AEROBATICS
  Fly A Fighter Jet | Our L-29 Delfin | Walter M701 Turbojet Engine | Aerobatics | Pilots / Co-Owners | What's New At Zweigle Aviation | About Me | Contact ZA | L-29 Links  

PULL-N-GGGGGs
Aerobatics are just great fun. Dive to 377kts and pull 3 1/2 G. The loop will consume an area 5,000 ft in diameter. As can be appreciated the pull will last for ever and the correct breathing style needs to be practised to resist the G for when you want to start pulling tighter corners. All controls are manual and this helps with G control. Pulling 6 G really is very physical with both hands needed on the stick, pull hard, tense hard = no grey out!! Rolls with up to 3/4 aileron can be done with one hand. To get the quickest roll rate use both hands. The rate of roll is about 120'/second.

The L-29 has full anti-G suit hookups. When using the anti-G suit, physically managing a high G stress really is simple. At about 1 1/2 G the suit starts to inflate and restrict the blood flow to the legs preventing all the blood in the upper body from "escaping". As Stress is added the anti-G valve continues to open exerting more pressure. This should allow enough blood to keep the brain fed and remain conscious. Just a pointer if at any time during aerobatics (whatever the aircraft) your vision starts to grey in from the sides "tense harder" and if that does not work relax the stick pressure. "Yes, I am awake" For an instant roll inverted! Now, you might say "what happens if I am pointing at the ground". Well, relax the stick and fly to miss the ground. If you can't do that remember sight goes first, then sound, and then consciousness. You will be able to fly in this "grey area" to save your life as a last resort.

Run and Break Manuever
I used to watch jets doing a "run and break" and thought "show off" but now having flown them I now know the reason. Basically it makes landing and flying the pattern easier. It is the quickest way of getting the a/c onto the ground especially if you have to recover a formation. Fly past (on runway landing heading) at 200 knots and at mid point turn for down wind pulling 4 G, closing the throttle, speed brakes out for 10 sec's until IAS is at 157 knots and select gear down, at 146 knots select flaps 15, start to spool up engine and maintain 130 knots into base leg selecting flaps 30' continue the turn onto final not below 120 knots, then once established 95 - 100 knots, if you judge this correct the circuit will be the same (or smaller) as the GA traffic pattern.

Speed brakes are deployed by either a switch on the throttle or temporarily by pressing a button on the stick. The landing is very easy just hold off with very little flare and you're down. For a touch and go I would suggest a minimum runway length of 5000 feet, but for full stop landings 3000 feet is more than sufficient.

The aeroplane makes a very solid instrument platform and it is easy to make small pitch and roll adjustments with no tendency to over control


Email Me!

Links to Other Sites
My Links