The Leading Edge in Asia’s Sport Aviation

Newsletter Issue 6 Mar 2009

ACFC Newsletter 1

The Balloon Fiesta Issue Paul Norrie, Editor

February is an important month for aviation enthusiasts

in the Philippines with the annual Balloon Fiesta held at

Clark airport, Pampanga. This year it was another very

successful event which attracted visitors from not only

the Philippines but farther afield. In this issue you can

read about how your club contributed to this event and

also the latest with the news around the flying club.

Also there are a number of contributors with some very

interesting articles. Wolff Heinrichsdorff shares with us

his views on how to buy a new plane and my father,

Douglas Norrie gives us some good information on

short and soft field take offs and landings.

There is lots of great reading inside, so let’s get

started.

Useful links: Angeles City Flying Club http://www.angelesflying.com/ Yahoo Groups ACFC http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acflyingclub/ Al Malcolm’s Yankin’ and Bankin’ www.yankinandbankin.com

Club Affairs Terry Hockenhull, President

For those of you who were not

able to attend, we held our

Annual General Meeting on 25

January 2009. The meeting

was a lively one during which

we discussed a number of

issues of importance to the club

and its members. It would

appear that the club is now in a

reasonably ‘healthy’ financial

position and short of any major incidents and repairs,

we look like being able to accomplish a number of

projects this year (to the benefit of all of our members).

Our club accounts are (at last) current as of December

31, 2008 and we have resolved most of the issues

relating to late statutory filing of documents to various

departments in the last year.

Jeff Hill mentioned that he has already spent some

P300,000 on repairs, renovations and improvements to

the canteen, hangars, general club facilities and other

items such as sales and marketing initiatives. It might

seem like a lot but the necessity of keeping club

equipment (tractors, mowers and transport) in good

repair and maintaining the club so that it continues to

be a prestige facility is essential if we are to continue to

enjoy all of the benefits offered by the club.

Flying statistics for club aircraft in 2008 are almost the

same as the 2007 figures. In truth, we have noticed a

downward trend since 2002. However, I’m inclined to

think that has been a result of members purchasing

their own aircraft instead of renting and flying ACFC

aircraft. It is not a major concern since the private

Inside this issue

1 Club Affairs

5 Adventures of Buying a New Plane

8 Short and Soft Field Take offs and Landings

ACFC Newsletter 2

owners all pay a significant amount towards club operations by way of hangar rental.

We increased our membership fees and hangar rentals last year with the intention of operating the club on a

guaranteed fixed income. We are close to achieving this and the money earned from Trial Introductory Flights (TIFs),

aircraft rentals, training, canteen and maintenance is promising to keep us solvent and provide the opportunity for

expansion. Having said this, we still need to increase the number of members if we are to keep our fees down to

reasonable levels. Al Malcolm and others worked hard last year to boost our marketing initiative making sure that most

of the travel agents, bars and nightspots along Fields Avenue have our brochures, leaflets and posters. We need to

sustain this effort so please volunteer your time or resources to help with this initiative.

The number of serviceable ACFC aircraft now stands at 4. Our Rans S-12,

RP-S1291 seems to be the most popular aircraft in the fleet while our 2

Quicksilvers (RP-S1457 & RP-S1453) see heavy use for both TIFs and for

basic training. The MaxAir Drifter (RP-S1458) is gaining in popularity as our

more experienced pilots tackle the slightly more technical task of handling

and landing a tail-dragger! The big news is that the club is actively looking for

an additional aircraft for members to fly. Another Rans S-12 seems to be the

direction we are heading (due to its popularity and suitability for longer cross-

country flights) although a working group is currently looking at the feasibility

of restoring one of the club’s Rans Coyote aircraft into serviceable condition.

There is also a need for an additional flight instructor. Full time would be preferable but for the qualified applicant, part

time may also be possible. If you know of anyone who is willing to commit time to working at the club, please let Jeff

Hill or Terry Hockenhull know.

