• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Little airplane, poor energy management

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kent Ashton

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
837
Location
Concord, NC
It's worth discussing this recent crash that killed a low time pilot and his friend. Skip to 2:40
https://youtu.be/aSFxILuEkTQ

These familiar accidents come from not appreciating energy management (among other things). The pilot no doubt expected to start his aerobatic maneuver at say, 200' AGL with speed XXX, do the manueuver, and pull out at about the same altitude and speed. He did not anticipate that an aggressive pullup , wingover, and pullout all produced greater energy loss (induced drag is part) that would require additional energy over 1G level flight. The extra energy would have to be made up by engine thrust, or by losing altitude with the maneuver, or by giving up airspeed.

His little Bellanca engine was was maxed out during the high-speed setup pass and did not have enough time during the maneuver to offset the energy loss so he had to lose altitude and/or airspeed completing the maneuver which he was not mentally prepared to give up. Looking straight down at the ground, he ham-fisted the pullout and spun the airplane.

With little, high-drag, low-powered airplanes, most aerobatic maneuvers are altitude-losing maneuvers. Even practicing them at altitude, as this fellow was said to have done, does not always give an appreciation of energy management. A pilot gets a feel for the pull, the G's, being upside-down, and using the controls but he may not pay much attention to energy state after the maneuver.
http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2017/05/bellanca-7eca-n787mw-fatal-accident.html
 
Back
Top