Thorp Air Command - T18.net

OK, maybe I'll think about getting one for my T-18, someday when I grow up.

_________________
John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Years ago I flew with an instructor that had license number 6 signed by the Wright Brothers, his name was Charlie Miller.
We flew J3's and one of his first instructions was you wear your plane like a glove and you feel it in your butt. I think all of these new gagets are fine, but we tend to use them to make ourselves pilots. Go cover up the panel and fly and see what it's like

Well said, Bill. Every day, when I put students in the Cub, I have to reteach them how to fly. It never ceases to amaze me how many "pilots" can't make a coordinated turn without a slip indicator.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

I have found that both t-18 & s-18 will speak to you quite clearly as you approach its limits. Seems to me to be more than an adequate AOA indicator.

...an AOA would have given me at least a half a second warning just before I foolishly fell out of that loop near the top....

_________________
Fraser MacPhee
N926WM
Serial #279-1
Angel Fire, NM (KAXX)

I doubt it would have helped you Frase ... the 20 Series Lears are flown approach by AOA as well, never thought to even look at it in any other phase of flight, of course that thing would literally buck, bark and push itself out of a stall (not naturally of course)!

Don't see a need for it in the Thorp, if your accustomed to looking at your panel at times where it may help you .. you're already on your way to a bad place.

_________________
Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

Spanky, Bill, Bob, & Lee... That's what I'm talkin' about! I'm glad some guys can so clearly express some of the points I'd like to make! ... maybe when I grow up.

_________________
John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

The AOA on my airplane was installed by the original builder and is just a flip switch on the leading edge, which activates a horn in the cockpit. It's installation is just a little off, causing it to go off a little above 100 KIAS, which means it is on continually in the pattern. It was such a pain that I disconnected it. Besides, I think the real key is airspeed control, which most GA pilots don't seem to be as good at as they should be. The accident statistics for the GA stall/spin scenario also show that having an AOA indicator has absolute no affect stall/spin accident rate. Most stall/spin accidents come from getting low and slow on the base to turn, taking off too heavy for the density altitude, or abrupt pull-ups, and I don't think an AOA indicator would do much good for these scenarios. A good link for some more information on this is http://airfactsjournal.com/2013/08/angl ... acle-cure/.

Dennis

I would think that a properly caliberated AOA could be used for more than just a stall indicator. It could be used for glide slope accuracy especially when trying to minimize landing distance. Also it would seem that it could be used for Vx and Vy acurately despite the weight. In addition if got really geeky could be used to determine max indurance attitude etc.

So it is not just stall warning. For that stall strips may be just fine. But a series of lights on the glarshield brighter than anything and going from green to yellow to red and then possibly an audio alert be it voice or horn would seem to be far better than the Cessna horn blaring forever that you can ignore. But if the AOA you know is calibrated and WILL stall when a certain indications shows itself is a whole lot different.

I guess I've beat this horse long enough. And I once heard a quote that said; "When the horse is dead...dismount".

Has anyone read, "Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langewiesche? This guys really gets into AOA! And he wrote the book 40 years after the Wright Brothers first flight. And their Angle of Attack instrument was merely a piece of string tied to the nose of their airplane. Interesting read.