Thread: new record

i did my first go-around in about 8 months today. had a very soft contact but couldn't keep it on the ground. I climbed 50' and was about to try it again when i lost my airspeed to a gust so i went around.

next attempt i set a record, i used 7,000' of runway to land my ct. my feet and left hand can get pretty active when it's gusty and cross.


-- building experience mode

That's alright,

I did both a terrible takeoff and landing with my wife onboard Sunday. Maybe since I have over 60 hours I am relaxing too much

way to go alan,

were they so bad that she knew they were bad?

Owe ya, I believe her comment was: "Thats the worse takeoff and landing I have ever seen you do" I think she noticed.

BTW, she has been flying with me since 1991 !

I have been experimenting with different power settings to see if I can grease it on and ended up with a bounce after touch down. The takeoff was bad because I rotated early, (like I usually do) and the right wing dipped right after takeoff. Guess I am not used to flying with two people when it's warm outside, Sunday was the hottest day I have flown since I started flying the CT last winter.

You have to take into account that the last airplane she flew in with me was a Cessna 205, a tank that doesn't move around much.

I have been setting my rpm to 2700 and leaving it until I touch down. I use it now for all my normal landings regardless of the flap settings. Makes the landings easier and smoother. The flare and settling is much gentler. Less likely to fall out from under you. Oliver from Germany (at the Fly-In) said we should be using some RPM during all normal landings. This does not necessarily include short field or emergency type landings. The majority of planes do use some power when landing. This would be a better way to teach new people the CT. Then when they are more proficient they can do all other types of landings and power off situations.

Alan,

your takeoffs have all seemed very positive and stable, you seem to allow the ct to fly as soon as its ready and as steeply as it likes. the obvious downside is the reduced margin and it comes into play when the conditions are less stable. i figure Vx if there is something to avoid otherwise Vy and still oil temps usually dictate that i go -6 cruise climb on summer time departures.

RL, you and i both have to deal with summer thermals and here i find that both approach ends can have big lift going on. it is the time of year where i do spot landings in the morning but after 11:00 it becomes more like a slow low pass looking for a window where things come together and then you gotta chop to keep from flying past the window. i agree though, a bit of power and a bit of flaps makes woodstock sweet to land in good conditions.

the point of my post is how honest my ct is. it is light and flys slow and can be a handful when conditions are challenging but, there are no bad habits or quirks. it always reacts as expected and with some good judgement, patience and a moderate skill level you can get this light sport on the ground in challenging conditions and without much risk.

Roger,

What flap setting are you using with 2700 RPM ?

Seems like a lot of RPM to carry during landing ?

Hi Alan,
I'm using 2700 for all settings. (0,15,30,40) 2700 is not enough to keep you flying it only slows that last little bit of desent before actual touchdown and keeps you from hitting stall so quickly. Try a few different rpm settings. You may find you like something like 2600 or 2800.
It's just something to add to your bag of "Tips and Tricks".

Roger Lee,

I'll give it a try, I am trying to do the same thing as you, a slower rate of descent and a softer landing.

I agree, just a little throttle works great - IF you have the speed nailed. Too much speed and some throttle and you'll float a LONG ways. The need for throttle is more pronounced at 30 and 40 flaps.

On climb-out, I use about 70 kt for the first 500 ft here at ADS because of all the buildings. I agree that the airplane lets you know when it wants to fly and how fast.