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To: Blueflag
'deep stall' is impossible in that type plane. Obviously using the word 'deep' in the context of describing a stall sounds impressive, but bears NO relation to the truth of the matter.

Let's nip it in the bud right now and stop using that phrase, shall we?

Deep stall is only possible with T-type tailplane.

46 posted on 05/23/2011 8:39:04 AM PDT by raygun
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To: raygun

That’s what *I* thought as well. The elevator/elevon can’t steer the aircraft, in a T-tail plane in a “deep stall”.

That’s why I made that comment about the text in that illustration.

But supposedly fly by wire planes (F-16s for example) can get in a flat stall like situation because the computer can’t figure out how to fly the inherently unstable airframe.

Again, I am VFR, single engine, head-out-the-cockpit. Low and slow works great for me.

Why waste fuel getting to 2000 AGL???


53 posted on 05/23/2011 9:00:28 AM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: raygun
Deep stall is only possible with T-type tailplane.

You have provided a good illustration and while technically your argument is correct; I consider it to be somewhat irrelevant. There are so many variables that even with all of the theory, engineering and testing... it is still not possible to predict every scenario that a pilot can get an aircraft into.

When I was taking spin training. I asked the instructor what would happen if I didn't take the proper corrective action. She was an award winning aerobatic pilot, but she admitted that in the plane we were in that she didn't know. One would reasonably assume that the plane would keep spinning until it hit the ground. Actually in the aerobatic plane we were flying... after rotating half a dozen times the plane picked up enough speed to start flying again and we had actually lost less altitude than we did when using the proper procedure.

It is possible that another student and instructor in the same plane who weighed less than we did could have tried the same thing on a hotter day and the plane might have gone into an unrecoverable flat spin. It is not very likely. I would be careful about speaking in absolutes when discussing aviation. For what ever reason the crew was not able to recover from the situation they placed themselves in. I hope that something can be learned from this situation that will help avoid future tragedies.

56 posted on 05/23/2011 9:07:51 AM PDT by fireman15 (Check your facts before making ignorant statements.)
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