Grass Strip/Performance

I know your trying to help but....

That bit of advice was like saying "Oh your having family issues.. I would get a different wife or maybe sell your kids"

Either of those two requires a $100k solution. Unusual response to how do I deal with the totally doable landing

Andy Hill said:

....
Other "mods":

1. Go for a VP Prop for drag, and if landing performance is "key", get a 3 blade prop (normally not a lot of use apart from looks, but it is draggy on landing). Just NB it is a "double edged sword" - flown poorly the drag + wing profile drag will see potentially damaging heavy landings - flown well it is helpful.
2. Some will tell you AoA will help. I don't have one so cannot comment, other than if you are doing genuine short field landings, a good proportion of your marginal lift is from the prop / propwash i.e. you are not just flying on AoA... apart from IAS, every pitch/power/wind change will also affect AoA....

Andy
RV-8 G-HILZ
RV8tors

Click to expand...

I do have an AoA and I cant agree more that it does not help with short field landings. For me it is all about deciding on a speed, sticking with it, ALL the way to the ground, and when a wheel touches shutting the power off. With the VP prop that is the end of flying. Its only 2-blade but with P-mags it idles down to 400rpm quite smoothly and reliably.

An absolutely amazing thread. Calipers, tape measures, hydrometers, slopes, winds, drive trains, instrumentation, ad nauseam... nits are being picked. The answer gleened is the RV-7 posited could use such a strip. Barely. Unfortunately, the RV is being driven by a fallible human, who sooner or later is going to screw up for having one moment of impaired judgment. Hopefully, you'll have a change of underwear handy. Then you'll be wondering what was so precious about that property in the first place.

I've operated in and out of hairy strips with many types of aircraft (including RV-7s). That is not fun flying. Call me chicken, but I would rather have a little more margin for error on my part than expect to be perfect every time, and look forward to the flight with no apprehension.

It takes a pilot to ruin a perfectly good airplane.

John Siebold

I am not going to land the plane with a tailwind on this strip. With a good headwind from the south, this seems doable.

I would take off with a slight south tailwind, because I have a clear shot to the north. If I can get off the ground in 800', the climb out should not be a problem, even with some tailwind. This of course is after I practice, practice, practice.

The winds are out of the south the vast majority of the year and when they are out of the north I will use the other strip down the street.

Thanks again for everyones input.

RV7ator said:

I've operated in and out of hairy strips with many types of aircraft (including RV-7s). That is not fun flying. Call me chicken, but I would rather have a little more margin for error on my part than expect to be perfect every time, and look forward to the flight with no apprehension.

It takes a pilot to ruin a perfectly good airplane.

John Siebold

Click to expand...

John I completely appreciate your sentiments.

Sooo where do you stand on carrier landings? Not ideal...maybe high risk... even looking for trouble perhaps.

Like Hansolo said... never tell me the odds Kid.

As long as you have a safe pull out point its worth an attempt... for some....and for some its insane

(and that is without mentioning any type of poultry)