Since the club aircraft are so heavily utilized (this is a good thing; right?) it is essential they receive requisite

maintenance. As you will see, Chris Tulabot’s team is very busy at the moment on a number of rebuilding and

restoration projects for private aircraft owners. We have decided that Thursday will be set aside as club ‘maintenance

day’. The boys will run all the aircraft up in the morning (as they used to do on Friday morning), check the maintenance

status on all aircraft and conduct repairs and maintenance on club aircraft only. This time will also allow the mechanics

to perform housekeeping, catalogue and inventory tools and spare parts. Please understand that work on club aircraft

takes priority over any other activities in the club on a Thursday. Jobs will only be conducted on members’ aircraft after

work has been completed on the club fleet and Chris Tulabot and Jeff Hill are prepared to release the mechanics.

We have a new Board of Directors! Despite my best efforts to rid myself of the responsibility of President, I remain at

the helm with Paul Norrie as Vice President. Mike Schemm, Chris Mason and Boy Guevarra making up our 5 member

Board. We take our roles seriously and we are all involved in planning a successful future for the Club. I’m at the Club

every weekend, Boy and Chris are there most days and when Paul and Mike are in town, they are usually to be found

loitering in the hangers or office (or flying!). So please come and talk to us; we need to hear your suggestions and

ideas.

Spike Naysmith was over at the club a week ago to test fly Wolf

Heinrichsdorff’s Super Petrel for the first time. (More about this later in

Wolff’s article about purchasing, importing and rebuilding the aircraft.)

After a remarkably trouble-free test flight, Spike and Wolff headed off to

the river to try a water touch-down. Having taken the controls of the Petrel

myself, I can attest to the fact that it is a remarkably light and agile little

machine. Once all of the teething issues have been dealt with and Wolff

has built up his hours, we intend to fly the plane down to its home base in

Tacloban!

Dave Harris’ Hawk is moving forward; my last visit into the hangar showed remarkable progress with new sails being

fitted to the tail feathers and work on the fuselage nearing completion. Dave seems to be happy with the progress

having been warned that nothing runs smoothly when rebuilding an aircraft. Spare parts always seem to take longer

ACFC Newsletter 3

than necessary to get here and many unforeseen issues crop up which cause delays. Despite a sense of urgency

driven by the desire to fly, we all recognize the wisdom of ‘getting it right first time!’

The complete restoration and rebuild of Alan Steven’s MaxAir Drifter is almost done with its maiden test flight

scheduled for the next couple of weeks. Sadly, Alan is departing South East Asia (Hong Kong) and repatriating to

Australia. Once we know that his Drifter is safe to fly, it may be partially disassembled, put into a container and

shipped off to Oz! I would like to think that the sight of his white Drifter buzzing over the cane fields of Queensland will

be a testament to the hard work and quality of our maintenance staff! We wish Alan the very best and hope he will be

back to the Philippines from time to time to visit us. (Latest update: Alan may be willing to sell the Drifter; please check

with Jeff of me.)

Chris Tulabot and the rest of our dedicated team of mechanics have already started tearing down the GT400 (bought

by Helmut Fink). This shouldn’t be a lengthy rebuild requiring little more than a new paint job and a fresh set of sails.

We look forward to seeing Helmut flying around (in his own aircraft) in the next couple of months.

As for the ‘Yellow Peril’ Drifter of Chris Parker, Alan Nash and myself, work has slowed up somewhat. Chris Parker is

on a long 8 month sabbatical in Queensland and without his engineering talents, work has slowed while the mechanics

finish the Hawk, Drifter and GT400. In truth, we are well on the way to completion leaving paintwork, installation of

engine and wings to complete the rebuild.

The Stearman moves on at a steady pace. Ian, frequently to be seen wandering around the hanger in his leather apron

or bowed over his table rebuilding the wings has completed his work and left the project. We wish Ian good luck in his

future endeavors. Bob & Tom, resident at the club, continue to manage the complex task of rebuilding this classic

aircraft.

The 14th Annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

held at Diosdado Macapagal

International Airport (Clark) on

February 12-15 proved to be

successful in terms of increasing

awareness of the club, aircraft and

facilities. Chris Mason, Erwin

Dematera, Rolf Dunder, Paul Norrie

and I flew our aircraft across to Clark

keeping them under cover in one of the

Philippine Air Force’s Hangars. We

managed a couple of formation flights

each day pleasing the crowds with line astern, echelon and line abreast passes over the show line. Rolf provided the

real excitement for the crowds by passing through the middle of our formation at high speed right over the show line.

