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#141
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The problem comes when the warning
device fails because the battery is flat or the electricity can't bridge the air gap. I test the circuit before each flight. My spoiler warning curcuit rigged between the landing gear and spoilers on my Jantar. The switch for the landing gear only opens if the landing gear is down and the button on the handle is fully up, indicating a positive lock on the landing gears. The switch on the spoilers only opens when the spoilers are in the fully locked position. To test, I depress the button on the landing gear handle and pop the spoilers a little. This activates the gear warning by closing both switches. Just in case one of the switches fails during flight, causing the alarm to go off, I can deactive the system to avoid a beep-beep-beep on a long flight. I have a toggle switch mounted high on the panel to power the circuit. Right next to the switch is a large red LED. If I chose to deactive the gear warning system, the red LED goes on. Jim Vincent CFIG N483SZ illspam |
#142
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Do not know the precise details of how the audio vario works, but the
idea is an audio tone is generated based on how fast air is moving into/out of a fixed chamber. Could you not take an audio vario, delete the chamber, and plumb the vario to a "stall horn" type device? The idea I have, is the vario makes no noise on the sitting on the ground, but does make noise when exposed to airflow (specifically, changing airflow due to climbing/descending). Same thing with a "stall horn"....makes noise only when exposed to airflow. Perhaps all we need to do is add a "T" fitting, some more tubing, and a selection valve to our current audio vario. Plumb the new tubing to a pitot bent at the tip to start picking up airflow if the plane pitches up to the stall angle (rest of the time, the pitot would be "flat" to the airflow and just measuring static pressure). If this works, then all you have to do prior to landing, is switch the vario's input from the normal TE probe to the new "angled pitot" AOA probe. If you start hearing audio tone from the vario, lower the nose to reduce AOA. Anybody have comments on if this would work? John |
#143
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"Kirk Stant" wrote in message om... "Bill Daniels" wrote in message ... All I can say is try it. If it doesn't do anything for you, rip 'em off. It's a pretty cheap experiment. Bill Daniels A few years ago I tried the same thing on an LS4. It worked, but was so sensitive to yaw that the readings were not very useful. I still wish I could have an audio AOA tone with the gear down (and matched to the flap setting) that would indicate whether I was fast, on-speed, slow, or REALLY SLOW (just like the good old F-4). Just having a stall indication is unfortunately only giving the pilot some of the information he really needs. And having an accurate audio tone would allow the pilot to keep a lot more attention outside the cockpit during the landing pattern (which is kinda nice). It's really AOA that we fly when slow anyway, using airspeed as an approximation... Nice thing about AOA instead of airspeed is that it automatically compensates for weight, so landing back immediatly after takeoff full of water (rope break, aborted winch launch) would be a lot safer. With the gear up, no audio but the AOA for min sink (regardless of ballast and bank angle and adjusted for flap position), L/D max, and best acceleration/min drag (when pushing out of a thermal) could be shown with individual LEDs or a simple edge indicator, to give the pilot an idea how he is optimizing his flying. How about it, some smart person? I guarantee, once you fly AOA, you'll never go back to chasing the ASI! Kirk I absolutely agree that AOA data would be invaluable for the reasons you listed and that once a pilot became used to flying with AOA data, airspeed data would look archaic. Getting data as good as you had on the F4 will not be easy with a glider. Bill Daniels |
#144
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Hi John
Std Cirrus - I know the geometric lock needs adjusting... Mine goes at 5-10kg which is WAY out of spec - although it was set by a professional at last inspection. Bruce |
#145
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At 13:24 16 March 2004, Tony Verhulst wrote:
'This is a good point. The Skylane that I own a small piece of has a horn that sounds about 10 kts before the actual stall - and as such, is pretty useless, IMHO. This is pretty typical for most power planes and during a normal landing you expect it to go off.' Tony I fly power too and I have to disagree with you. The stall warning is of great input to me. I want it to go off during landing but not until I am within a couple of feet of the ground if it is beeping at me when I am still high on final Its input may save my life! The same would be true of my Ventus as well! I have many more hours in my Ventus than all of my power time so it is not as likely that I would have a problem in keeping the speed up but when flying different gliders or other power aircraft, I appreciate a stall warning. It is easy to get distracted and slow down your scan of all of the instruments as well as looking for traffic and maybe the trim is not set just right and the aircraft starts to slow down on final. This is when it works for me IMHO! |
#146
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Eric Greenwell wrote in message ...
