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Aviation History
1965
1965 - 0107.PDF
V '1 FLIGHT International, (4 January 1965 67 "Steep-s/ded Lough Derravaragh, West County Meath, was our first stop..." slot engaged by the single handle mechanism; seat harness secure, and you are ready to go. Operating from Headfort's bumpy-in-places Runway 30 high- lighted the importance of keeping the Lake well and truly on all three wheels until 60 m.p.h. is reached, resisting every tendency to bump the nosewheel off. If this is not done aerodynamic drag apparently lengthens the run noticeably, as the aircraft becomes slow to accelerate. As it was, even at gross weight, she would pull off cleanly at 60 m.p.h. after travelling only 900ft or so through the longish grass. After accelerating to 80 m.p.h. and retracting the gear (about 8scc to clean-up, but about 20sec before the locks go home and hydraulic pressure is restored) the Lake goes up nicely at around 500ft/min on continuous-power-climb settings of 2,500 r.p.m. and 25in boost. The flight manual recommends 65 m.p.h. for the best rate of climb with gear and flaps down, and 85 m.p.h. clean, the best gradient speeds being slightly less. As might be expected, the high thrust-line of the Lake (ideal from almost every other aspect for this kind of aircraft) exacts a penalty in the form of unconventional airborne handling characteristics. Not immediately obvious or unpleasant during visual flying, but possibly tiresome on instruments, is the nose-down trim-change with application of power, and vice versa. At aft centres of gravity, too, extra caution is required in the use of the necessarily powerful elevator trimmers. The flight manual says: "Do not use full nose-up trim for take-off in the most rear e.g. reduced-weight condition, since engine failure will result in inability to pitch nose-down when the gear and flaps are retracted." General handling is quite pleasant, if not particularly outstanding. Controls in all three axes are nicely co-ordinated, but on the heavy side; high inertias, too, make responses to stick movements relatively sluggish—particularly the inset ailerons, which also tend to nibble in steep turns. A by-product of a tough airframe for ground handling consider- ations is a freedom from most speed limitation worries aloft. Never-exceed speed is 146 m.p.h.—well above the maximum achievable level speed; full control deflection (the manoeuvring speed criteria) can safely be applied up to 121 m.p.h. Most useful of all is the ability to drop flaps and gear at normal cruising speed (125 m.p.h.): approaching the stall in this condition one hears a horn blow at about 60 m.p.h., followed by a slight judder and pitch-down at 50 m.p.h., and sometimes the port wing would drop slightly. Recovery is normal with or without power. In many little ways the Lake feels like a light twin—the effect of inertia on control response, remote engine noise, and all-round visibility are probably at the root of it. Cabin comfort and noise level are better than average for aircraft of this power—with the proviso that only short flights are tackled with four adults aboard. Approaching to land on land, the downwind vital actions are: undercarriage selected down, check the green light adjacent to the pull-out-and-down wheel-shaped lever, panel-mounted left of centre (a mirror on the port tip float is for checking the nosewheel down—the mains can be seen); flaps down; carburettor hot air selected; fuel boost pump on; trim-out as required. Even glide- approaching power-off at 1.6 times the stalling speed (80 m.p.h.), the path is steep and the pilot has a superb view of the landing area since the aircraft is, if anything, slightly nose-down. As with twins, allow the speed to fall below the optimum approach figure and one is battling with the back of the drag curve as the bluff hull at incidence progressively accentuates the rate of descent. Control response on the approach always felt satisfactory at our various
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