No matter how long you've been flying, there's always another lesson just around the corner.
My buddy has a short grass strip at his house, across the flat part of an old cotton patch. It's about 800 feet from terrace row to terrace row, said rows forming the "threshold" at both ends. There's about 100 feet of good grass beyond a gentle terrace at one end, and then it's out between the tall trees and off into a ravine full of more trees. The other end has two gentle terraces about 30 feet apart, followed by a mowed grass bowl probably 200 feet across.
I've landed there hundreds of times in various machines, and probably 6 or 7 times in the RV-8. I don't consider it routine with the -8, picking my days (no tailwind, not hot), no wet grass, and always landing to the south, away from the ravine, as it is slightly uphill that way. None have been iffy. Here's an example from several years ago:
https://youtu.be/fdwCrLUDWbE
Yesterday, I touched down a wee bit longer to clear growing trees in the approach, now taller than what you see in the video. The distance was nothing to cause concern, and inital slowing was normal. It wasn't until late in the roll, when slowing airspeed typically reduces wing lift and allows more brake application, that I realized I was locking wheels at pedal pressures which normally result in good braking. Wound up going a little long, hopping off the two gentle terraces and into the overrun bowl. No problem, although my buddy was considerably amused as I taxied out.
The surprise? Our little 500x5 tires normally develop a good bit of rolling resistance on turf; small contact patch, high contact pressure, slight depression into the dirt. It helps slow the airplane when weight shifts to the wheels. What I failed to anticipate was that it had not rained at the strip for a month or more. The runway was hard as concrete, with a layer of dead grass and dust, and as a result, braking was remarkably poor.
One more for the mental file...
My buddy has a short grass strip at his house, across the flat part of an old cotton patch. It's about 800 feet from terrace row to terrace row, said rows forming the "threshold" at both ends. There's about 100 feet of good grass beyond a gentle terrace at one end, and then it's out between the tall trees and off into a ravine full of more trees. The other end has two gentle terraces about 30 feet apart, followed by a mowed grass bowl probably 200 feet across.
I've landed there hundreds of times in various machines, and probably 6 or 7 times in the RV-8. I don't consider it routine with the -8, picking my days (no tailwind, not hot), no wet grass, and always landing to the south, away from the ravine, as it is slightly uphill that way. None have been iffy. Here's an example from several years ago:
https://youtu.be/fdwCrLUDWbE
Yesterday, I touched down a wee bit longer to clear growing trees in the approach, now taller than what you see in the video. The distance was nothing to cause concern, and inital slowing was normal. It wasn't until late in the roll, when slowing airspeed typically reduces wing lift and allows more brake application, that I realized I was locking wheels at pedal pressures which normally result in good braking. Wound up going a little long, hopping off the two gentle terraces and into the overrun bowl. No problem, although my buddy was considerably amused as I taxied out.
The surprise? Our little 500x5 tires normally develop a good bit of rolling resistance on turf; small contact patch, high contact pressure, slight depression into the dirt. It helps slow the airplane when weight shifts to the wheels. What I failed to anticipate was that it had not rained at the strip for a month or more. The runway was hard as concrete, with a layer of dead grass and dust, and as a result, braking was remarkably poor.
One more for the mental file...
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