LSA "ride" in turbulance
Moderator: drseti
LSA "ride" in turbulance
I read somewhere that some manufacturers have redesigned the wings on their SLSAs to improve the ride. Does anyone know which manufacturers these are?
Not sure which manufacturers changed but here are some configuration differences that should apply to LSA.
Tapered wings seem to roll less in turbulence
wings with fuel out to the tips ride better when full. They seem to hit the bumps softer but flex more.
In the Piper Apache when I fly with full fuel there are less wrinkles on the wing top than when I empty the tip tanks and fly on the inboard fuel.
The Cessna 310 has flexible wings and rides nice. Tip tanks are the mains and the span loaded fuel works good. All too complicated with pumps and stuff for LSA>
I would guess the Eurofox with a little flex in the tube spars, large vertical tail, wing fuel tanks, would ride the best.
Some of the real light aluminum tube wing spar LSA don't have enough control power on the ailerons to be real comfortable in turbulence. The wing twisting / flex causes mild aileron reversal and you loose some control authority. Airframe hits bumps softer but it takes a lot more stick movement to keep wings level or roll back out of a bank.
Look at advertised wing loading. The higher loading usually gets displaced less in turbulence but might hit the bumps harder. It's kind of a hard thing to predict.
Fuselage tanks put the most stress on the wing structure. except for landing loads.
Tapered wings seem to roll less in turbulence
wings with fuel out to the tips ride better when full. They seem to hit the bumps softer but flex more.
In the Piper Apache when I fly with full fuel there are less wrinkles on the wing top than when I empty the tip tanks and fly on the inboard fuel.
The Cessna 310 has flexible wings and rides nice. Tip tanks are the mains and the span loaded fuel works good. All too complicated with pumps and stuff for LSA>
I would guess the Eurofox with a little flex in the tube spars, large vertical tail, wing fuel tanks, would ride the best.
Some of the real light aluminum tube wing spar LSA don't have enough control power on the ailerons to be real comfortable in turbulence. The wing twisting / flex causes mild aileron reversal and you loose some control authority. Airframe hits bumps softer but it takes a lot more stick movement to keep wings level or roll back out of a bank.
Look at advertised wing loading. The higher loading usually gets displaced less in turbulence but might hit the bumps harder. It's kind of a hard thing to predict.
Fuselage tanks put the most stress on the wing structure. except for landing loads.
The EAA Sport Pilot magazine, April 2008, has a good article on LSA starting on page 21.
They talk about different manufacturers (Flight Design and Sting Sport) modifying wings and flaps to get better cruise and stall speeds. The Tecnam Eaglet has adjustable in-flight seats. The Flight Design CTLS seats have a lumbar adjustment. For my old tired aching back, I think a seat with an adjustable lumbar support is a great idea! And, that makes the 'ride' for a cross-country easier.
They talk about different manufacturers (Flight Design and Sting Sport) modifying wings and flaps to get better cruise and stall speeds. The Tecnam Eaglet has adjustable in-flight seats. The Flight Design CTLS seats have a lumbar adjustment. For my old tired aching back, I think a seat with an adjustable lumbar support is a great idea! And, that makes the 'ride' for a cross-country easier.
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eurofoxjames
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2006 8:44 pm
- Location: Atlanta, Ga
[quote=
I would guess the Eurofox with a little flex in the tube spars, large vertical tail, wing fuel tanks, would ride the best.
[/quote]
Mine seems to ride pretty good in the bumps. It does tend to move a little more then say a cessna, but the bumps are a lot softer. Aeropro did redesign the wing 10 or so years ago so it is a little different then the Avid or Kitfox.
James
I would guess the Eurofox with a little flex in the tube spars, large vertical tail, wing fuel tanks, would ride the best.
[/quote]
Mine seems to ride pretty good in the bumps. It does tend to move a little more then say a cessna, but the bumps are a lot softer. Aeropro did redesign the wing 10 or so years ago so it is a little different then the Avid or Kitfox.
James
EuroFox N617B
I wonder if a set of wingtips like a Wittman Tailwind would help the ride?
Wing loading is not the answer because the Queen Air at 8800 lbs rides like a stone boat.
The Stinson gullwing rides nice and the 310 rides well. Those are the best two I can think of for ride quality that are non LSA
I think in an LSA if the tail is large enough for good yaw stability and the ailerons are geared so not a lot of stick deflection is needed for level flight the bumps will seem less.
The J-3 seems pretty good in real windy/bumpy conditions. It rocks around but the damping is fast and it is easy to keep in control.
Wing loading is not the answer because the Queen Air at 8800 lbs rides like a stone boat.
The Stinson gullwing rides nice and the 310 rides well. Those are the best two I can think of for ride quality that are non LSA
I think in an LSA if the tail is large enough for good yaw stability and the ailerons are geared so not a lot of stick deflection is needed for level flight the bumps will seem less.
The J-3 seems pretty good in real windy/bumpy conditions. It rocks around but the damping is fast and it is easy to keep in control.