Feedback Needed - Homebuilt Aircraft Cruise Speeds

[rwanttaja]

Looking at the graphic, it strikes me kind of funny that folks stall on takeoff, and though I know of one fatal wreck that happened that way (test flight #1 in a Nieuport 11 replica), I am trying to figure it out.

Best I can reckon is that apart from test phase fun with engines, it's short fields doing the pilot no favors as he goes for too much max climb to clear obstacles that has to be to blame.

I haven't attempted to split this out any further. But I'd guess pilot inattention is probably more a factor.

We're continually warned about stalling on the base-to-final turn, and many of us a quivering masses of concentration as we prepare to land. Flying with the power off is a multisensory endeavor, especially with an open-cockpit wire-braced airplane like a Nieuport. You've got the gauge, you've got your ears, and you've got the air rushing by.

But takeoff? Meh. Once the wheels come off the ground, we relax. The engine is the overriding physical and audio feature, and if it's running strong, there's little other physical phenomenae that might warn you the plane is getting slow. You're pulling out your charts, you're planning your turn onto course, you're watching the other planes trying to enter the pattern. The engine's running...who's going to worry?

Any enlightenment?

Enlightenment? Next time you hit a food cart, ask for a Zen hot dog: "Make me one with everything."

Ron Wanttaja