The feedback we received was very positive and we fielded many inquiries from prospective members and the press

at our tent. Our two ‘honorary’ honeys, Arlene and Lhay were on hand throughout the 4-day event to hand out leaflets

and brochures and

answer questions.

Thanks to Tony

Castillo for the

loan of his

Quicksilver as our

static display

aircraft. Boy

Guevarra and

Chris Mason

ferried his aircraft

to Clark and back.

ACFC Newsletter 4

Congratulations to Leonard Chicco who entered the balloon bursting competition and won the event outright securing a

perfect score on each day of the competition. Perhaps there were a few red faces amongst military personnel that a

weekend flyer in his KitFox ultralight could outperform the professional big-boys in their Cessnas, Beechcrafts and

Pipers! Top job Chicco!

While the Balloon Fiesta was ongoing, we had busy days at the Club flying over 50 TIFs during the Fiesta weekend.

The Dutch Boys (Gerrit, Klaas and Laurens) put in an appearance during the same weekend. With a couple of

students at the club as well, it seemed our biggest concern was having enough airplanes for everyone to fly! Thanks to

Gary Jerome for stepping up to the plate and supporting Boy Guevarra flying so many of the TIFs!

It is worth mentioning that much of what we were able to achieve during the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta resulted from good

radio communications with Clark Tower. All pilots flying during this busy weekend were delighted with the clear

instructions and cooperation from harassed air traffic controllers at Clark. Our radio communications made it possible

to request special procedures for our flight (like taking-off and landing on Alpha Taxiway) as well as knowing exactly

what each member of our flight was doing. As many of you know, club radio communications sometimes leave much

to be desired. The club will arrange for radios to be purchased in Singapore and we expect to have these available for

pilots in club aircraft enhancing air safety and facilitating communications on longer cross-country flights to other

airfields.

Our marketing efforts remain important to the future well-being of the Club. We

were delighted that GMA Channel 7 contacted us about a month back asking to

do a piece on sport aviation at the club for their show ‘Unang Hirit’. The host of

the show was ‘AJ’, the winner of Philippine ‘Survivor’ and his appearance had

Monette from our administration in a bit of a lather (until she was able to get an

‘up close and personal’ shot with him!) The show’s producer has finally provided

a copy of the show on DVD for the club archives.

We were surprised when GMA7 contacted us again asking to interview a ‘young

Filipino’ student pilot for a segment to be aired on a teenage show (Ka Blog) in

early March. Recently soloed, Paulo Maceren held the interview during the Balloon Fiesta and despite all of the other

ongoing activities, managed to get their host (Lucky) airborne during one of our fly-by’s. The show aired on February

28, 2009 and we have a copy already. Ask Jeff at the Club if you would like to see it!

I guess GMA7 must like us since they called yet again last week asking us to do another segment for the show ‘Kay

Susan Tayo’. Chris Mason did the honors of flying the host (of somewhat questionable gender!) while I flew chase with

a cameraman on board. It was one of those beautiful mornings with a deep blue sky. The show aired on March 15; we

got well over 10 minutes of exposure and the piece really showcased the club and its facilities. According to Jeff, all 3

shows have resulted in inquiries and TIFs. ABS-CBN came to do a feature on the club last week (with Chris Mason

and Boy in attendance).

For those of you who have not visited our website recently, check out the fantastic layout and content. Mark Obrowski

(our webmaster and designer) deserves a special vote of thanks for this work (much of it completed while he has been

out of the country). The site has recently been updated (again) with some new pictures so do check it out from time to

time.

FEATI University made their annual visit to the club on Saturday 28th February. It was a busy day with over 300 young

students visiting our facilities, looking at our aircraft and maintenance facilities and generally getting a good feel for our

aviation enterprise! The day was further enhanced by having a number of General Aviation aircraft visiting the field

under the one-day waiver granted by CAAP. Bill Wright passed over the field in his RV

treating our visitors to a show of aerobatics! The day was further enhanced by a couple of

new members starting their training and a number of TIF’s .

The ever irrepressible Al Malcolm popped into the club in February. Al has almost

completed his training and is flying the right hand seat of an Airbus 320 for Tiger Air. I bet

he has an overwhelming desire to deviate from his track and buzz the field in the A320 on

his way back to Singapore from Clark!

