Jerry Burr
MEMBER
Sedro Woolley, Washington.
To droop or not to droop.
Just some comments on the droopy ailerons. I have been running them for 21 years now and am always changing things. The big perceived problem with the CC droop kit was the inability to disconnect them when they were not wanted. ie. lots of wind. Wayne has designed a (turn off) so the droop can be disconnected when not wanted in his system. My system has eventually evolved to a percentage adjustment. I adjust the percentage of droop I want to deploy with the flaps. I have not touched it in probably 2 years. Well last week I was landing in the tundra in the windy up north and decided it would be a good time to remove some droop. The result was a totally screwed up final approach and scary landing. I quickly screwed the droop back in and instead limited the application of flaps. The problem was the lack of drag that I have been used to for years. Even 10 to 15 degrees of droop provides a lot of drag to pull against. Just having the flaps down half was like nothing at all. However with the ailerons (in) and half flaps it drops the ails probably 8 degrees. As you all know by drooping (adjusting) the ailerons down 3/8" you get the best trade between drag and aileron response. Well you also know if you drop (adjust) them down 1/2" you have a lot more aileron. Which is what I have with 2 notches of flap. I have 4 notches of flaps and found that with the aileron droop normal and limiting the flaps to 1 or 2 notches and leaving the aileron droop in, I had a heck of a lot more control in the wind. Any way you cut it the long wings are a lot more work in that kind of wind, but if that wind is not the norm I sure love the long wings. Yes Crash, I hear you. Jerry
Just some comments on the droopy ailerons. I have been running them for 21 years now and am always changing things. The big perceived problem with the CC droop kit was the inability to disconnect them when they were not wanted. ie. lots of wind. Wayne has designed a (turn off) so the droop can be disconnected when not wanted in his system. My system has eventually evolved to a percentage adjustment. I adjust the percentage of droop I want to deploy with the flaps. I have not touched it in probably 2 years. Well last week I was landing in the tundra in the windy up north and decided it would be a good time to remove some droop. The result was a totally screwed up final approach and scary landing. I quickly screwed the droop back in and instead limited the application of flaps. The problem was the lack of drag that I have been used to for years. Even 10 to 15 degrees of droop provides a lot of drag to pull against. Just having the flaps down half was like nothing at all. However with the ailerons (in) and half flaps it drops the ails probably 8 degrees. As you all know by drooping (adjusting) the ailerons down 3/8" you get the best trade between drag and aileron response. Well you also know if you drop (adjust) them down 1/2" you have a lot more aileron. Which is what I have with 2 notches of flap. I have 4 notches of flaps and found that with the aileron droop normal and limiting the flaps to 1 or 2 notches and leaving the aileron droop in, I had a heck of a lot more control in the wind. Any way you cut it the long wings are a lot more work in that kind of wind, but if that wind is not the norm I sure love the long wings. Yes Crash, I hear you. Jerry