HOW WING WASHOUT MAKES YOUR AIRPLANE MORE STABLE

At first glance, it looks like the wings are straight on most light aircraft. But that’s not actually the case. Almost all aircraft have something called washout built into their wings, and it makes them more stable in a stall.

WHAT IS WASHOUT?

So what is washout? It’s a change in an airfoil’s angle of incidence, measured from the root to the tip. If you look closely at a wing with washout, you’ll see that it twists from the root to the tip, with the root having a higher angle of incidence than the tip.

WHY DOES CG LOCATION AFFECT YOUR AIRPLANE’S PERFORMANCE?

When you load up your plane for a flight, you need to make sure you’re within your center of gravity (CG) limits. And you probably know that when your CG moves forward or aft, it affects your airplane’s performance. But why?

FORWARD VS. AFT CG

The relationship between your aircraft’s performance and CG location is simple: by moving your CG forward and aft, you change the amount of tail down force and lift you need for stable flight.

When you create more lift, you create more induced drag, and your performance goes down. But why are lift and CG location related?

IS IT OK TO FLY IN THE YELLOW ARC?

Has someone ever told you to avoid flying in the yellow arc? In many airplanes, that’s harder said than done.

WHAT IS VNO?

The FAA defines Vno in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge as “the maximum speed for normal operation or the maximum structural cruising speed. This is the speed at which exceeding the limit load factor may cause permanent deformation of the aircraft structure.” The definition sounds a little clunky, right? As you’ll read about below, “the maximum structural cruising speed” gets confused with Vne all the time, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

When taking a look at the Vg diagram, you’ll notice a line that designates maximum structural cruising speed. As you fly faster and faster, any change in angle of attack will result in a greater G load imposed upon the airplane. This could cause the aircraft to reach the upper or lower area of structural damage shown in the diagram below.

STUCK VFR?

STUCK VFR ON TOP OF A CLOUD LAYER THAT FORMED IN MINUTES

It’s fall, and if you fly in the evening, you’re at risk of getting stuck on top of an unexpected cloud layer.

That cloud layer is fog, and it’s the type of fog that can happen pretty much anywhere in the US this time of year. Here’s why.

HOW IT HAPPENS

There are several types of fog, but the one that’s most likely to creep up on you in the fall is radiation fog.

There are three reasons why radiation fog is more common in the fall. First, when the sun sets, temperatures usually drop quickly. Second, the nights are longer, which allows the Earth’s surface to cool for a longer period of time. And third, there tends to be plenty of warm, moist air during the day, creating the perfect recipe for radiation fog.

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENS.

As the sun sets, the ground no longer receives solar radiation (obviously), and it starts to cool. And if the sky is clear, it cools very quickly, as the surface heat escapes to space.

IF YOU’RE HIGH ON FINAL APPROACH, HOW SHOULD YOU CORRECT?

Landing is one of the most exciting and memorable parts of your flight. A great landing is something you can really be proud of. But making great landings, over and over, is a challenge.

Last month, we opened up a survey about landings. Consistency was one of the top items you brought up. Many of us don’t feel like we can consistently make a great landings.

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY, BUT HOW DO WE GET THERE?

So why is it so difficult to make consistently great landings?

Your environment’s constantly changing. The wind’s changing. Other traffic changes your pattern. Even if nothing else changes, as you fly, fuel burn is changing your aircraft’s weight.

That means each landing is a little different. And that’s why making landings consistently great is such a challenge.