ACFC Newsletter 5

We have just hired a new chef for the canteen (who comes highly recommended by Helmut Fink). As we promised, the

menu is now under review and hopefully we will be able to offer a wider selection of items (and considerably less fried

food). Please let us have your suggestions about menu items. The canteen makes a considerable amount of money

on a busy weekend and this can be increased if we offer more palatable items on the menu. Thanks to Helmut (Fink)

for his hands-on organization of the Airpark ‘Café’! Early feedback (pun not intended!) on the new menu has been

very positive.

Members are all reminded that your medicals must be current before flying. We are trying to ensure that we adhere as

closely as possible to CAAP’s requirements for Private Pilots. Our medical requirements are not that stringent and Jeff

can provide you with the name and address of doctors in both Magalang and Angeles City who will readily conduct the

examination for a reasonable fee.

We start the year off well but a brief reminder to all of you who have not yet settled your outstanding accounts (for

membership, hangar rentals, canteen or maintenance fees), please do so as soon as possible. We need your money

and it seriously compromises work in the office to have to keep following up on overdue or delinquent accounts.

That’s all from me for this newsletter. Thanks to all of our contributors and Paul for the sterling work he does in

assembling the newsletter. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please email Paul Norrie

pnorrie@netvigator.com or Jeff Hill mail@angelesflying.com If you haven’t received earlier newsletters, archived

copies can be found on our website. Safe flying everyone!

Adventures of Buying a New Plane Wolff Heinrichsdorff

As many of you know, I am a newcomer to the skies of ultra light pilots with only 40 hours on my personal Hobbs

meter. Nevertheless, once infected by the flight virus, the sequence of progress was sizzled in granite: Fly solo… Get

my sports’ pilot certificate... Own my own plane... Fly, fly, and fly!!!

With a lovely house on the beachfront on the San Juanico Strait

(Tacloban, Leyte) an amphibious plane was the obvious choice.

After roaming the internet (and my lifetime passion for sailing) a

‘flying boat’ rather than a conventional plane with floats felt like

the obvious solution. (By the way, I saw a number of flipped

Cessnas on floats on U-tube; really frightening!) I found a

surprisingly wide selection of amphibians but quickly narrowed

down my choice to 2 aircraft with almost identical looks and

specifications; the ‘Seastar’ and ‘Petrel 100’. Although these 2

planes are the same design, the Seastar is built in Canada and

the Petrel 100 comes from Brazil.

I contacted Hans in Squamish (near Vancouver) by phone and

email. Hans is a Swiss Canadian who made his career mainly working with cable cars. I decided the quickest way to

find out about the production of my dream plane would be to fly to Canada from Germany

to meet Hans. After arriving in Vancouver I rented a car and drove to Squamish (North

American Indian word for windy; most appropriate since the conditions are challenging for

pilots!).

Hans is an engineer who, after 40 years in Canada, is still blessed with a strong Swiss

accent and is very active in the ultra light scene in both Canada and North America.

Entering his Squamish ‘production facility’ gave the word ‘experimental’ a truly

unexpected and verbal meaning. The factory turned out to be a group of sheds and barns

surrounded by rusty machinery, adventurous looking cable constructions and a few plane

carcasses. Hans’ at his Squamish factory

The Seastar or Petrel 100

ACFC Newsletter 6

The Mountains at Squamish

Hans, an extraordinarily ‘simpatico’ guy in his sixties, is clearly a genius working on a thousand and one projects at the

same time. Despite his obvious knowledge about planes, I was left with the impression that I would probably be waiting

until at least my 80th birthday before my plane would be ready for delivery! He just seems to have too many projects

running. Unfortunately, he did not own a functioning demonstration plane but kindly made arrangements for me to

meet a friend who had bought a kit from him. (Hans orders Petrel 100 kits from Brazil and adds some interesting little

details during assembly.)

I paid for some demonstration flights from his friend and this gave me the

opportunity of learning a great deal about the Petrel 100. (It carries the

name Seastar because it was ordered thru Hans.) The flights thru the

mountains of Squamish were truly spectacular.

After departing Squamish

and flying over the ocean bay

of Vancouver we turned into

the mountains steadily

climbing at 500 fpm. At 6000

feet, we were flying over the

blue ice of glaciers, avoiding

getting too close because the

coldness can cause sudden loss

of altitude. Landing on a glacier is

not for beginners; that’s for sure!!!

