StRaNgEdAyS
Well-Known Member
There is a bit of a discussion going on on a mailing list that does have some interest for me concerning taking off from higher altitude strips considering that I live some 800M AMSL (2600').
The main stream of the discussion is that in order to overcome the problems of lifting off from a higher altitude strip, all one would need to do is increase the power of the engine, and possibly increase the wingspan a little.
I am not so sure. I was under the impression that the change in density of the air not only affects the amount of lift generated by the airfoils, it also has an impact on the level of control authority in ground effect. Is this so? I am sure I have read an accident report where an aircraft carrying only a moderate load tripped over the boundary fence on take off due to being unable to rotate out of ground effect due to a combination of altitude and heat.
Any comments?
The main stream of the discussion is that in order to overcome the problems of lifting off from a higher altitude strip, all one would need to do is increase the power of the engine, and possibly increase the wingspan a little.
I am not so sure. I was under the impression that the change in density of the air not only affects the amount of lift generated by the airfoils, it also has an impact on the level of control authority in ground effect. Is this so? I am sure I have read an accident report where an aircraft carrying only a moderate load tripped over the boundary fence on take off due to being unable to rotate out of ground effect due to a combination of altitude and heat.
Any comments?
