REFLECTOR:N32XL

[Jim Agnew]

Dave,

When I went to top & bottom fences my roll became slower no
doubt due to the added vertical stablizer effect of the
fences.  I may go back and try just the uppers again.

Jim
--- davedent@comcast.net wrote:
> Well guys I flew N32XL this morning with the fences on
> and tape on the aileron gap.  I now have a different
> plane.  The roll feels a little more heavy but no problem
> on the landing.  I kept a very flat attitude at the
> runway more then I do with the EZ's and had complete
> control all the way down.  Able to keep the nose off the
> ground till the speed bled off. 
>  
> I did some slow flight and at 68 Knots IAS it gave me
> plenty of warning before the canard stalled.  It was
> dropping very straight with little control needed to hold
> the attitude. 
> 
> I just have to get use to the much heavier feeling. It
> has more then I did in my Piper Navajo.  I am not sure if
> using the votex generators will help that much more. 
> 
> The only thing that bothered me today was the poor
> aileron trim control.  In fact it stinks.  I will be
> putting on a MAC for sure in the near future with a
> position read out as well. 
> 
> By the way someone asked how long my ailerons were. They
> 72 inches long.  And Ido not have the elevator cuffs.  
> Dave
> 
> 
> > Hello and welcome Dave!
> > 
> > >>and now have encountered the bad landing
> characteristic problems.<<
> > <snip>
> > >>I can't remember ever flying a plane that was so hard
> to put down on the 
> > ground, <<
> > 
> > Hmmmm, since you have a lot of Canard experience my
> story may not be very 
> > relevant but here goes anyway. 
> > 
> > My first four hours in my XL were miserable! It flew
> very nicely and I enjoyed 
> > my time aloft but I dreaded every landing! All my joy
> while flying  was tempered 
> > by the growing knot in my belly that sooner or later I
> was going to have to land 
> > this wicked beast! On every landing I would get down
> into ground effect and the 
> > ailerons would just stop working! I could slam the
> stick stop to stop sideways 
> > and have almost no impact on the plane at all. I would
> mush and float down the 
> > runway with hardly any control. It was scary and
> therefore miserable! Oh how I 
> > hated landing!
> > 
> > The weird part was that at altitude I could take it
> right down to pitch buck (58 
> > Kias) and the ailerons were still quite effective, then
> in the landing at a 
> > speed above pitch buck the ailerons would go totally
> dead. Somehow ground effect 
> > works to rearrange the airflow and decrease aileron
> authority. I'm only smart 
> > enough to make that observation and not smart enough to
> understand why! 
> > 
> > At the end of my fourth hour Sam DeSilva who is a
> factory approved CFI and who 
> > had also made the first flights on my bird was back on
> the airport and watched a 
> > couple of my scary horrible floating landings. When I
> shut down Sam told me my 
> > problem-  it was obvious to an outside observer used to
> Velocities...
> > 
> > I was putting in WAY too much flair! Sam told me my
> nose wheel was a solid 12 to 
> > 18 inches above the ground when the mains touched. He
> also added that ideally 
> > the nose wheel should be 2-4 inches off the ground when
> the mains touch.
> > 
> > I was stunned! I KNEW all that and I could have swore I
> was on the verge of a 
> > nose wheel strike and here I was flaring it like a
> Cessna. That downward sloping 
> > nose was really messing up my sight picture. So since
> Sam said 2- 4 inches I 
> > went and got a little piece of 2X4 wood put the plane
> on level ground and placed 
> > the 2x4 tall side up under the nose wheel and then just
> sat in the plane for 15 
> > minutes getting a good feel of what the world looked
> like out the windows when 
> > in the proper landing attitude. 
> > 
> > Then I went out and shot touch and goes striving for
> that same sight picture at 
> > touch down. It worked! It was like night and day!
> Suddenly I could land, it was 
> > no longer scary and out of control and the world was
> joyous and good again! From 
> > that day forward my rule was always "If the ailerons
> are not working lower the 
> > nose!" I never had another problem with control in the
> landing. 
> > 
> > Thanks again Sam!
> > 
> > Now since you are used to canards and downward sloping
> noses this probably is 
> > not your problem but then again...
> > 
> > Oh, to be clear, the ailerons are still *less*
> effective in ground effect but 
> > once I got the nose down into the proper Velocity
> landing attitude I never felt 
> > out of control again like I did when I was mushing
> along with the nose way too 
> > high. 
> > 
> > DM Rob
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > To change your email address, visit 
> > http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
> > 
> > Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
> > user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
> > Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
> > Check old archives:
> http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
> _______________________________________________
> To change your email address, visit
> http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
> 
> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
> user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
> Check old archives:
http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html


=====
James F. Agnew
Jim_Agnew_2@Yahoo.Com
Tampa, FL
Velocity 173 Elite Aircraft Completed & Flying