Flying through the mountains

without the security of a BRS (Ballistic Recovery System) raises the question

of where and how to land in

emergency (even though the

plane has an excellent gliding

ratio of 10:1!)

Unfortunately my demonstrator did

not want to land on the near-by lake because his ‘water-licence’ had

expired, so we limited our water landing experience to some simulated

landings.

Interestingly enough he

confessed, that he once forgot to

put the landing gear down for

landing on the concrete runway in Squamish. (Something I was to repeat on

one of my early landings at Woodland!) His first thought when touching down

was that he might have a flat tire; he quickly realized his fault when the plane

came to a halt and tilted to one side resting on one of the stabilizing floats.

Surprisingly, the damage was minor and after replacing the epoxy (left on the

runway) he was back in the air within a couple of days. This at least proved to

me that the flying boat has an undeniable sturdiness which is of great benefit in

the event of an off-field landing. I believe a touch-down in a rice paddy will

hardly damage the plane as long as the landing gear remains retracted.

When it became clear to me (and Hans) that I wanted my plane quickly, he mentioned a client in Huntsville Alabama,

USA who wanted to sell his almost new Petrel 100. So, I bought tickets for Hans and myself and we flew 2,500 miles

south to Alabama to meet Bill Stone.

Ready for the demonstration flight!

Blue glaciers – looking very cold!

5,900 feet!!

Landing at Squamish

ACFC Newsletter 7

Bill, an ex aviation engineer now retired from his job in the famous

Huntsville weapon industry, bought his Seastar kit from Hans and

completed the construction in 2007. After a heart attack (and 3 bypass

surgeries) both his doctor and his loving wife grounded him.

The Petrel 100 is equipped with the 912 ULS (100hp) with only for 27 flight

hours. Bill has made some design changes to the cockpit including a

Cessna throttle in the middle of the

instrument panel; this was

something I found hard to get used

to! (Right arm stretched while the

left hand holds the stick; but I

guess that was how he liked it!) The plane was also equipped with a handheld

radio, something I vowed to change for an ICOM A-210 panel mounted

transceiver.

Actually the plane reminds me a little of a rubber duck! I’m still trying to find a

way to make it look like a wolf (considering my first name!)

The Seastar was Bill’s seventh plane in his long history as a pilot. I felt kind of

sad for him that he had to give up something that obviously brought him a great

deal of pleasure.

Before embarking on the test flight, we donned life vests (essential equipment

when flying over water.) We performed some normal taxiing, take-offs and

landings before trying some water landings.

The technique of taking-off and landing

on water is not so very different from

normal flight procedures (on land).

However, some training is required to

master the technique of getting the aircraft

up on the ‘step’ and planing. Even under

very hot weather conditions, the plane

climbs really well, turns like it is on rails

and generally feels extremely safe and

stable.

After some negotiation, I finally committed

to the purchase and arranged ‘door-to-door’ transport through DHL. My agreement

had DHL take responsibility for customs clearance (highly recommended) with the

Angeles City Flying Club as consignee. Terry Hockenhull and Jeff Hill stepped into

troubleshoot and coordinate the shipment with DHL Manila. (Thank you both for

doing this!)

DHL (under management of VP Elizabeth Gotiam) did an excellent job. We

supplied a bill of lading clearly stating that the shipment was an ‘experimental

plane kit’. We made sure there was a copy of the freight papers accompanying the

imported shipment. We also provided a deed of sale and a letter from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines

(formerly ATO), that the experimental plane was not subject to import restrictions or approval by them. Finally we

provided a copy of the wire transfer of funds matching the contractual purchase price.

Checking out Bill’s plane

Cockpit Layout

Bill Stone’s Petrel – Now mine!

Lifejackets for water landings

Interesting possibilities!

ACFC Newsletter 8

The container was delivered to the flying club by DHL

about 4 or 5 days after arrival in Manila. Thanks to all

the willing hands at the club (Filipino forklifts) who

helped unload the container. With the exception of

some minor damage to the of the rudder fin, thousands

of miles of transport ended safely.

