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CTLS crash at Fon Du Lac airport in Wisconsin.


Al Downs

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I have gone from the high wing CT to the much larger and faster low wing Cirrus SR22T.  The larger plane was 'scary' at first due to it's high performance and higher pattern/landing speeds.  But the plane fly's like a bus compared to the far more agile and stick sensitive CT. 

 

The CT is also about twice as prone to being bumped around in light to mod turbulence - the mass is a quarter of the 3600 lbs Cirrus.  An ATP will see this exaggerated set of differences even more.    The CT is easier on approach because you can pull the throttle to idle on base to mid base and easily make the runway and land (pitching only).    So the biggest problem these guys must be having is being patient once over the runway (and dealing with light cross winds when present) due to the float of the CT versus heavier planes.

 

CTs don't float, this is where your 62kts over the numbers comes in.  I was 45kts over the numbers this morning and guess what?  No float.

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I have gone from the high wing CT to the much larger and faster low wing Cirrus SR22T.  The larger plane was 'scary' at first due to it's high performance and higher pattern/landing speeds.  But the plane fly's like a bus compared to the far more agile and stick sensitive CT. 

 

The CT is also about twice as prone to being bumped around in light to mod turbulence - the mass is a quarter of the 3600 lbs Cirrus.  An ATP will see this exaggerated set of differences even more.    The CT is easier on approach because you can pull the throttle to idle on base to mid base and easily make the runway and land (pitching only).    So the biggest problem these guys must be having is being patient once over the runway (and dealing with light cross winds when present) due to the float of the CT versus heavier planes.

I get the impression, from flying front seat on friends and family members Cessnas and Diamonds, that they do much less "dancing" on the rudder pedals than I do on my CTLS.

 

Cheers

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If it is trying med right you should not have to dance on he peddles. If you constantly have to do that for he rudder spring adjust stent may not be there get enough. The he rudder pull side to side should be around 24 lbs. if it is weak and I have seen them this way then you constantly have to work the peddles.

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If it is trying med right you should not have to dance on he peddles. If you constantly have to do that for he rudder spring adjust stent may not be there get enough. The he rudder pull side to side should be around 24 lbs. if it is weak and I have seen them this way then you constantly have to work the peddles.

Thanks for the advice, it is very windy here in Florida, I do less "dancing" in Summer than in Winter (I try to avoid thunderstorms in Summer). In Spring, Fall, and Winter, if it is clear it is windy. The airplane just came out of a 100 hr inspection, done before the annual and according to my mechanic, everything is fine. If I had to blame anything or anybody for my "dancing" , I would most likely blame myself. Have flown my brothers CTLS 2020, N365CT and it exhibits the same flight characteristics as mine N920CT.

 

Cheers 

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As mentioned earlier, my friend who is IFR rated and flies a fully IFR certified airplane made the decision not to depart due to low ceilings and bad weather.  While fueling his airplane he heard the crash and responded with others to extract the pilot and passenger.  Comments about capabilities and errors of pilots may be pertinent to the CT crash discussed here.  Until there is an official statement from the FAA, we will not know if mechanical, medical or weather or a combination of these was the cause.  I am saddened by the death of the pilot and hope the passenger fully recovers.

 

According to the NTSB preliminary report: "Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site about the time of the accident".

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20160728X63145&key=1

 

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I get the impression, from flying front seat on friends and family members Cessnas and Diamonds, that they do much less "dancing" on the rudder pedals than I do on my CTLS.

 

Cheers

 

Correct.  The CT is light and the stick hyper responsive and requires some rudder work on each landing.   The Cirrus stick requires a lot more muscle to work and the primary consideration is not rudder but making sure the nosewheel is just off the pavement as the mains touch.  It takes about 10kts of cross wind or more before the Cirrus needs to be crabbed and landed with a slight slip.

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