but very guarded and with very busy hands. This is not something that I would recommend for someone getting into this kind of flying, but rather someone who is comfortable in their plane and the backcountry environment. Candidly most people are doing this for fun that I teach, and when it is windy/lifty I recommend not going. There are many many times we don't launch because of forecast winds. Today being one of them. That is the beauty of not flying for a living anymore.

Keep in mind I don't even try the super short stuff (400 or less) when the air is trashy I leave that for ideal conditions. However if you are out for several days there will come the time when you want to get back to your tent and such and the winds might not cooperate.

because of this I always base out of a place with a reasonable go around and in the event of rowdy air I just approach it with the idea that I might not get in. It is very common to not get in on your first try…or your fifth. it is also common to have hundreds of power adjustments during the approach. If you look at the video again the opening segment where I start talking is in rough air (you can see the wind in the time-lapse afterward). Look at my hands, they are moving quite a bit, and that was my 4th or 5th attempt to get it in. The real take away in rough air is if you aren't comfortable, go a different day or change locations. If you are willing to give it a shot, be ready to abandon the approach without hesitation. When I do abort I relax the back pressure and jam the throttle and wait for the plane to respond, then I climb away. I hope this helps. I can't stress enough, if the conditions make me uncomfortable I just simply find a different place or don't go.
learntolandshort offline
Posts: 82
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:11 pm
Location: colorado

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

My problem is that my plane has a vernier control on the throttle and pressing the detent and pulling all the way back doesn't cut the power.
It should. I also have a vernier throttle, and whether I crank it back with the vernier or press the button and pull it back, the power comes all the way to idle. Might ought to have that adjusted.

Cary
Cary offline
User avatar
Posts: 3801
Joined: Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:49 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth..., put out my hand and touched the face of God." J.G. Magee

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Get rid of that darn vernier throttle! Those things are an accident waiting to happen. Vernier mixture or prop control on the other hand is a great device.
G44 offline
Supporter
User avatar
Posts: 2093
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:46 am
Location: Michigan

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

I have a vernier throttle on the maule and I really like it. I put the "button" in my palm; my index finger on the "dash" and I don't ever have to think about where the throttle is since my index finger is always measuring it. If it hangs or catches I fix it. During the approach I feel more aware of the air since i am cognizant of how much throttle I am into.
learntolandshort offline
Posts: 82
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:11 pm
Location: colorado

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

The same can be accomplished with a standard non vernier throttle, also with a standard throttle it can be closed without having to push a button. My friend totaled his airplane in a start up incident caused by the vernier throttle. Lots of experience with them and with out them, I MUCH prefer standard throttles. To each his own...
G44 offline
Supporter
User avatar
Posts: 2093
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:46 am
Location: Michigan

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

G44 wrote: My friend totaled his airplane in a start up incident caused by the vernier throttle. To each his own...


DELETE!!
M6RV6 offline
User avatar
Posts: 2313
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:52 pm
Location: Rice Wa. 82WN Magee Creek AERODROME
FindMeSpot URL: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... sWKXuhKlg2
Have as much Fun as is Safe, and Keep SMILIN! GT,

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Excellent video, saw it last night, this is the method I learned from the get go, Probably has something to do with the fact that my first flight instructor flew Piper L3's in WWII as a field artillery spotter.

Something tells me that was a pretty good school of hard knocks to learn about slow flying through. I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from him.

I really liked how you guys did the graphics in the video, they were well thought out and made a whole lot of sense, I actually have a better understanding because of it now. I think anyone who is a CFI should be showing this to their students.
BigNickMontana offline
User avatar
Posts: 114
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:28 am
Location: Livingston

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Great video like to see the whole series.
182 STOL driver offline
Posts: 1529
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:27 pm

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Several people have emailed me or PM me about what kind of AOA indicator that was. I wasn't real sure so I finally got an answer from the current owner of that plane which was just an inventory bird for me. I really did think it was pretty neat, and I loved them in some of the bigger planes that I flew, but on these smaller planes I am not sure if it would be worth the dollars for me personally. Either way here is the link.

http://www.alphasystemsaoa.com/products/
learntolandshort offline
Posts: 82
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:11 pm
Location: colorado

Re: Fantastic new video: The Approach

Very well done lesson on a different technique. Wolfgang talked about this stall down approach in "Stick and Rudder."

EZ-Flap, we don't drive around hill and dale behind the power curve. In the approach, unless we are already in ground effect and gaining greater energy that way, we have too much altitude and too much airspeed for a touchdown on the numbers. We reduce power because we gain a lot of gravity thrust going down hill. This gravity thrust can easily become too much airspeed on top of too much airspeed. However we don't have tremendous need of going back up. Think of checking a mile marker at 200' AGL in a canyon. We don't do that upstream and we use cruise or better airspeed in the energy management turn to get there. Same with spraying. We are going downhill into the target with a lot of power.

Now, the use of full flaps in gusts in slow flight on final. I like the apparent rate of closure approach a little better than this one because the slow up to near stall doesn't come until very short final. However you do it, you will need to manage gusts, shears, up and down drafts, etc. with throttle. It is a very useful control. Move it. In bad desert and mountain afternoon winds you may have to go to the stop, both in and out, and then adjust. Since we cannot be proactive with this control, we will have to overuse it in the static reactive mode. When going down, put in more than you think you need and then adjust. You have the most wonderful and expensive flaps available on any small single engine airplane. Use them. If you use them in the afternoon, you will probably have to use the throttle as a control. It keeps you on whatever glide angle you choose.
contactflying offline
Posts: 4972
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:36 pm
Location: Aurora, Missouri 2H2
Download my free "https://tinyurl.com/Safe-Maneuvering" e-book.

DISPLAY OPTIONS

PreviousNext
46 postsPage 2 of 31, 2, 3

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

Latest Features

Latest Knowledge Base