The plane is currently under preparation for repainting

and some additional changes to the layout of the

interior, instruments and controls. I’m awaiting delivery

of a BRS which will be installed in a custom made

cowling in front of the engine.

Many thanks for all of the hard work done by the

mechanics in the hangar.

The hangar is already finished at my house on the San Juanico

Strait. Now I just need to gain some experience in my plane before

flying there. I can’t wait to land in front of my house for the first

time!

(Editor’s note: As of going to press, Wolff’s Petrel has completed its

first test flight (with Spike Naysmith and Wolff at the controls) and

done a couple of water landings on the Pampanga River. Wolff

continues to hone his skills in the aircraft ready for the ferry flight to

Tacloban in April/May, 2009)

Short and Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings

Douglas H. Norrie

Recently, in an XAir, I was doing a soft field takeoff from a rough tufted-grass bumpy strip in the Philippines with a 10

knot crosswind rolling in over adjacent trees causing swirling gusts. After several false liftoffs, a sudden gust boosted

the aircraft out of ground effect 12-15 feet high before I had the stick forward enough to pick up speed. The ‘copilot’

afterwards reported that airspeed hovered a few mph above stall for near three seconds, too close ‘to the edge’. For

situations such as these, you need to know not only the technique to use but you also need much practice to sharpen

reaction times and to build instinctive correct reactions. The margins for error with short and soft takeoffs and landings

can be small and the unexpected can suddenly push the unprepared and unwary pilot ‘over the edge.’

These cautions are important because in some situations you can be getting out to ‘near the edge’ i.e. close to the

limitations of the aircraft and the pilot. The uncertainties in the ground surface, the winds and gusts, and the

peculiarities of your own aircraft can move the situation from ‘doable’ to trouble and even tragedy. So you really do

need to know what is possible here and to build experience in easier situations before attempting those that are more

difficult.

I have some modest flying experience: six GA aircraft; a dozen ultralights; commercial and ultralight instructor ratings.

Even so, for a recent set of flights to half a dozen short or soft ‘strips’, I made sure to do over 50 such practice takeoffs

and landings in the prior days on a more than adequate grass field, until I had brought my skills up sufficiently.

Final arrival at the club Inspection and assembly

Construction of my hangar and control tower in Tacloban

ACFC Newsletter 9

Here then are the techniques for short and soft field takeoffs and landings. When writing this I was thinking particularly

of an XAir tube-and-fabric aircraft (Standard model, tricycle, no flaps, Jabiru 2200A 85 hp engine). The principles given

here, however, are basically applicable to any land aircraft, even tail draggers, though differences that may seem small

can in practice be quite significant. STOL aircraft, for example, use unusually high-attitude high-power approaches that

provide some further complexities. So, for any aircraft other than the XAir above, seek out more information and at the

least consult the Pilot’s Manual for your aircraft. Best of all, take lessons with an experienced and knowledgeable flight

instructor, preferably in the same type of aircraft.

Why Use Short or Soft Takeoffs and Landings?

A short field takeoff or landing is used when the available runway length is too short for normal takeoff or landing or the

obstacles in the flight path are too high for the normal techniques or when both situations apply.

A soft field takeoff is used when the runway surface is such that the drag on the wheels would prevent the aircraft

reaching liftoff speed if normal techniques were used. This is the situation with soft earth, mud, sand, wet grass even if

mown, long grass or weeds or bushes, or snow. A soft field takeoff is also used when the strip is so stony, bumpy,

rutted, or potholed that it is imperative to reduce the load on the nose wheel as soon as speed builds up, to prevent

damage to the front wheel and strut. The soft field technique also reduces the load on the main wheels so this is a plus

in this same situation.

A soft field landing is used when the surface condition is the same as described for a soft field takeoff. In landing on

soft earth, mud, sand, etc, the drag on the wheels brings the speed down quickly but the accompanying deceleration

unduly loads the front wheel and strut unless the soft field technique is used. If the surface is not truly soft or muddy or

wet or snowy etc but just stony, bumpy, rutted, and so on, using a soft field landing technique can be used to similarly

prevent damage to the nose wheel and strut.

The techniques for these takeoffs and landings are quite straightforward but getting them properly sequenced and

synched requires a much practice.

