Phr00t Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Hey all, About 10 flights ago, I hit some gusty winds in the air. I was relatively close to the ground, so I came down and landed immediately. However, I got hit by a gust that slowed me down, and threw my wing backwards. I immediately went hands up and power off. I didn't "control" the oncoming surge by pulling some brake, because I was worried about going parachutal from the speed decrease. I instead sunk quickly forward with the surge, and pulled brake when I neared the ground, resulting in a rather uneventful landing. My instructor told me I should have pulled some brake when the wing started swinging forward, which I agree. But, looking back at the situation, was there any benefit to letting the wing surge to "gain speed" and start flying again? Or is this a misconception...? Thanks! - Jeremy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Very interesting dilema Jeremy. Hands up and power off is a good reaction as both these acts will change the pitch of your wing. The danger in letting it come forward is that if you encounter air moving downwards (likely in the gusty conditions) you may take a collapse and that is not good near the ground. You are also right to be concerned that your airspeed is high enough to stay flying. What about an increase in power rather than a decrease in airspeed (brakes) ? The throttle is a pitch control when you change rpm. (at steady rpm it is a "climb" control) by adding thrust to bring you under the wing rather than applying brake you maintain airspeed and maintain correct attitude. I dont mean "nail it" of course, just a smooth and progressive application of just enough power to stay level and under the wing? Just my thougts...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phr00t Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Ahhh, that is an interesting idea I haven't thought about before.. At the bottom of my surge, I also applied power (with brake) to help level out my flight path. I sometimes use power while flying to keep myself "level" in little bumps. But, when I get knocked back.. my only concern with power would be how delayed of a response the RPMs are.. but, while giving power on the swing forward, you may be able to use less brakes to control the surge -- just as long as your not giving any power when your still facing up.. - Jeremy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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