Spoilers for Pattern Planes?????

[Henderson,Eric]

 	Spoilers are usually fitted to the high point of a glider wing. In this case we are talking about raising the trailing edge by using both ailerons and calling them spoilers. Some pilots swear by dropping both the ailerons as flaps.

The wing behaves differently at different speeds. Raising the ailerons at half throttle will actually cause the plane to climb. Raising the ailerons at slow speeds has the effect of causing the wing to lose some lift and you have to add up elevator to stay level.

The latter case is what you want because the more the plane presents a high drag, nose-up, profile the more it will slow down. With both the ailerons "up" you also get the advantage of some major washout which allows you to fly slower without tip-stalling.

I use the spoiler on my "Land" switch to allow me to do slower landing approaches when there is no headwind. It is hard to slow a pattern plane down. Dropping both ailerons allows you to dive steeper without gaining unwanted speed. Raising both ailerons allows you to slow down more on approach without paying the price.

Neither function like airbrakes :-)

Regards,

Eric.

P.S. On a pattern plane they are great. On My Extra's and CAP 232's they were bad!





>From: "Larry Diamond" <jed241 at msn.com>
>Reply-To: discussion at nsrca.org
>To: "NSRCA" <discussion at nsrca.org>
>Subject: Spoilers for Pattern Planes?????
>Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 18:19:33 -0500
>
>OK...Maybe I'm loosing my mind...
>
>I had a conversation with an individual that told me I was wrong and that 
>we don't use nor will ever use spoilers for a pattern plane.
>
>I do have at least one e-mail referencing that some folks in New Jersey 
>have tinkered with this. I seem to recall a number of posts but I can' find 
>them.
>
>What I would like to do, is take the responses (Good / Bad) from this 
>thread to form my own opinion.
>
>I have never tried it. But I think it was advise I received from a thread 
>on trying to control the speed of my landings for short runways. But I 
>really don't recall all the points...
>
>Then again, perhaps I have lost my mind...
>
>See ya,
>
>Larry

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