Kitfox 2 Rotax 582

[mosherjacob]

I recently purchased a nice kitfox 2 with a rotax 582 gh, I have no experience with these engines and so I have Ben reading everything I can about them. I am a little worried about windmilling the prop on decent. This is probably a dumb question but if I am I'm the pattern on a short grass strip how can I descend and loose the speed that I need to without pulling all power? The only way I can see is to drag the plane in at a low alt with power but I don't fly that way, I want to keep it high in the pattern so if I have a problem I can make it back to the strip without power. Just wondering if anyone else has ran into this problem? Thanks!

[Dave F]

hone your sideslipping skills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0LodxuGy_I

[SkyPirate]

Agreed, my model 2 with 582 i would slip in on short fields

[mosherjacob]

Thanks for the replies! I tried slipping to stop the windmilling and that seemed to work!

[Dave F]

Not sure what you mean - sideslipping will get you down quicker with control.
I am talking engine at idle or even stopped. - eg dead stick

[SkyPirate]

Setting up to slip my model 2 i would line up on runway pull throttle back ,full left rudder, slightly back on stick and right aeloeron, watch your egts with the 582, sometimes with power pulled back it puts the carb in the range where your egt's might climb a bit, after descending to about 50' from surface i would straighten the plane out letting it sink to about 20' then correct accordingly with throttle and flaperon for the touch down

[FitchUpNorth]

Even though my 2 is still mired in the legal system.... (like having your sick kid in the hospital and they wont work on him) Sky Pirate and Dave nailed it. There is NO substitute for good old fashioned stick and rudder skills.

If youve never read it, I highly recommend a book called "The Compleat Taildragger Pilot" Spelling intentional Its an awesome look into the physics that affect your bird in flight, and a straightforward approach to common mistakes. Slips are an old hand's trick to make things happen. Learn them, love them, USE THEM..... Impress the hell out of your friends with Cubs.. :-)

Denny