How To Do Short and Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings

The following are the basic techniques for short and soft field takeoffs and landings. If there is a crosswind, then in

addition apply the well-known crosswind control movements. Note, however, that these takeoffs and landings become

much more difficult and problematic if the crosswind is significant, as the incident earlier related shows. It is common

sense to not try them under these conditions and to go somewhere better if that is an option. If the aircraft has flaps,

use these as appropriate to the maneuver (see your Pilot’s Handbook).

The Short Field Takeoff

Here is the technique for a short field takeoff. Position the aircraft as far back as possible to take advantage of all

available distance; hold brakes then move throttle smoothly to full power; check gauges for full revs etc; release the

brakes: move the stick back modestly as roll begins to ease load on nose wheel; as soon wheels leave ground, move

stick forward sufficiently so aircraft flies in ground effect (wheels about a foot off ground) to accelerate; at best angle

airspeed bring stick back smoothly so aircraft climbs at best angle; transition to normal climb speed when clear of

obstacles.

The Short Field Landing

For short field landings, use a powered final and short final using the appropriate speed (see Pilot Handbook). When

there are obstacles e.g. trees, fences, power lines near the ‘threshold’ of the strip you want the steepest final approach

available, hence use flaps if you have them as well as the slowest appropriate airspeed; if there are no obstacles you

still want this steep approach for the slower airspeed that goes with it, to reduce the ground run; set up this approach

early and trim for the airspeed; don’t be afraid to use power to stay on the approach path as it is power that ‘controls

your altitude’; you are trimmed for the desired airspeed so you do not want to alter this by significant movement of the

elevator (gusts may necessitate such elevator movements but these are temporary); because of the short distance

ACFC Newsletter 10

available you want to touch down soon after the ‘threshold’ so you have set up the approach path for this; flare and

touch down; just before the wheels touch, ease back on the power, then as soon as the wheels are down use hard

braking with the stick as far back as will keep the nose wheel almost off the ground. Too much stick back will unload

the main wheels and deteriorate the braking, and worse, may also lift you back into the air. If the aircraft has flaps,

bring them up after touchdown to increase weight on main wheels and allow stronger braking. If a crosswind exists, the

nose wheel may need some more weight for directional stability as the aircraft slows and the rudder loses its

effectiveness.

The Soft Field Takeoff

For the soft field takeoff, the aircraft shouldn’t be allowed to stop once you start taxiing (hopefully off a more solid

area); at the start of taxi bring the stick right full back and hold it there; keep the aircraft rolling through the turn onto the

‘threshold’ bringing up the power near the end of the turn; desirably you quickly glance at the gauges to check for full

revs etc (you are probably too focused elsewhere for this, so a copilot or trained passenger calling ‘All OK’ is good to

have); the stick remains full back while ground speed increases but as soon as the nose wheel lifts off bring the stick

smoothly forward so as to fly in ground effect a foot or so off the surface; let the aircraft accelerate to normal climb

speed and continue to climb as usual. If there are obstacles to climb over, then climb at best angle.

Here are some ‘gotchas’ to watch out for:

• false liftoffs (watch for these in short field takeoffs too) where a gust or a bump puts the aircraft momentarily off

the ground but it isn’t ready to fly yet (airspeed too low).

• not moving the stick quickly enough forward after you have true liftoff so the aircraft climbs up too far (ground

effect drops off quickly over a height of approximately half the wingspan ) and the aircraft can sink back down

and hit hard or bounce or even porpoise.

• moving the stick not far enough forward or too far forward just after liftoff (climbs too slow too high in first

situation and descends back to earth in second situation, neither what you need).

• gusts adding or subtracting momentary lift in the critical liftoff, ground effect and initial climb phases.

The Soft Field Landing

Now here is the technique for the soft field landing. Up to the touchdown, it is basically the same as for the short field

landing. At touchdown, you want the aircraft to alight gently with its weight coming onto the surface gradually, so the

stick comes back to keep the nose wheel off the surface and the weight light on the main wheels. Then as speed drops

below flying speed, the stick continues all the way back as quickly as possible to get the ‘maximum’ attitude you can

(without tailstriking). Braking also begins at touchdown; generally it is best to not quite lock the brakes. With wet snow

or mud on the surface, for example, locking the brakes could just cause hydroplaning. On soft sand, however, locking

the brakes might “dig the wheels in” whereas keeping the wheels rolling may have much less braking effect (but more

progressive deceleration). The stick is kept back as the aircraft slows and the nose wheel finally touches down.

