Practicing the impossible turn

[rwaltman]

At ~350 feet ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abUv_9YfHDY

Roberto.

Edit: PS: Thought it was obvious, but apparently it is not.
That's not me, not my Kitfox, not my video, yes my dream.

[SkySteve]

Nicely done Roberto. You make it look so easy and carefree.

[rwaltman]

Nicely done Roberto.

That's not me. [Wish it was...] I am still not flying, (waiting on a flaperon push-pull tube from Kitfox Aircraft and a few other annoyances.)

But I do taxi very well! See page 5 in http://proflyersinc.com/eaa501/propwash1210.pdf

Roberto.

[Dave S]

Roberto,

Less a matter of "the impossible turn" and more a matter of knowing the performance limits of the aircraft and pilot combination.

The advice to "land straight ahead" is solid for pilot/plane combinations where the pilot has never practiced turn arounds (practice at altitude) because if it is for real and a person tries the turn around, most really don't know what their plane will do; or, how to do it and they end up in the NTSB files.

Prior to my first flight in my kitfox, I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours in a similar Kitfox with an owner who had me practice (AT ALTITUDE!) turn arounds from a climbout configuration. Didn't take too long to get a 180 below 250 feet (Remember a turnaround to the runway isn't a 180....more like a 270). The owner could routinely get his Series 5 through a 180 in less than 200 feet..that was with full fuel and two on board.

The key to it is immediately putting the aircraft into a glide attitude, push the stick right away, and immediately roll into a medium turn (approx 45 degrees)....if the climbout speed was correct....the speed in the turnaround will remain a safe buffer above the stall speed. Climbing at 65 mph with the stall at 46 clean on my particular series 7 makes a safe turn with an immediate push and roll keeping the airspeed at 65 the whole way...with minimal altitude loss.

Now...to see what happens when a person mucks the maneuver up.....GO TO ALTITUDE...LOTS OF IT, go to a climb configuration, pull the throttle and do nothing for 3-5 seconds....or pull back on the stick a little...or try it with a shallow turn.... or a steep turn if you have had spin training........

Practice the maneuver to proficiency with 90, 180, 270, 360 etc turns... do it with and without flaps...you will know the difference between what is possible and what is not possible...the folks who become unfortunate statistics and have never practiced may be engaging in wishful thinking (better to just land straight ahead then) where real knowledge is needed in order to decide if it will work or not in a particular case.

The 4 most dangerous words in aviation...."I think I can"...

Great video...just forgive me for not practicing on the deck....I prefer lots of air under me in case I unintentionally mess it up.

There are a lot of airplanes that cannot do this as well as a Kitfox....

Great video,

Sincerely,

Dave S
KF7 Trigear
9142ULS Warp Drive

[SkySteve]

Roberto,
You are a taxiing maniac!!!!

[rwaltman]

... more a matter of knowing the performance limits of the aircraft and pilot combination.

Dave - Thanks for the thoughtful response. (Even though you are preaching to the choir.)
I don't know if you saw my reply + edit before - That video is not from me.
My plane's performance is completely unknown to me. When I get to fly it, (hopefully some time this century,) I will do a lot experiments *at altitude* to determine is flight characteristics. When I get to practice "The impossible turn" it will be in my own private imaginary field at 5000' AGL.

The 4 most dangerous words in aviation...."I think I can"...

In particular when followed by "I thought I could, I thought I could, I though I could..."

Great video...

Yea! - Now getting back to Advisory Circular 90-89A, "Amateur-built aircraft and ultralight flight testing handbook", and Vaughan Askue's "Fly testing homebuilt aircraft"

Roberto.

[TahoeTim]

For those with a Dynon glass panel (or other brand with audible warnings):

Before takeoff I set my altitude bug at 600 above the field altitude so it tells me when I hit my safe altitude for a turn back. I can do one at 400ft but I figure I need to add a little to account for the "surprise" factor.

Guys, try an engine out at 20 ft off the deck! on my low wing light sport, it loses speed quick so it's stick forward followed quickly by stick back and flare.

[Chewie]

Is best glide in a later-model kitfox the same as minimum sink? If not, aren't both equally important airspeeds to know? Kinda like Vy and Vx...

Mark

[cubtractor]

Always a good maneuver to practice(at altitude to start with of course) in any small airplane.

I can see my bald head talking to you rwaltman in one of the pictures of the fly-in.

[peanut]

I saw this video before the post. There is no question that there are balls involved, and a full understanding of this aircraft and physics. It's very fun to watch. 2:34 shows me how tough the gear is.. that looked like that could have ended a lot of fun right there.... Sideways gear hit? Very cool video, wish I had the balls for low, slow, steep bank turns.