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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0017.PDF
flap, gear down. Heavy buffet preceded the stalls, with a slight tendency to drop the right wing on the last two. Height loss remained around 500ft, but I was being careful with the engines and better could be expected. Indicated stalling speed is the same for all weights with 20° flap, gear up, or 48°, gear down, I noticed that the red light in the gear handle goes on flashing after the gear-up horn is cancelled—good idea. Finally I trimmed the stabiliser nearly forward, to -2°, and reduced speed. I ap peared to "run out of elevator" at about llOkt—not bad against the normal VREF of 112kt at 28,0001b. I made an auto-coupled ILS approach to runway 30 at Deauville. The LED digi tal radio altimeter, top left of the ADI, comes live at localiser capture and below 2,500ft. A little more than the 65 per cent N] approach thrust was used. I went man ual from 200ft and landed firmly—could it be those 200+ lb/in2 main tyres? Reverse was used to a standstill, as permitted with the high-set number two engine. Touch and go A roll to the end, and circuit on runway 12. With 140kt and 20° flap, I made a tight turn over the coast to a deliberately offset final. I ' 'over-cooked" it; at 200ft we were \ mile left. The Falcon 50 felt good in the side-step correction and the windscreen view is better than expected. In fact the near pillar is thin enough, and so close, that I seemed to look through it. The sin gle direct-vision opening window is use fully close. Herve Ringuet pulled back number three engine during the rolling lift-off, for an engine-out circuit in the growing mist. Rudder trim is by a double-switch used for aileron trim in other aircraft; accepting this, trim is easy with the good display. A 48° flap setting was selected late—at land ing committal point. On the touch-and-go number three was FLIGHT International, 1 January 1983 wound up, but number two pulled back at VR. The "engine 2 fail" light above my ADI showed, substituting the yaw cue. Performance was not a question at 27,0001b, when the two-engine ceiling is 33,000ft. Even the ceiling on one is over 20,000ft. Using VREF + 30kt for the approach, I finished with a slatless/flapless circuit. Typically thrust control was the essence, but this aircraft shows no signs of being "slippery", even at nearly 9,0001b below maximum landing weight. Bearing in mind the geometry limit—16° in pitch, and 5° in roll pitched up—I settled on with the minimum flare. We were cleared at FL150 to Merue, for Le Bourget 90 miles to the east. INS direct routing, with distance/time to go on the LED displays of the HSI—the time display can also be used in a stop-watch mode, and INS provides switchable standby attitude reference to either ADI. The RMIs were ADF/VOR switchable, but this model of HSI has the ADF needle over the compass circle anyway. On the radar-vectored manual ap proach to runway 07 we were now at 2,000ft in the cloud tops, intercepting the glide. The temperature did not justify de- ice bleed air to the wing leading-edges or engine intakes (the tail is not de-iced, after tests with water spray and plastic simulated build-up of ice), but I re- checked that the pitot and static plate heat was switched on. The Falcon came down flatteringly, as on rails, with 2-3° of left drift. A 70 per cent Ni kept the speed bolted to the VREF + 5 datum; the 78 per cent required for de-icing could demand a variant approach when at light weight. At 400ft the approach lights started to appear. By 350ft the runway was emerg ing from a reported 2km visibility. (Cat II operation, using the autopilot, would allow a decision height of 100ft —autopilot disengaged by 50ft.) I was not conscious of the mere three hours I had known this aircraft as I rum bled on to the centre line, feeling relaxed. I shut number one engine down at the turn-off, still leaving all hydraulics pow ered. After turning sharply through 180° in the tight parking area I lifted the cut off baulks behind the throttles—and closed down. Q 19
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