Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

[dennispip]

There have been mentions made about this phenomenon in other posts, but no actual thread dedicated to it to my knowlege. What is it and does it exist.

When I owned and flew the F21B I did notice at times that I would be flying about 5-10 MPH faster than at other times at the same power setting. This occured most often in smooth air. The plane did seem to be moving along easily when that occurance would be noted. Was I "on the step" or what.

I am a firm believer in the absolute physics of flight. The only thing I can come up with is that somehow in certain attitude configuations the amount of parasitic drag is reduced. Maybe with the tail slightly higher, it gets in a different part of the slipstream or something. There is a lot of drag to be had back there on the tail. If the drag is reduced a bit, the plane accelerates and the wing can create more lift with less angle of attack and "get on the step".

[Guest]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

Hi Dennis,
Any possibility that the aircraft cg had been (due to loading) rearward when you were going faster? And perhaps the weight was lower too?

Rearward CG might result in elevator upward lift (rather than down) and lighter wingload (due to load picked up by tail), thus lower required wing angle of attack.

Just a guess.

Dave

[FunkyMonkey]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

I've heard of pilots climbing an extra 100 feet above their target altitude then descending back down to it. maybe to help get "on step"?

[VictorBravo]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

I'm a believer. I think it has something to do with the airplane diving, the propeller unloading and making more thrust, and staying at the higher speed just a bit easier because you are approaching cruise speed from the fast side.

The concept of "hysteresis" is not new by any means. I think "on the step" is aviation's version of hysteresis.

[Bobdog]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

I've also thought about this a lot. When you approch cruising speed, you lower the nose as your speed increases so you don't climb. Some of your lift will then be directed forward and "pull" you along. Kind of like how a helicopter can auto rotate.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

Not all light aircraft have this phenomenom or what ever you want to call it. The Taylorcraft has a sweet spot when properly trimmed out, will run 5-10 mph faster. Never have been able to do it with a wood prop, always a metal prop, and you need abot 105 mph indicated to get it on step. I rig minimal wash in the wings, about 1*, make sure the tail is properly rigged, and shove the throttle through the panel. I never liked to cruise a little Continental much.

[flylo]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

It seems to work for me. I think you get the tail a little higher in cruise by climbing higher & slowly settling down to your cruising height. It seems to add about 5 mph.

[Bobdog]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

It's the oposite of setting up the plane for slow flight, where you get the nose up high, to increase drag, and then add enough power to hold altitude. In this configuration, your lift is pulling you up AND back. I don't see why it can't work in reverse.

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

Is there a possibility that the pilot is on the step but the plane is flying normally? Meaning, it is an imaginary feeling. When it's on the step... how much of a speed increase are you seeing... or is this just a feeling of tighter control authority and the like? I'd like to get me L2 to do this and I just installed an 85HP, in 6 weeks I'll have a metal prop (hopefully) and I'd love to boost the speed up to 100-105. Any feed back on the step and L2 flying?
Thanks; ED OBRIEN

[Winston L.]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

I could only get about 80 MPH. cruise out of a L2M I used to fly. It had the 65 though.

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

Strictly speaking, the math does not work out to prove that there is a step.
It is possible to get a temporary reduction in induced drag by descending into an altitude and thereby possibly getting to cruise speed a little quicker. The Taylorcraft is certainly sensitive to induced drag, thermals, air temperature and a host of other variables but once the aircraft reaches steady state it is still Lift = Weight and Thrust = Drag.

This will not convince the believers. This discussion has been going on longer than the debate about the downwind turn.

[tawadc95]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

on step ,lowering or raising into a faster cruise is vodoo not physics.
trim attitude is a physical response to a given power setting interacting with the current weather in which the airplane is operating and nothing more.
yes the nose can be trimmed lower in a particular flight when compared to other flights but it will be a "REACTION" to thermal lift or cooler density altitude temps thus denser air for the engine to digest and develope more horsepower or both. more power means more speed means a lower nose trim attitude for level flight.
when you see those faster speeds take note of the physical conditions of operation and you will find a common factor develope.it won't involve the way you acquired your cruise altitude.

[dennispip]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

I have not noticed this in any other plane I have owned. They all fly "behind the power curve" which takes more power to fly slower and maintain altitude.

Perhaps this in flying in "front of the power curve" which reduces drag in the tail, increases airspeed which will increase lift to a certain extent and then provides more performance on the same energy expense.

Most of my time was flown solo and with the same fuel load and C.G. Also, the speed increase was GPS demonstrated.

I don't understand it and it is seemingly a phenomenom confined to a relatively small number of the air fleet, but it is quite interesting. And maybe it is just our imaginations.

I would add that by increasing the power settings in the 118 HP F21B, from 2300 to 2450 or 2500, the speed would increase more than you would expect
for the number of RPMs added, especially with the significant increase in parasitic drag at that end of the performance envelope. Perhaps that raised that tail again and somehow affects the amount of drag coming from back there.

A lot of interesting thoughts over 5-8MPH, but intruiging nonetheless.

Thanks to everyone sharing their ideas.

[wfoote]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

What a great discussion. Put me down as a believer in "on the step" and here is why. I absolutely agree with the premise Lift = Weight and Thrust = Drag however, this doesn't adequately address parasitic and induced drag nor speed and angle of attack.

Lift can be created at two extremes, very high angle of attack and very low speed with signifcant parasitic drag. Or very high speed and very low angle of attack with significant induced drag. Hope I didn't get the drag backwards.

Anyway, the point is that since it is not a fixed set of numbers but more variable it doesn't seem unreasonable there is a "sweet spot". For my commercial training, my instructor was adamant that I should push the nose over at altitude and accelerate before power reduction to cruise.

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Can a Taylorcraft fly faster "On Step"

I knew the "on the step" would bring out the responses. Back in Nineteen Hundred and Sixty this argument was raging in the pilots lounge. One of the aircraft thought to have this ability was the early Cessna Cardinal. We never did settle it forthrightly. But still a good thread (i.e. interesting)
Larry