Another cool vid! Flying above those thin clouds is fun just watching it, imagine being there!
Have you ever had a close call yet with the wing collapsing?
Thanks
Another cool vid! Flying above those thin clouds is fun just watching it, imagine being there!
Have you ever had a close call yet with the wing collapsing?
Thanks
Awesome and glad to have ya along. It was an awesome morning flight for sure. Well, I've had a few teeny tip collapses and one larger (30%), self induced collapse. Honestly, no biggie since the wing I fly is an EN-A wing and they pop right out.
Cool! I don't understand what is an EN-A wing, but maybe you could make a quick post about these wings just to give you an idea for a post ;). Well, that's reassuring because I've seen some videos on youtube of pilots flying in rough thermals and their wings collapsed and man, that's scary as cows!
An EN-A wing is considered to be a beginner wing, in that it's very stable, slower and most often somewhat self correcting. An EN-B wing is an intermediate wing and sometimes people start off with a B wing. A EN-C, or C wing is for a more advanced pilot and it's faster and more maneuverable. An EN-D wing is considered to be for a very advanced pilot. There are also Unrated wings as well. My wing is an EN-A and considered as a high A due to it's capabilites exceeding that of many other A wings. Many of those collapses you mention were probably on C & D wings. I hope that helps and thanks for asking. Cya
Thanks man. So, assuming you get into a bad weather situation all of the sudden, this wing will not collapse no matter how strong wings are, correct?
If I ever get into this sport, I'll definitively get a EN-A wing and build my own motor system - prices for these are crazy!
Howdy fellow fixed winger! Sorry for the delay. NO SIR!!! Bad air can most certainly cause a collapse. We don't have to be quite as picky in a Cessna. But we definitely need to be hyper-aware of micro-meteorology when flying butt fans. You can find good used gear on the cheap. I got in the air for less than $5k and am still flying it. Food for though. EN-A or B for sure.
Thanks man. I assume you don't fly when there's too much windy weather just like we do with gliders trying not to exceed cross wind component of the aircraft we are flying.
That's a fair assessment indeed. The best times to fly are similar to the times to put a boat on a lake: Early in the morning and evening. Flying midday is only on occasion a good thing. That's not to say that it can't be done, but it's probably gonna be a bumpy ride. I've launched in 10mph winds, but I don't choose that often because it usually gets higher with altitude and flying backwards isn't my favorite. Minimum speed on most wings is 14mph and top out close to 30mph. Gusts & strong thermals are where things get extra
sketchy.