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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1138.PDF
252 FLIGHT, 19 August 1955 HANDLING THE PIPER APACHE . . . I settled comfortably to try the controls. The general feelwas not too positive but very steady and the Apache flies "hands off" for long periods. Trimmed at 135 m.p.h., I yawed it 15degrees or so with the wings level and let go of the control wheel. After a few rapid swings each way, it returned to centre posi-tively without dropping the nose. I rolled it gently and let go; the control wheel returned immediately to neutral and the bank-angle remained without any marked tendency for the nose to drop. This happened when rolling both to the right and left.I then pulled the nose gently up from trimmed cruised by ten degrees or so and let go again. The reaction was as good asone could wish. The nose stayed where it was put until 10 m.p.h. of speed had been lost, and it then dropped gently down. As itslowly passed the horizon again the speed was back to normal and when it stopped at the lower end of the phugoid the speedhad increased 10 m.p.h. above trimmed cruise. The phugoid damped out quite soon. This was very much more accordingto the book than the Tri-Pacer had been. The rate of roll was not high, but adequate, and the responsein attitude to control displacement, similarly, was sufficient but not sparkling. Stick forces were light at all speeds and attitudes. I next reduced power, experiencing very little trim change,and at about 110 m.p.h. put down some flap and then the under- carriage. Trim changes were very small and control did notchange. The normal deceleration and changes of configuration to be made, for instance, during a G.C.A. would give one littletrouble from trim changes and ease the task of blind flying. We decided to try some single-engined flying next, and hereCol. Ellilt-Wilson explained one of the inconveniences of the aircraft, namely, that the blind-flying instruments cannot all oper-ate on one engine only. A vacuum pump on the starboard engine drives the artificial horizon and D.I. while a generator on theport engine takes care of the turn-and-slip indicator. In case of port-engine failure one loses radio, turn-and-slio and electricsas soon as the battery gives out, but has the D.I. and horizon to fly on. If the other engine fails one has only rurn-and-slipand magnetic compass, but the radio remains. It seems that failure of either engine in really bad weather would leave one inan uncomfortable position—but only for lack of instruments or communications and not because of any lack of single-enginedperformance. But the reliability of die engines has in any case never been called in doubt. Pipers are reported to be modifyingthe starboard engine to take a generator as well as suction pump. The pilot throttled back the port engine and pulled its pitchlever back to the feathering stop. The airscrew feathered and magnetos were cut. The speed, with the good engine at 27inand 2,300 r.p.m., dropped back to about 110 m.p.h. and height was maintained without any trouble at all. The aircraft couldalso be trimmed to fly "hands off." We made one low run over the airfield in this condition, turning steeply to line UD with therunway, and climbed away with the speed falling back from 140 m.p.h. At about 600ft in a port turn Col. Ellilt-Wilson relit.The throttle was partly opened, or "cracked" to use the American term, pitch lever moved towards "fully fine," and the startermotor used to turn the airscrew sufficiently to get into windmilling pitch. Then the slipstream took over and after a few secondsthe engine was once more running, without the need for idling to warm up again. The oil temperature on the good engine,meanwhile, had hardly increased at all. The final landing was simplicity itself. Downwind, wheels The controls are well laid out with A.S.I, and altimeter clearly visible to both pilots. Flap and undercarriage levers, hydraulic hand-pump, carburettor hot air controls and air-conditioning valves are all on the central pedestal. The small rectangular instruments are oil pressure and temperature gauges and fuel gauges. and flap were lowered and booster pumps switched on. The speedwas kept at between 90 and 100 m.p.h., in order to keep on the right side of the single-engined safety speed (95 m.p.h.). Theactual touch-down was like diat of a very much lighter aircraft; diere was plenty of float and good control right down to thetouch-down on die main wheels. The nosewheel was put down on to the runway immediately and full control widi brake andnose-wheel steering were available. The run was short and quiet, notwithstanding the extremely rough grass of Gatwick's runways. Altogether, for its size and price (£11,000 in the U.S.A.), theApache is an excellent machine. It offers twin-engined opera- tional safety and utility combined with a simplicity and ease ofmaintenance which put it well into the "owner-driver" class. It is also hard to forget the great comfort of deeply cushioned,pleasandy covered seats, excellent sound-proofing and, above all, really efficient ventilation and heating—all this in an aircraftwhich will carry its own empty weight in fuel and/or payload. Col. Ellilt-Wilson and Col. Davies left for Pretoria on August5di, intending to fly via Marseille, Tunis, Benghazi, Cairo, the Sudan, Entebbe and Rhodesia. Short of weather hold-ups theyhoped to make the flight in about five days. One of die aircraft was to stop at various places on the way through Africa to givedemonstrations. Incidentally, Col. Ellilt-Wilson expressed par- ticular appreciation of the assistance given him by Uxbridge andPrestwick traffic control organizations in tracing die progress of the Apaches during dieir trans-Atlantic flight, at a time when theirwhereabouts was not known to those awaiting their arrival. PIPER PA-23 APACHE (Two 150 h.p. Lycoming O-320 engines) Span 37ft Wing area 204 sq ft Length 27ft 1in Height ... 9ft 6in Empty weight 1,3001b All-up weight 3,5001b Wing loading , 17.2lb/«qft Power loading 11.7lb/h.p. Fuel capacity: normal 72 U.S. gal extra 36 U.S. gal (50 gal cabin tank can be fitted in addition to above.) Top speed 180 m.p.h. Stalling speed (flaps, no pcwer) 59 m.p.h. Cruising speeds, ranges and consumption, without extra tanks: 75 per cent power, 6,000ft, 170 m.p.h., 18.8 gal/hr; 65 per cent power, 9,000ft, 162 m.p.h., 16.3 gal/hr. Range at most economical power 840 miles Service ceiling 10,000ft Sea-level climb at 76 m.p.h 1,350 m.p.h. Single-engined absolute ceiling fully loaded 6750ft climb at 95 m.p.h. fully loaded 240ft/min Take-off run 990ft Landing run ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 670ft
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