Airspeed In the PATTERN

[gfortin]

I purchased my BC-12D last June in Massachusetts and flew it up here in Maine. I find it a nice flying airplane and I am loving it so far. I have been given lots of advice from all the local pilots here who almost all say they had a t-Craft in their early days. I am curious to hear what airspeeds all of you longtime T-Craft owner=flyers use in each phase of the pattern. Thanks. I am really enjoying reading all of you. I hope to meet you all one day at Alliance.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

What ever speed is required to fly and engine out approach once you pull power on downwind. Once I pull power on downwind I set up for 70 mph all the way in.

[DanBrown]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

I keep cruise speed until power out landing is assured. Then for mine, 70 is way too fast -- I'd float forever. 55 works good for me, and down to 50 on short final. I add 1/2 the estimated gust speed in windy conditions. But the pre-war B's are lighter and float more. My way is to find my speed for full control in slow flight and add a safety factor.

[flylo]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

I have a prewar & do the pattern at 60 & over the fence at 50. Works well for me.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

IMHO The question is not so much raw airspeed as it is your ability to execute the "forward slip" maneuver, wind gusts, low altitude obstacles that create eddies and swirls on the runway, thermal activity, etc.

If you are doing a "textbook" gliding landing in still air, the old-time conventional thinking is that you would use something like 1.3 times stall speed on final and 1.5 in the pattern. On a 40 mph stall speed aircraft like this, you would be in a lot of danger on a gusty day. THAT is not appropriate in my opinion.

On the other hand, you're flying a floating, low drag, don't wanna quit flying, weather-vaning, wet bar of soap on a tile floor type of airplane. Too much speed is an equally dangerous problem. So 70 miles an hour protects you from an accidental stall/spin in the pattern but it sets you up for a bunch of other problems when you get to the touchdown phase.

You also are flying the best glider out of all the old rag airplanes. So flying at the normal pattern altitude at an average municipal airport means you can glide a lot further engine-out than a Cub or Ercoupe.

When you master the use of forward slips, you have the ability to put drag on and off the airplane when it is needed... THIS allows you to add a little safety speed in the pattern if you prefer, because now you can scrub off that extra speed on short final.

So please become a tenth degree black belt in slips, it's a primary flight skill in the T-craft.

That being said, my own personal technique in the pre-war T-craft on a relatively CALM day, was to fly an indicated 60-65 mph on base leg and early final approach, throw it into the slip maneuver at that speed, and then gradually reduce the speed to 60 while still in the slip on final.

Coming over the fence at 50-55, still full-tilt slipping, all the people in the runup area and hanging out at the restaurant have their jaws on the floor expecting a crash.

The best trick for me was to carry the slip all the way through the flare. This is the place where most people let the airplane out of the slip too early and it takes off down the runway in ground effect like a hockey puck.

After flaring out in this high drag mode, nose up and still flying ridiculously sideways, 100 feet from the numbers and 4-6 feet above the ground... there is a two or three second period where the airplane loses that last 5-10 mph and goes onto the "back side of the drag curve" (You will feel it start to settle into the ground, ready to stall).

The people watching from the sidelines are on the phone to the ambulance company, the insurance company and the coroner's office, tears streaming down their faces, moving their hands to cover the eyes of the children.

At this last possible second, I would let the airplane out of the slip and straighten out while it is STILL in a nose-up high drag mode, because it now does NOT have the speed to take off in ground effect when you let the drag off. The airplane plops down in a level three point attitude at 38 miles an hour with the nose pointing forward and no groundlooping side-forces on the gear.

Cheers erupt from the crowd, beer starts flowing, the girls start swooning, and all seems right with the world. (THEN you still have to remember that the T-craft is very capable of lifting off again in a gust, or weather-vaning , or attacking a runway light... and you have to keep concentrating on the airpalne despite the cheers and waving flags).

This technique worked for me in my old airplane, but it has to be adjusted and modified for the conditions. Doing that show-off maneuver on a day with gusts and eddy currents means you have no margin for error... a gust or a dead spot could easily put you on the ground before you have let it out of the slip and you're effectively landing in a groundloop. The cheers fade away pretty fast

[flylo]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

Bill,once again great response!

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

Lots of things will vary speed as well like how you fly your pattern, field elevation, OAT, etc. 70 is my general rule number and adjust on final. I also rig my airplanes for speed as well, so they don't float like others do. If you fly a tight pattern you could get away with less speed as well and higher decent rate. I think the spped you need to fly is whatever your airplane wants to fly based upon the pattern you need to fly at your airport. . If it floats, slow down, if your dropping like a rock, speed up.

