HuDuGuru

HuDuGuru's Activity

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   HuDuGuru added a post in a topic MANUVERING SPEEDS    2 May 2012

   I phoned the kitfox factory a number of years back asking a few questions about some of the performance numbers, I was told there were no published figures for maneuvering speed on a model 3. I guess I just assumed this applied to later models… you learn something new every day.
   

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   HuDuGuru added a post in a topic MANUVERING SPEEDS    2 May 2012

   Ed, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Once you’re up in the air you don’t have the option of making the airplane heavier or lighter, but you do have the option of slowing down. The only thing you have to remember is to slow down if your flight turns into a roller coaster ride.
   
   There are no published figures for maneuvering speed for Avids and Kitfoxes, so I’m not sure how much to slow down. What I do know is other general aviation aircraft (Cessnas and Pipers) have published maneuvering speeds approximately 10-20% below normal cruise speed.
   

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   HuDuGuru added a post in a topic MANUVERING SPEEDS    1 May 2012

   Maneuvering speed most definitely decreases with decreased weight. I’ll take a stab at explaining it without any math formulas.
   
   These numbers are just made up to illustrate a point.
   Airplane X= 1000 pounds, flying angle of attack=10 degrees.
   Airplane Y=1500 pounds, flying angle of attack =15 degrees.
   Both airplanes are flying at the same speed.
   Critical angle of attack will be the same for both planes, say 20 degrees. Once critical AOA is exceeded the loads are dramatically reduced for both planes.
   
   G forces are directly related to the amount of time an aircraft has to accelerate. Airplane X will have to move 10 degrees before reaching critical AOA, airplane Y has to move only 5 degrees. Since it takes more time to move 10 degrees compared to 5, airplane X will spend more time accelerating therefore developing greater G forces.
   
   By reducing your flying speed, you are also INCREASING your angle of attack, which puts you closer to the critical AOA, which in turn gives the plane less time to accelerate before reaching critical AOA.
   
   
   I hope this helps, I understand the physics behind it, but I usually suck at explaining things.
   
   EDIT: to avoid some confusion, when I use the word “accelerate†I don’t mean increasing your airspeed. I meant gravitational acceleration, which is what happens every time you pull the stick back.
   

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