Jon Meyer wrote: I have no problem with people that fly any kind of glider, I just think that as a one-class contest design the PW5 was a complete failure, and that a class incorporating an existing 20ish year old design would have been much more succesful. If you believe that, then the glider you desire so much would NOT be an LS4, because at the beginning of the World Class discussions, the LS4 was only 5 years old and competitive in the Standard Class. So, using your criteria, a "20ish year old design" would be a Standard Cirrus! It costs just as much to build a Standard Cirrus as an LS4, would you buy one, or would you say, "Why should I buy a World Class Cirrus when for less money I can get a used LS4?". Please check your history book. The Std. Cirrus was on the market in 1969. The LS4 went into production in 1981 and there were over 800 built by the time the PW5 was introduced in 1994. But that doesn't really matter since the statement was: it would have been more successful. |
#147
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Todd Pattist wrote:
"K.P. Termaat" wrote: The solution for a warning on air brakes unlocked prior to take off is quite easy. Use a micro switch on the air brake handle and a pressure transducer from a washing machine in series. I'm confused as to why you need a pressure transducer. Just put a microswitch on the Tost that detects the presence of the towring, and wire that in series with the existing sensor on the airbrakes. The airbrake sensor provides power to both the gear sensor switch and the Tost sensor switch. They both send power to the buzzer. If the brakes are opened with the gear up or the ring inserted, your buzzer goes off. Conversely, if the brakes are open and the ring is inserted for the tow the buzzer sounds. Why wait until you are rolling or in the air to sound the buzzer? Todd Pattist - "WH" Ventus C (Remove DONTSPAMME from address to email reply.) The pressure sensor would be great for a self-launching sailplane. It would also avoid alerting when the pilot had the spoilers open purposely at the start of the launch, as some pilots do to avoid wing drop or running over the towrope. An alert in those situations might not be a bad thing, as it would test the system, and the pilot would be fully aware that he was causing it. -- ----- change "netto" to "net" to email me directly Eric Greenwell Washington State USA |
#148
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Owain Walters wrote:
At 20:42 15 March 2004, Eric Greenwell wrote: pilots that don't even fly them, such as myself (I fly an 18 m motorglider). Eric, Thanks very much. You have illustrated the whole problem with the concept of the World Class beautifully. A bunch of noisy psuedo-philanthropists Not noisy: I think we've been quite restrained. I haven't even called anybody "rubbish" yet. Not psuedo: I believe I have contributed considerably to people's safety and enjoyment of soaring over the 30 years I've been in the sport. And that's what I think I am doing here, in this discussion, even though it isn't contributing to YOUR enjoyment. sitting around praising the pros of the World Class when they havent even flown, I've flown two of them, and enjoyed it. I've also flown one of it's competitors in the class, the Russia, and enjoyed it. I even flew it in a Regional contest, letting my glider sit on the ground. yet alone competed in the class and judging by your glider choice (I am presuming an ASH-26e) have absolutely no intention to. An unpowered glider doesn't fit my desires, but I don't disparage them. If I were a strong competitor, I'd go looking for a PW5 to borrow or buy. Frankly, the the only way I'd be a winner beyond the local level in the World Class would be if I could use the LS4 some people dream about as the World Class glider. -- ----- change "netto" to "net" to email me directly Eric Greenwell Washington State USA |
#149
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Frankly, the the only way I'd be a winner beyond the
local level in the World Class would be if I could use the LS4 some people dream about as the World Class glider. Eric, I dont get your point.... are you saying that if the World Class glider was the LS4 you would win National or International Compeition but as its a PW5 you cant? Surely your skills/knowledge are relevant in a one glider class regardless of which glider it is? Whether it be a PW5 or a LS4. Which brings us kind of full circle. The argument is not against the World Class just against the requirements and in turn against the PW5. As far as I can see the requirements have killed any chance the World Class had of success before it even started. And to be honest I think there is enough evidence of that to prove that it isnt just an opnion. Personally I think the World Class has missed the boat. The club class is taking over the 'Affordable competition' section of competitive gliding. Owain |
#150
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"Jim Vincent" wrote in message ... What about the towhook? Magnetic sensor? where? How? Other ideas Install a strain gauge internal to the fuselage right up against the hook mount. Get Peter Masak to design a simple circuit that trips an electronic relay when the strain exceeds a certain amount. Knowing Peter, it should take him less than an hour. Jim, if you go that route, build the strain gauge to display the hook tension to the pilot for the purposes of flying a winch launch. Bill Daniels |
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