AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2022 - 92

RUDDER & WRENCH
SWITCH
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(see " It's Complicated, " September
2020 AOPA Pilot) Making an efficient
180-degree turn involves choosing a
bank angle and an airspeed. The airspeed
should be as low as possible with
margin to avoid a stall. And turn radius
is inversely proportional to bank angle
(well, approximately) so the steeper the
bank the smaller the turn radius. It's not
necessarily obvious how an airspeed
should be paired with bank angle, since
additions (see " Listening to Your Aircraft, "
September 2022 AOPA Pilot). Adding half
the gust factor to the approach speed is
a compromise between assuring control
authority while being careful not to unreasonably
extend ground roll. Of course, since
takeoff distance usually exceeds landing
distance for the same aircraft configuration
and atmospheric conditions, never land on
a minimal runway unless changes can be
made that will sufficiently improve take2%
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the steeper the bank, the more we need
to pad airspeed. Mountain flying experts
generally advocate using a 45-degree
bank angle and increasing the airspeed
by about 20 percent over what we use in
slow flight. Practicing the canyon turn
in a safe, controlled setting is important
to finding a combination that feels right
for your airplane and experience level.
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Landing in a confined area
Once an airplane touches down, stopping
distance is proportional to its kinetic
energy, and that means airspeed squared.
The most critical situation is an emergency
landing in an area where hospitable terrain
is at a minimum. Adding even 10 percent to
touchdown speed increases stopping distance
by 21 percent. For any landing, while
increasing airspeed to compensate for gust
factors makes sense, be frugal with those
92
AOPA PILOT / November 2022
off performance. Remembering the impact
that airspeed has on landing distance will
reap rewards in an emergency situation.
Eights on pylons
Each aspiring commercial pilot and flight
instructor knows all about the FAA's
fascination with eights on pylons, since the
maneuver is required for both practical
exams. The procedure involves selecting
two pylons about which the pilot guides the
aircraft in a figure-eight pattern, banking
to the left about one and to the right about
the other. The line of sight between the
pilot and the pylon must stay constant as
if there were a rigid cord connecting them.
Were the groundspeed constant, as with
calm winds, the altitude would stay the
same, but that's not the case when winds
are a factor. It's not difficult to show mathematically
that there is a special pivotal
MARCIN WOLSKI
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2022
