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The latest issue of AOPA Pilot contains an article about vortex generators.
The article places high emphasis on how they can improve controllability during low airspeed single engine operations in twin engine airplanes. The subtitle of the article, as it relates to twins, mentions "Blueline Ops or Vmc". The article then repeatedly associates "blue line" with Vmc rather than RED line with Vmc. For the single engine pilot this article can lead to serious mis-information. Multi engine airplanes typically have two additional indicators on their ASI. The first is a radial red line, an indicator Vmc, the indicated airspeed which a pilot will experience minimal control during single engine operations under a set of specific criteria. The second additional indicator is a radial blue line which indicates Vyse, or best rate of climb under single engine operations under a set of specific criteria. For instance, the redline of our Aztec is 80mph. If we loose our critical (left) engine, at gross weight, a rear most CG, full power on the right engine, ect, ect... we can expect to loose directional control if our airspeed drops below 80mph. This is where vortex generators could help, by reducing the Vmc airspeed if all other conditions remained the same. Red line is the "goal for control". On the other hand, our Aztec has a radial blueline at 102mph. If we loose an engine, at gross weight, our best rate of climb (with our single operating engine at full power, our airplane in it's optimal configuration and in standard conditions) would be at 102mph. Vortex generators, as related to Vyse, was not the subject of the article, although it would be an interesting subject. Blue line is the "goal for performance" (climb, maintaining, or loosening the least altitude) The references to "blueline" in the AOPA Pilot article clearly should instead refer to "redline" when referencing Vmc and single engine control issues with multi engine airplanes. Jim |
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