New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

A catch-all forum for anything remotely related to Maule flying.
MauleMechanic
100+ Posts
Posts: 736
Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:13 pm
Contact:

Post by MauleMechanic »

Andy, do you have links to your videos?

User avatar
Gary Raser
Posts: 86
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 5:50 pm
Location: Plowvill Pa
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by Gary Raser »

I am looking for some advice on a balked landing.
The scenario I may encounter is a 1,000 foot strip that is 5 degrees up hill with small trees at the far end and then rising terrain with a strip elevation of 500 ft. In a M-7 235C if I touch down and for whatever reason need to abort (a bad bounce) that takes up about 200 feet of the runway “I was taught power up, pitch up, clean up”
I have been practicing but not sure I am getting the best climb out of the airplane.
In the Maule I power up then pitch up and hold about 60 knots, of course I can’t see much but the sky. I am not comfortable keeping the nose down very long on account of the trees at the end of the strip.
I have been practicing the balked landing but not sure what the best speed is to give me the best climb with full flaps. And when to start to clean up by taking flaps out.
Thanks for your suggestions
Gary
I have been landing at this strip with no problems and have done some aborted landings

User avatar
andy
Site Admin
Posts: 1662
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:05 pm
Location: Lake James, NC, USA
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by andy »

Have you done stalls at altitude in every flap configuration? I did them in 2016 during my McCall Mountain-Canyon Flying refresher training and created a card that I Velcro'd to my panel that has all my V-speeds as well. Do you have vortex generators? I find that vortex generators are one of the best options for a Maule to improve low speed and stall handling. My airplane stalls about 40 mph with full flaps and mushes rather than breaks in the stall. 60 mph (52 kts) is a good speed that I try to maintain in a go-around with full prop and throttle. I retract the flaps to 40 degrees when I have a positive rate of climb because 48 degrees is more drag than lift while 40 degrees is about equal parts drag and lift in my airplane. Once clear of obstacles, I retract the flaps to 24 degrees and pitch for 80 mph at 25" MP and 2500 RPM for better engine cooling. For extended climb I retract the flaps to 0 degrees and pitch for 90 mph with 24" MP and 2400 RPM for better engine cooling and less wear and tear. Lower climb power settings also reduce the strain on engine components, which reduces the probability of an engine failure. Mine is a MX-7-180 so your numbers will be different for a M-7-235.
Andy
1986 MX7-180
Image

User avatar
Mog
100+ Posts
Posts: 973
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:01 pm
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by Mog »

I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but with 1000ft at that altitude I would say if you bounce and use 200ft then add a touch of power to stabilize and land on remaining. 1000ft is a long strip unless you are seeing serious density altitude.

Maybe you are coming in to flat and fast?

User avatar
andy
Site Admin
Posts: 1662
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:05 pm
Location: Lake James, NC, USA
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by andy »

Bouncing on landing could mean that you are coming in too fast on final, flaring too high, flaring too low or sinking too fast.

You can tell if you are coming in too fast by how much you float after flaring. Ideally, there should be a smooth transition as you flare with no float as you touch down. You can practice varying your final approach airspeed and flap settings to figure out what the best airspeed is for your airplane and configuration. Unless it's windy, I land with full flaps for a steeper descent. I use 55 - 60 mph as my final approach airspeed depending on wind, weight and airstrip length. Mine is a short-wing (30'10"). Larger wings generate more lift. I juggle between pitch and throttle to aim for a touchdown point that doesn't move up or down in the windshield while maintaining constant 60 mph airspeed. The thing I like about this method is that it takes into account wind, weight, lift and drag without having to factor them separately.

To prevent flaring too high, I watch the airstrip on my left side with peripheral vision to get a better idea of when and how much to flare. The side view is more accurate than looking straight ahead to judge your height above the ground. There's a tendency to want to flare more as the airplane slows down to avoid a hard landing but that will actually cause you to drop down harder because the airplane slows abruptly and loses lift. Instead I watch the end of the runway in relation to my glare shield and increase or decrease the flare to maintain that sight picture until touchdown. Most of the time I set up the initial flare and just maintain that angle until touchdown.

Flaring too low also means that you've misjudged how high you are above the ground. Peripheral vision and maintaining the sight picture of the end of the runway vs. your glare shield will help in this situation.

If you are too slow or heavy, the airplane will sink faster than expected. Use the aiming point sight picture to adjust throttle for the right descent rate. There's a slight delay between a throttle adjustment and a change in the airplane's airspeed. You may have to use a shot of throttle just before touchdown to arrest the descent rate if you misjudge on final.

If you are using a 3-point landing attitude and you bounce in spite of doing all of the above, just add enough power to avoid a second bounce and settle into a 3-point landing. You will have eaten up some runway so be ready to keep the yoke all the way back and apply brakes quickly. If you are using a wheel landing attitude, apply forward yoke as soon as the mains touch down to avoid a bounce. My rule for go-arounds on a 1,000 foot airstrip is if I haven't touched down by the middle of the strip. If a bounce would take you past that point, then it's time for a go-around. A significant bounce with a strong or gusty crosswind can justify a go-around to prevent landing in a sideways drift at a slow airspeed. That's how ground loops occur.
Andy
1986 MX7-180
Image

User avatar
wtxdragger
100+ Posts
Posts: 243
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:46 pm
Location: Iraan,Texas
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by wtxdragger »

All of this information only means that you want the Maule to quit flying when you get to your intended touchdown point. The only way to figure this out is to practice, lots of practice, until your arm is tired. Each botched landing will teach you what to do the next landing. If you bounced, you were too fast or too steep.
The good and the bad of the Maule wing is that it doesn't like to be on the ground, it wants to fly. The only way to get it to stay on the ground, is to take away its ability to fly. As we all have had to learn, slow down, no, slow down some more, no, slow down a little more, just a little bit more, now land.

The issue is that it is a little unnerving, when you are in the air slower than people on the ground are walking. Find yourself a wide open area and get happy with crawling along in the air. As Patrick Ramano says, most people aren't comfortable with the stall warning barking at you in a typical landing, and as Jeremy Ainsworth says, make the Maule do want you want. If you wait on her to quit flying, she won't; slow her down, and make her get on the ground.

These planes love to fly at a snails pace, and will make you laugh out loud when you get them in their happy place.

Anyway, enjoy every minute you're in the air.
Mercifully Free from the Ravages of Intelligence
1989 M7-235 N90KD
1975 T210L N1675X
2022 CCK-1865 N922UM

https://www.instagram.com/wtxdragger/

User avatar
DeltaRomeo
100+ Posts
Posts: 410
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:05 am
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by DeltaRomeo »

^^ What he said ^^

:D
M5

User avatar
Gary Raser
Posts: 86
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 5:50 pm
Location: Plowvill Pa
Contact:

Re: New STOL tips video (balked landings) and help needed

Post by Gary Raser »

Thanks Guys

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests