Flaps on take-off and landing

"Grumman-581" writes:

Maybe in *your* plane, but *my* plane only gets a 2-3 kt decrease in stall
speed... Not worth the trouble unless you need to drop into a really short
field with trees or a power line at the approach end of it...

Why do large commercial jets seem to have huge flaps with many
settings, whereas small planes have tiny flaps with one or two
settings, or none at all?

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"Jim Macklin" writes:

Try it. It is not a long term effect, just a quick change
to get over the short fence or narrow ditch.

So it's like ground effect, right?

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Chris W writes:

Head tracking equipment for the PC that works in MSFS and many other
programs do exist. With out it flight simulators are extremely boring
to me. You really need to look into them, they increase the level of
realism by an order of magnitude. The one I have is called TrackIR.

Sounds interesting, but at $180, it's well beyond my budget at the
moment.

I'm sure there are others out there, but I don't know what they are.
The TrackIR works by using an inferred camera that you put over your
monitor and point it at your head. The low end version that I use comes
with a set of silver stickers that the inferred camera picks up really
well and tracks. You just stick them on a hat and go. Then it
exaggerates your head movements in the game, so say 10 degrees of
movement of your real head translates to 120 degrees of movement for the
game head. The first 3 or 4 times you use it, you will probably get a
head ache, but after you get used to it, the head aches stop. By the
way, the 10 to 120 degree numbers were just made up, the real ratio is
configurable with a little utility that shows your head on one side and
the game head on the other side so you can see what how much it moves.
They have a higher end version that not only tracks which way your head
is pointing but it also tracks movement from side to side, forward and
backward up and down and side to side tilt (think roll here). The basic
version just does pitch and yaw, which does work well. A friend has the
more advanced version and tells me he has to turn off the roll feature
because it becomes to disorienting while flying, but he does like using
the full functionality in the Nascar simulator.

I'm confused. Exactly what does this device do?

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"Mxsmanic" ... wrote in message
...
I'm surprised that propwash would matter, since the airflow from the
prop should stay in roughly the same place no matter what the attitude
of the aircraft. That is, it would be like putting a big fan on a
sailboat to drive it forward.

Propwash matters, and you can definitely feel the effect in the controls. As
for the affect at different airspeeds and a lot of other questions you might
have, a picture tells a thousand words and I'd really recommend reading
"Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langewiesche. The book is almost 60 years
old, but his explanations and illustrations are so good at cutting through
misconceptions that it's stood up very well with time.

Tom Young

Mxsmanic wrote:
"Grumman-581" writes:

Maybe in *your* plane, but *my* plane only gets a 2-3 kt decrease in stall
speed... Not worth the trouble unless you need to drop into a really short
field with trees or a power line at the approach end of it...

Why do large commercial jets seem to have huge flaps with many
settings, whereas small planes have tiny flaps with one or two
settings, or none at all?


Isn't it obvious?


L.

Mxsmanic,

I'm surprised that propwash would matter, since the airflow from the
prop should stay in roughly the same place no matter what the attitude
of the aircraft.


You really need to read a book or two about flying before blathering on
a pilot forum like that.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Mxsmanic,

My sim doesn't go anywhere, but that's not the purpose of simulation.


So how the heck would you know

a) how complex a way GA is to go from A to B?
b) how many GA pilots consider that even to be the purpose of their
flying?

You have no clue - and the least you could do is shut up when you
don't.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Mxsmanic,

given the aspersions routinely cast upon
simulation in this group.


Not upon simulation, but rather upon your behaviour in "discussion".

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...

Today, however, it's just about identical to real life,

Says the kid who's never sat in the front seat of an airplane.

even down to the inherent bounce in the gear (or the airframe).

What 'inherent bounce' is that?


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The sim is better than real life. I've done both. In the little planes,
when u need to urinate, you do it in your pants or into a container. As
for the other bodily functions, you just gotta hold it and hope that there
isn't alot of traffic ahead of you before its your turn to land. (And the
pilots wonder why more women don't want to deal with this).

In the little planes, you are oftentimes dealing with 1960s technology.
The little planes are either too hot or too cold. They can't get you
where you want to go unless you have an IFR license and a capable plane.
In the little planes, you have to worry about other marginally trained
pilots running into you (either on the ground, mid-air, or in the traffic
pattern).

In the little planes, you will waste at least $100K between the training,
equipment, insurance, gas, etc. (Better off buying a really nice BMW or
Audi or Porsche, which will get you where you want in less time, and where
you can pull over at a rest stop when you want).

And, best of all, in the sim world you can fly into and out of Megis Field
to your heart's content!