Deploy the "Other Spoilers"?
As a pilot of an 18m Ventus, I don't think my high-speed-dive-recovery
problems are nearly as bad as those of a pilot of a 25m Nimbus, but
nevertheless, these problems still feel uncomfortably close to home.
In light of the well-discussed problems of deploying spoilers to control
airspeed while trying to pull out of a steep dive, how about dropping the
landing gear?
On the Ventus, the main wheel swings forward as it is lowered, so I can
imagine that at airspeeds approaching or exceeding Vne, it might not be
possible to get the gear down-and-locked, but could even a partially
deployed wheel and the open wheel bay add enough drag to correct an
otherwise unrecoverable situation?
Even more radically, how about jettisoning the canopy as a speed control
measure?
Or both?
What do the experts on this newsgroup think?

"Don Johnstone" wrote in
message ...
If Stans analysis is right, and I can see no obvious
flaw, once the spiral dive/spin situation is met then
the chances of a sucessful recovery are slim. The 4DT
would not be unique in this. Perhaps a tail parachute
is an essential item of equipment.

Food for thought


At 15:18 30 June 2005, Bill wrote:

Stan Hall presented his analysis of the Nimbus-4DB
accident in Minden,
NV, 1999. Stan's analysis is scary, to say the least.

The article, Probing for the Smoking Gun, was reprinted
in the Soaring
Association of Canada's free flight, 2/04. Go to the
link below. Click
on free flight on the side bar. Go to free flight back
issues - 2004 -
issue 2. Down load the PDF file.

http://www.sac.ca/

Bill Feldbaumer 09