If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Water landing, was Drag chute deployed
Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it
on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Whatever slows you down in the least amount of time from the fastest impact
is the wrong thing to do. I think I'd take the less speed, as long as the touchdown was under control. I think that the skiing time with the wheel down would be measured in fractions of a second even with excess speed. I have experienced the skiing trick in a J-3. On touchdown there is a noticeable deceleration and it takes extra power to keep it going. Take away that power and I think we would have been tail over nose within the length of the plane, from what would otherwise be a standard wheel it on landing. The technique of locking the brakes probably has more to do with how much water you want on the wings versus the skiing effect. The roostertails from the rotating wheels was impressive. I also think that the depth of the water is a factor. My experience was in the deep part. Anything over a few feet is probably called deep. Using that experience, I would assume that the wheel down glider would not travel more than a couple of feet before the wheel would submerge. I would also assume that the glider would stop much more rapidly with the wheel under the water. The idea that the fuselage would be sucked down by it's shape (gear up) will be a terrible surprise to all those boaters out there with upturned stems. Maybe we need to advise them to put a wheel under the bow so that the boat will settle into the water easier and won't slow down as fast? In article , Wallace Berry wrote: Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
"deb" wrote in message news snippage The idea that the fuselage would be sucked down by it's shape (gear up) will be a terrible surprise to all those boaters out there with upturned stems. It won't be a surprise to anyone who's tried to tow a canoe at high speed. It won't be a surprise to anyone who has put a spoon in the water from the kitchen faucet. It wouldn't be a surprise to Glen Curtiss. This really _has_ been done to death here. Google is your friend. Tim Ward |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Uk (and other nationals) glider pilots competing in Scandanavia had to
land on lakes many times as there was no where else. The technique used was the wheel down low energy landing. I seem to remember the wheel down bit was to pre-break the water tension. I don't think they locked the breaks. Not a good idea to add extra workload when attempting something new already! Andy Henderson "Tim Ward" wrote in message ... "deb" wrote in message news snippage The idea that the fuselage would be sucked down by it's shape (gear up) will be a terrible surprise to all those boaters out there with upturned stems. It won't be a surprise to anyone who's tried to tow a canoe at high speed. It won't be a surprise to anyone who has put a spoon in the water from the kitchen faucet. It wouldn't be a surprise to Glen Curtiss. This really _has_ been done to death here. Google is your friend. Tim Ward |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 12:39:16 -0500, Wallace Berry
wrote: Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. Now that is impressive! A whole new meaning to aquaplaning! I'm not about to try this in the BD4. Mike Borgelt |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Wallace Berry wrote in message ...
Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. Water Landings:In order of importance Gear Down At least 2M of water depth- err on deeper side if in doubt. Minimum energy Parallel to shore Into wind From a pilot survival,and secondarily, glider damage point of view a water landing is safer than a landing in trees. AND much more embarassing when your friends hear about it. UH |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
I have heard that story also! Of course Super Cubs have big tires! I
sure like to see some footage of that kind of taxiing. I think it is very important to have the brakes locked! With the wheel turning it would not make as good a skid, because all the water all over it. I would have the brake on, even if it meant to have the spoilers all open. One would have to carry more speed! 30 mph with a cub 40 mph with a sailplane should do it. Not many pilots know how to "wheel" a plane on, since most glider landings are stall landings. However Pilots flying off busy airports more likely make wheel landings in order to have the energy to roll off the runway before stopping. So, possibly wheel landings should be practiced with gliders and taildragers! I wonder whether a Bonanza would hydroplane with, say, 70 mph? Guess it depends on the water surface. Come to think of it, Geese have their "Gear" down when they water land, they also carry some extra speed? Wallace Berry wrote in message ... Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
A little snag in your thinking: When you do this in a glider, the intention
is not exactly taxiing but getting the thing to a full stop. So if you want to carry an extra 10mph when touching the water, you'll get what you pay for. -- Bert Willing ASW20 "TW" "soarski" a écrit dans le message de om... snipOne would have to carry more speed! 30 mph with a cub 40 mph with a sailplane should do it. Not many pilots know how to "wheel" a plane on, since most glider landings are stall landings. However Pilots flying off busy airports more likely make wheel landings in order to have the energy to roll off the runway before stopping. So, possibly wheel landings should be practiced with gliders and taildragers! Wallace Berry wrote in message ... Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Any thoughts on unlocking the canopy so it doesn't get stuck or somehow bind
thus making it harder to open, especially if you find yourself upside down? "Hank Nixon" wrote in message om... Wallace Berry wrote in message ... Wheel down is the safe way to land on water. I believe that "wheeling it on", in other words, not a minimum energy landing is the way to go. Locking the wheel brake (for gliders which have wheel brakes actuated by other than the dive brake handle) might be a good idea. Bush pilots land wheeled airplanes on water frequently. They lock the wheel brakes and hydroplane on the surface right up to sandbars. What one bush pilot told me was that in a Super Cub, as long as you were at 30 mph or above, the plane would just ride along on the surface as if you were on pavement. Even to the point that a hard touchdown would result in a bounce. I wouldn't have believed him but he showed me videos of him and his buddies landing on lakes. He also said that it was important to pick a sandbar that was long enough to get back to 30 mph before you hit the water. So, for water landings, it would be wheel down, brakes locked if possible, land just like wheeling a 2-33 on at the local field. Hope I don't ever have to try it out. Water Landings:In order of importance Gear Down At least 2M of water depth- err on deeper side if in doubt. Minimum energy Parallel to shore Into wind From a pilot survival,and secondarily, glider damage point of view a water landing is safer than a landing in trees. AND much more embarassing when your friends hear about it. UH |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Tamed by the Tailwheel | [email protected] | Piloting | 84 | January 18th 05 04:08 PM |
max altitude and Mach 1 | Boomer | Military Aviation | 22 | June 1st 04 08:04 PM |
Proposals for air breathing hypersonic craft. I | Robert Clark | Military Aviation | 2 | May 26th 04 06:42 PM |
"I Want To FLY!"-(Youth) My store to raise funds for flying lessons | Curtl33 | General Aviation | 7 | January 9th 04 11:35 PM |
Drag Chute Deployed ? | JJ Sinclair | Soaring | 13 | September 2nd 03 01:52 PM |