Climbing High

[Jim]

Hi,

........I have a forward speed of 88 feet per second. Hmm,

........At 500fpm descent stalled out, 500 divided by 60 seconds is 8.33 feet per second descent rate.

I think it's not one or the other here, you always have both components to deal with. Your 500 feet per minute fall would only be correct in a vertical fall.

[taildraggerpilot]

Back to the 500 fpm vertical descent:

If I lose the engine at night over "bad" terrain and hold a steady 60 mph descent rate until the crash (Touchdown seems too optomistic), I have a forward speed of 88 feet per second. Hmm,

At 500fpm descent stalled out, 500 divided by 60 seconds is 8.33 feet per second descent rate.

Still sounds better to me. I think I've landed harder than that a time or two already.
( I rode bucking horses for some time while younger and I'm sure I've exceeded 500 fpm on occasion when coming off in uncontrolled flight, as it were.) Sometimes seems like just yesterday when I get up in the morning.

Just a slight correction, when your descent rate at stall is 500 fpm, you still have a forward component of velocity. Assuming your stall speed is 50 mi/hr coupled with a vertical descent of 500 ft/min, you will still impact the ground at 73.5 ft/s.

[Bultaco Jim]

I can't help thinking about all the pilots who have never flown one of our planes, especially CFI's, being blown away by this whole conversation. They'd still be asking-"waddayamean it doesn't stall?!"

[Hyrdflyr]

"Just a slight correction, when your descent rate at stall is 500 fpm, you still have a forward component of velocity. Assuming your stall speed is 50 mi/hr coupled with a vertical descent of 500 ft/min, you will still impact the ground at 73.5 ft/s."

I think that you are correct if you hit the ground just as the airplane stalls or shortly after.

However, having held the airplane in a fully stalled out , nose bobbing condition for some time, (about a full minute at different times while teaching students to "walk the rudders to keep the wings level", I am convinced that the forward airspeed deteriorates very quickly and would be essentially nil after a short time, since the drag of a fully stalled airplane is tremendous relative to forward flight.
Remember, this is power off.

I believe that is why the altitude needed to recover flying speed is so great when recovering from a deep stall break in most aircraft.( think spam can).

The airplane has lost its forward momentum and must dive to regain sufficient airspeed for the wing to "fly" again.

In this case, I will take my partner with me this weekend to keep me honest and see what the forward airspeed is in the fully stalled state according to Mr. Garmin. Actually, I have had the GPS on the panel through several of these exercises, just never noticed what it indicated!

Will report back, good or bad.

Caveat: My beliefs are my own and I don't recommend that anyone attempt this without taking full personal responsibility for their own actions. I wouldn't try it in anything but a Pa 22/20 under certain conditions.

"I can't help thinking about all the pilots who have never flown one of our planes, especially CFI's, being blown away by this whole conversation. They'd still be asking-"waddayamean it doesn't stall?!"

Just tell them that it doesn't glide for xxxt, but sure stalls nice!!