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speed. Let’s say your approach speed is 80 knots, descend at five times that, or 400 feet per minute, and see what’s the power setting to come down in a stabilized approach on a normal three degree glide path. I would go through the process of changing the flap configuration, getting my power settings, get my speeds, so now for landing all I have to do is replicate what I’ve already done.” “And you know how it’s going to behave if you have to do a go around, because that’s what you do at the bottom of that practice approach,” Martha said. “You do a go around. No surprises.” “Following this procedure I would feel comfortable getting into a strange airplane and landing it,” John concluded. “If you’ve done what we’ve just talked about, I think you’ve set yourself up for success in the airplane.”
a mini city of gleaming booths, studded with display aircraft: pistons, turboprops, rotorcraft, jets, each with an envelope and checklist all its own. Our ground speed was slowed by gale force headwinds of well wishers who stopped John and Martha to say hello as we walked the aisles. Up ahead was the Cirrus booth with an SR22 and a mockup of the SJ 50 Vision single-engine jet on display. Coincidentally, that morning Cirrus confirmed a slowdown of the Vision jet program, but that didn’t change the aerodynamic lessons to be learned from its airframe.
“I try to get 1.3 times the stall speed in the landing configuration, that’s going to be my approach speed, and I want my descent rate at five times my ground speed.”
“Aerodynamically,” Martha said. “Avionics are a different ballgame.”
A Practical Demonstration With the theoretical discussion over, we headed downstairs for a quick practical demonstration. The Convention floor was
“Look at the chord and camber,” John said of the SJ 50 wing’s width and cross section. “Basically it’s a thick, straight wing, not swept back, with high lift and good, pleasant stall characteristics. It’s not going to be fast, and it’s not designed to fly at high altitudes. The fuselage is relatively big, and very roomy. As we discussed, all airplanes are a compromise. What [Cirrus] wants is a safe, reliable, comfortable airplane.” Moving to the engine nacelle, positioned atop the fuselage just forward of the empennage, the Kings talked about the asymmetric thrust issues created by an off-centerline mounted
John and Martha King discuss the Aviat m ay / J u n e 2 0 1 0 Husky at the EAA display at NBAA
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