Hilton wrote:
Everyone who has replied has made one significant and incorrect assumption.
I would have replied, "Really really fast, yellow arc at least, perhaps at
or above Vne depending on the aircraft."

Why? Because all posts have made the (probably) incorrect assumption that
the aircraft somehow fly wings-levels to its demise. That just won't
happen. Forget dihedral, that won't stop it going into a spiral. Another
factor worth considering is that when the pilot dies, there is a really good
chance that the pilot will fall forward and possibly push on the yoke. With
a side stick, this will probably cause a bank as the pilot pulls sideways on
the stick.

Anyway, my point is, is that since no wings leveler or autopilot was
mentioned, it is almost guaranteed that the aircraft would enter a spiral
and trim speed does not apply in a spiral.

Hilton


"gatt" wrote in message
. ..
One of the folks around the hangar took his CFI practical last week. He
had his AGI so they threw out all of the Fundamentals of Instruction stuff
entirely during the oral.

A question the examiner asked him: "You're flying cross-country and
trimmed at 110 knots. You die, and the engine quits. At what airspeed will
the aircraft strike the ground?"

Another was, "You're turning final and you enter a cross-control stall. Is
it better to be in a slip, or a skid?"

-c


Really getting nitty here Hilton :-)

With the engine dead, and assuming good rigging, there is no specific
reason to assume a spiral. The initial question specified the engine
"quit". Again, assuming proper trim and no aerodynamic forces to induce
bank, the aircraft for all practical purposes anyway, can be assumed a
straight path into the ground.

Take out the proper trim and an idling engine and perhaps you have a
case for a spiral. Also, few aircraft are rigged perfectly so that also
could be a factor for a spiral.

Other than these things being present and considering the "spirit" of
the question, trim speed would be the answer for ground impact in my
opinion.

--
Dudley Henriques