Larry Mednick
Forum Replies Created
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It is probably a “J” type sender and if that’s the case call 1-800-LA—ROTAX. They have them.
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Hey Roger, on the point of the wind pushing you after touchdown, even in a 15 mph tail wind the wind will not be pushing you until your trike slows below 15 MPH on the runway. The much bigger effect is if you touch Down at 40 MPH, now you are touching at 55 MPH. If we have brakes, then we generally rely on stopping power and not drag to bring us to a stop. Neutralizing the wing will allow your brakes to do their job. Not finishing a flare will allow the brakes to start doing their job earlier as well. So I agree neutralizing the bar is important for stopping short, but not because the wind is pushing on the top of the wing.
Short Field Demo
https://youtu.be/yQ29hOZU55oShort Field Demo
https://youtu.be/yQ29hOZU55o -
Besides the obvious, which is using more runway to get stopped, tail winds will tend to drop the aircraft towards the ground with every gust. When you are in a head wind those same gusts will cause you to balloon. Ballooning is fine if you add throttle, getting dropped onto the runway can break your trike. If you are flying something like a REVO with a Comp 11m wing that touches down at around 50 MPH, a nice tailwind can put you at speeds you really don’t want to be at. Likewise some smaller trikes with tiny tires and less than ideal nose gear geometry can struggle as well touching in the 30s instead of the 20s. Slower ground speeds are better, but gusting tailwinds can be dangerous.
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Was that your first experience in that much turbulence? Did you fly in similar or worse conditions with your instructor before solo?
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Give me a call and I’ll get on my computer and try to walk you through it. 813-810-9262
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After years of using Clear View and other visor polishes, I have a superior product that seems to not only polish and protect better, but doesn’t leave a residue to attract dust weeks later. I STRONGLY recommend this product!
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I solder in new mics often enough for customers. I get the mics from Flycom, but I would love to get a link to the mics you are using.
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Some of the info I have is directly form Airborne, some is from their dealers.
Airborne was operating in one of the most viciously locked down areas on the planet during Covid, equally or worse were the lockdowns still happening today in China. You may be asking why that is a factor. Well Airborne’s largest market had become China over the last few years, and I can tell you first hand NO ONE in China is buying any trikes or even thinking about flying for the most part. Everything is on hold there, so they lost their largest sales market at the very same time. And to top it off the Husband and Wife that have made every wing sail for Airborne retired earlier this year. And that folks is the tri-factor…
Regarding moving over seas, well that has turned out to be pending at the moment and nothing has moved to the best of my knowledge. I sure hope something can come of the company, but if you have been following how that went with P&M, I feel the momentum has been lost at least in their established markets, and it will take a lot to get that momentum back in the industry… Also certain countries are trusted more than others regarding materials and quality assurance, so depending on where it goes can make or break the brand. Don’t count them out yet, but don’t hold your breath either at this point is my best assessment.
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I have 3 friends that have had mid-airs with birds including my father. My dad was in a Cessna Sky Catcher and a vulture pushed his leading edge all the way back to the spar with over $10,000 damage. The impact knocked his students headset off his head. Because of the way a trike wing is attached, it cannot withstand much of a leading edge impact. The structure is simply not designed to take a load in that direction. We did a test on a fairly standard hang block and found it to break at 2500 foot pounds. That may sound strong, but 15 feet out from the HB that means a force of 166lbs will snap the HB. And that sounds scarier, now multiply a 6lb bird getting hit at 60 MPH and you exceed that number by quite a margin. I forget the math used to calculate that, but your wing will probably not survive a large bird strike.
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Almost anytime you can get above the lower cloud layer or sometimes there is a haze layer, you can expect smooth air above. If there are mountains, then that is a whole other story and you must be upwind of the obstruction. But let’s not forget, we have to land in these conditions. So if you are uncomfortable in the air, you will probably be very out of your comfort zone to land. And anything upwind of your landing zone can make it dangerous and impossible to land safely depending on your skill, the wind speed and the size and proximity of the obstacles. So that is always my main concern with loss of control from weather. Let’s face it if you let go of the controls the trike would enter a spiral dive within several seconds and then you would have about a minute for every 1000’ to recover. There is simply almost never anything to crash into up in the sky and the trike will not flip over from turbulence. Only a rotor has the ability to flip an aircraft.
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Flying anytime you are pushing your own personal envelope is a recipe for trouble. Some new pilots should not fly past 8:30 in the morning. Some advanced pilots should not fly in over 20 MPH surface winds. Whatever your skill level, it is important to build skill while staying within your safety envelope. And this takes a lot of will power and good decision making. I tell my students that they should not do a Xcountry until they know they can handle substantial wind and turbulence. The reason is things can change when you fly away from the airport and return 2 hours later. CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT until you know you can handle whatever weather might develop. And the way to do that is shoot touch N go’s every 5 min in the pattern while the weather is changing in the mornings. When your last landing was challenging, stop and put the trike away.
If you want to fast track the learning, go up with an instructor in rough mid day conditions and get your technique right and effective with an expert in the back seat.
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Indeed you had a death grip. Tensing up on the controls is one of just a couple things a trike pilot can do which can lead to loss of control. Contorting your body (you did not) is the other… Sitting square in your seat, relaxed on the controls is usually your best bet.
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Yes we have used Plexus for years and I think Koenig blows it away.
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The Streak III as well as all Airborne wings is an in house product so there is no way to get them at the moment. We have a direct bolt on for all of the Airborne’s and have many “REBORNE’S” flying around the world.
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The props are all very efficient. You might shave 10% off of your takeoff distance with more blades, but it’s not going to change what you can and can’t do with the trike.
The larger tires on a grease strip are difficult to tell any advantage. If you were on sand it would add some real world benefit.
Both options are nice and popular, but not game changing like the wing selection for example.