[jim cooper]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

I think everyone is right. It all depends on (to me) what field I'm going into, how familar I am with it and HOW LONG it is. Naturally if its 1200 feet I'm doing things differently than landing in 3000 feet. Home base is 2900 feet and in the pattern I enter it at around 80, slowing down to around 70 having trimned back a bit. Turning base I'm at around 65 and keep that as I turn final and get into a GOOD slip. I slip down to around 15-10 feet, kick it straight and flare it into hopefully a nice 3 point. I was taught to get OUT of the pattern ASAP and land, quickly clearing the runway as patterns and runways are where alot of collisions occur. I rarely land without slipping. I was always taught ,of course, to be able to dead stick it from anyplace in the pattern. I try to do this and am amazed by some young pilots doing airliner, LONG approaches in light aircraft. Deadly practice! Was also taught to clear the engine two-three times in the pattern, not to let it just idle.

[gfortin]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

Thanks for all wonderful humor and good advice. I enjoyed reading you all. I will try to put into practice what works well for me. I was especially amused by Victor Bravo and his slipping t-craft. Thanks all

[AKbrew]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

I'll chime in...

I agree with Bill about perfecting the 'slip'. It's an absolutely essential skill in landing our wonderful, flap-less flying machine. Besides...it's fun. (Bill is 100% correct about the flowing beer and swooning dancing girls!) I was once getting checked out in a C-152 (sorry...I was between T-Crafts and had to rent for awhile) when the instructor asked me to put it in a slip on approach with no flaps. "No flaps? No problem!" I slipped it down to about 3 feet and kicked it straight just before touch down just like in my old BC-12D. He had a stunned look on his face and said "that's not what I had in mind, but it worked out OK!" He then said, "I would take it out of the slip earlier." Meanwhile I'm thinking "if I take it out of the slip earlier I float a couple hundred feet farther down the runway." I never did get used to flying the metal spam cans that fall out of the sky as soon as you pull the power.

But I digress! I'm a simple-minded man so I fly the pattern at 80-70-60. It works great for me. 80 on downwind, 70 on base, and 60 on final.

Enjoy the "constant variety of sport" that is landing a T-Craft!

[barnstmr]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

Depends on the airport and the traffic... When at Tick Hill (XA47) 1650 Ft grass strip, lazy day, I use the following. Slow to 70 when entering the pattern... 65 on downwind... Carb heat on and cut power when adjacent to the end of the airstrip.... Establish glide at 60 mph...

Make height judgement and adjust nose attitude and speed as needed while following thru base leg and turn to final. If I find I am too high, raise the nose and slow up to 55 mph... add slip if I am really high (nothing wrong with slipping when on the base leg if needed) . If I am too low, lower the nose to gain speed to 65 or 70 trying to stretch the glide (I like the challenge of trying to nail the landing without adding power once it has been chopped). When within 500 ft. of the threshold, I like to be at 50-55 mph and a little high and then perform the Bill Berle patented slip maneuver in order to touch on the target end of the strip. Stay ready with the throttle just in case of an awkward gust and resulting bounce...

Same procedure if there's a heavy cross-wind, but if there's an option fly the opposite-hand pattern if necessary so that base leg is into the wind.

If I am landing at a busy airport and lots of airplanes in the pattern - I use a totally different approach. I pretty much keep speed up 85 mph all the way through base leg and final until I need to transition speed for the target touch down point. Until chopping power, I simply adjust height with nose up/down adjustments. This keeps me in the regular traffic flow... and still is too slow for some of those new-fangled machines. I make a judgement about where to target my touch down based on the first taxi-way turnoff. I try to touch within 500 ft of the turnoff so I can minimize my time on the active runway. So I chop power about 500 to 1000 ft out from the touch-down target and slip hard to quickly diminish speed.

When touching down on pavement on a gusty day or in a cross-wind, I usually wheel-land at 65 mph and keep the tail up high after touch down to keep the mains firmly planted and to bleed off speed while I have plenty of rudder and aileron control. When the tail starts to stall, I help it transition by adding full aft elevator. Nothing worse than having poor rudder control and no tailwheel steering for a 3 to 5 second period while the tail is stalling... when the rudder starts becoming less effective, I go ahead and get that tail down so I have a chance of steering with tailwheel or perhaps power blasts across the rudder. No need for brakes until I get on the tarmac near other airplanes... taxi slow.

Practice.... Practice.... Practice.... Fun... Fun...

[perryv1]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

your from Naples huh?I know alot of people from around there.I frequent Colonial Mast campground . Maybe we can get together and compair notes.
Landing the T-Craft takes practice but it the most fun too.
PV

[Dano"T"]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

All you need to know is 60 on final...makes for a nice flare and you won't float too much...

[akndrifter]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

I do most my pattern work at 60, until short final then I do 50, then on short short final to flare I do 45.

[gfortin]

Re: Airspeed In the PATTERN

To PV. I would be delighted to meet you. I keep my t-craft at Limington and I am a member of EAA Chapter 141. Come join us on the third Thurs. of March at 6:30 PM.