REFLECTOR: Gliding Distance

Wed Jun 20 11:05:51 CDT 2012

Terry,
Your right on. I am working on setting up Flight Simulator to practice exactly this. Anyone know a certificated bird that has V Speeds close enough to an XL to use for Flight Simulator? No Velo's loaded in Flight Simulator only Spam Cans.

Mark B. Magee
Sent from IPhone 4

On Jun 20, 2012, at 10:20 AM, Terrence Miles <terrence_miles at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Brett,
>  
> I deleted your post, but I want to comment briefly about 110 ias as a down drift speed.  I will be using something close to that too were I above 5000 AGL, in conjunction with constant awareness of prevailing winds above 20 kts, and being able to pull up NSRT airport info from my GPS without thinking twice how to do that.   Never mind about triple your altitude minus field elevation.  Just double it.  If you are 5000 and flying in the mid-west you can go 10 miles.    I am disinclined to hard formula speak except for hangar flying and understanding the physics of all this.  That said if you are trying to hold 85 kts, you will have mushy controls compared to the normal airloads and control displacements you are used to for normal in-flight maneuvering.  (Normal in an XL being just above 100 IAS) 
>  
> Realize that most pilots will have a tendency not to keep the descent rate going when the ground starts coming up at them…read: anticipate getting too slow.   Trim and let go.  It will feel different.  Realize you will likely want to have a speed pad to execute a flare prior to touch down.  Take your hand off the throttle, which isn’t helping you any, and use it to point at your airspeed indicator.   Think about how uncomfortable it would be to push the nose over to get back 5 knots when below 500 feet on final.   All these things argue for high approach airspeed, confidence in yourself and your equipment and arm chair procedural training that threads like this should prompt all of us to be doing.  Payoff is the last 30 seconds—or that last 300 feet—wings level and with energy to swap in the flare.  Have your passenger prompt you at 5 knots slow.  You guys have been there, and did a great job, and know about all the sensory overload of this.   
>  
> Sorry about the lecture.   Maybe someone picked up a neglected consideration. 
> Terry
> Flying Tigers Retired
> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On Behalf Of steve korney
> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 7:10 PM
> To: Reflector Reflector
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Gliding Distance
>  
> 
> I think Brooke's  glide ratio is about right for all practical purposes...
> 
> 
> Steve 
> 
> From: bwolf1 at tds.net
> Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:02:27 -0400
> To: reflector at tvbf.org
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Gliding Distance
> 
> You are right Steve.  Thanks.  That would bring my glide ratio to just about 9.5:1.
>  
> Brooke
>  
>  
>  
> From: steve korney <s_korney at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Reflector Digest, Vol 87, Issue 104
> Date: June 19, 2012 1:55:12 PM EDT
> To: Reflector Reflector <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Reply-To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
>  
> 
> Yes... 9.5 to 1...... Don't forget that the KIAS is about 12% less then your true airspeed at 6000ft... KTAS is about 95...
> 
> 
> Steve 
> 
> From: bwolf1 at tds.net
> Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:44:33 -0400
> To: reflector at tvbf.org
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Reflector Digest, Vol 87, Issue 104
> 
> Steve….Just to be clear, do you mean 9.5 to 1, i.e., 9500 feet forward for every 1000 ft altitude loss?  It looks like mine is nearer 8.5 to 1.  Somehow, somewhere I got the idea it would be 15 to 1!  Maybe that is with a stopped prop.  
>  
> Brooke
>  
>  
>  
>  
> From: steve korney <s_korney at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Gliding Distance
> Date: June 19, 2012 1:13:22 PM EDT
> To: Reflector Reflector <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Reply-To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
>  
> 
> 
> At 85 KIAS @ 6000ft , you have about a 9.5 glide ratio.... What are you expecting to see....?
> 
> 
> Steve 
> 
> > From: bwolf1 at tds.net
> > Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:26:23 -0400
> > To: reflector at tvbf.org
> > Subject: REFLECTOR: Gliding Distance
> > 
> > I am planning some overwater trips in the near future and the subject of gliding distance naturally comes to mind. I have done some limited test flying with my airplane (XLRG w/Aerocomposite variable pitch prop). The results of my gliding performance are not too good. All tests were done around 6000ft with throttle at idle and wheels up. Here are the results:
> > 
> > 80 KIAS - 900fpm…….. yields a glide performance of 1.38 miles/1000 ft altitude
> > 85 KIAS - 1000fpm……..yeilds a glide performance of 1.41 miles/1000 ft altitude
> > 100 KIAS - 1250fpm …..yields a glide performance of 1.34 miles/1000 ft altitude
> > 
> > As you can see, 85 KIAS appears to be the best glide speed.
> > 
> > I know there may be a big difference in what I tested and what happens in the real world with a windmilling or stopped prop. Have any of you brave test pilots done any testing with a windmilling or stopped prop? What were the results? What kind of glide performance did others get with throttle at idle? Is there anyway to correlate throttle idle glide performance with windmilling or prop stopped performance? What is the best way to stretch a wheels up glide on a Velocity?
> > 
> > I would like to get a discussion going on this and find what others have experienced. Thanks.
> > 
> > Brooke, N108BG, XLRG-5, 145 hours
> > 
> >
>  
> 
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