Note that it is not good practice to ground the tailskid in the soft field landing or the soft field takeoff, because of

possible damage and even pitching oscillations. Also, in the soft field takeoff it increases drag which you don’t want.

With the XAir, I think a tailstrike is possible under the right conditions of weight and balance, although I have not had it

happen so far. I know it is possible with a Cessna 172, as I found once in my student days to the disapproval of the

flight instructor.

Here are some ‘gotchas’ with soft field landings:

• don’t wait till the aircraft stops before easing the nose wheel to the ground (as the aircraft comes to a quick

final stop the nose wheel can come down hard if you wait till then)

ACFC Newsletter 11

• if the stick comes back too quickly after touchdown, the aircraft may still have sufficient speed to lift off again

(not good if the field is also short!)

• if there is a crosswind, the nose wheel needs to come down earlier for directional stability as the aircraft slows

and rudder effectiveness is lost

• if the aircraft has flaps, leave these down after landing to continue the extra lift (and the drag) they provide. If

the flaps could be damaged by flying water, mud, or high bushes, you may have to bring them up after

touchdown.

In a soft field approach to the strip in the Philippines mentioned earlier, liberal and continuous power variations were

needed to keep the squirrelly approach in the gusty crosswind within bounds. For the XAir, a mean airspeed of 55 mph

was used, this being 50 plus 5 for the gusts. If it had been calm, an airspeed of nearer 50 mph would have been used

since the field was also short so minimum roll was desired. At this strip, there was no go-around possible in short final

because of trees at the far end, so you had to be sure you were on the right approach path early and then stay on it.

Approaches With Obstacles

On an approach with obstacles, typically trees, how steep should the approach path be? The steeper the approach

the shorter you will land, leaving more of the strip for the landing roll. Reducing power will steepen the approach, with

the power-off gliding approach being the steepest. This suggests using a gliding approach, but this is not

recommended. A powered approach allows smaller control movements to accurately control the descent, since “very

little change in the aircraft’s pitch attitude is required to make the necessary corrections in the approach slope” (Flight

Training Manual, 4th edition, Transport Canada, 1999). Using power not only inherently gives better control of the

approach path but allows power adjustment for additional height correction. Wind changes and gustiness in the

descent will also often require power adjustments.

By how much should you clear the trees? Preferably, select your approach path so you can always glide to the original

strip, clearing any obstacles in route, if the engine failed. Plan to clear the obstacles in the glide by a reasonable

distance; planning to just “clip the trees” doesn’t give any margin.

Aborting Takeoffs

For all types of takeoff, the abort point on the strip should be half way down the available distance. If two-thirds of liftoff

speed has not been reached by then, it is best to abort. Pacing off the available distance beforehand and putting a

marker at the abort point can be a very good idea.

With Practice ……….

The first photo shows the XAir just about to touch down for a

short/soft field landing over trees during practice at a more than

adequate grass field. The trees dictated a short field approach

hence the slowest appropriate speed, about 50 mph, allowing for

the light crosswind and gusts. If it had been calm, the approach

speed could have been taken down to even 45 mph since the

aircraft was flying light. The grass was not draggy enough to

require a soft field landing, but it was done like this for practice.

The distance from the white mark in the foreground to the back

fence and trees is about 85 meters (about 280 feet) and the

aircraft was stopped within this distance.

ACFC Newsletter 12

The second photo shows the XAir climbing out from a soft field

practice takeoff at the same field. As can be seen, the aircraft

is already climbing out well before the 85 meter mark.

References

A useful reference to landing and takeoff techniques,

especially at altitude, is “Mountain Flying Bible – Revised” by

Sparky Imesen, Aurora Publications, Wyoming, 1998.

[Douglas Norrie EAA 739489 lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

where he is currently building a Savannah STOL all-metal

aircraft. He also flies in the Philippines where he shares an

XAir]

(Editor’s note: This article appeared in the November, 2008 issue of EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine)

Lastly, I have included a picture of the Angeles City Flying Club Ultralight Aerobatic Team. Left to right: Terry

Hockenhull, Chris Mason, Paul Norrie and Rolf Dunder.