Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcsvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!jc From: jc@sdcsvax.UUCP (John Cornelius) Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Control surface failure (reply) Message-ID: <506@sdcsvax.UUCP> Date: Sat, 1-Dec-84 14:01:11 EST Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.506 Posted: Sat Dec 1 14:01:11 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 2-Dec-84 06:08:15 EST Organization: EECS Dept. U.C. San Diego Lines: 34 Summary: Survivors of Tomahawk traing are good pilots Expires: References: <348@ihu1e.UUCP> Sender: John Cornelius Reply-To: jc@sdcsvax.UUCP (John Cornelius) Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: Western Scientific Keywords: For most Piper aircraft control surface failure is usually fatal. The same is true for V tail Bonanzas. These aircraft are so "crisp" that overcoming broken control surfaces must be done before you actually realize that the control surface is broken. On the other hand, I know of a straight tailed Bonanza who was overflown by a King Aire losing much of his empenage in the process. The aircraft had pitch and yaw stability but no control. The pilot landed using aileron to control yaw (through roll attitude), and power and flaps to control pitch. His knees gave out when he got out of the airplane. Along the same lines, most high wing aircraft can be flown the same way with empenage failure and can also be turned in the event of aileron failure by opening and closing the doors. A friend took me out in his 172 one day and we flew around that way for 1/2 hour. Tomahawks will crash with a perfectly functioning airplane. They are so notorious in fact that the CFI's at our airport claim that the survival rate of primary students who receive training in Tomahawks is about 1/2 that of students trained in C-152s. They become so intimidated by the airplane that they give up the idea that they can learn how to fly. Too bad.