Slips!

[Bob Turner]

Slips are great fun in Cubs and Stearmans, and pretty much a tool of the trade for Decathlon drivers who enter downwind at 140 mph and do a short approach.

Just this week I learned that many pilots do not know how to control an aircraft in a full rudder slip. Understand, my students are all licensed, and many have hundreds of hours. I spent several hours this week teaching basic slip techniques to high time pilots.

Always learning something - took me 50 years to realize how deadly a heavy brake application could be at very low speed - and 55 years to realize that slips are no longer taught.

I know I should post this on a forum with more than three participants, but I am desperate for a good Champ forum. There are holes in my Decathlon knowledge base. Participants can educate me.

 

[Bartman]

Bob,

Have you ever considered getting some dual with one of the many schools that have a lot of Decathlon operating experience? It might be worth the money just to be able to pick their brains as to what their standard operating profiles are.

We'll keep picking up steam here once I'm done with training and can post more regularly. At some point we'll reach critical mass where my content and content from members will start to sustain a regular activity level that will make for a good healthy community.

 

[Bob Turner]

I am ok in a Decathlon. My very first flight in a Decathlon won me third place Sportsman in an aerobatic competition (1976). I have owned my Super D for over 15 years.

The "holes" in my knowledge base are mostly maintenance. I am getting good at that very slowly.

 

[Bartman]

ahhh, ok, for some reason I thought it was new to you. my bad

 

[JimParker256]

I find that my 7ECA (no flaps, of course) slips beautifully, and I use that capability on pretty much every approach to landing. I like a tight pattern anyway, and kind of enjoy challenging myself by turning base/final a good bit too high (or too tight, if you prefer), and then using the slip to lose the excess altitude. For some reason, my plane seems to slip better to the left than to the right – though I practice both. My CFI is a long-time taildragger pilot, and he was surprised to "re-learn" how well the 7ECA slips.

One thing I have noticed is that it is challenging to keep the airspeed from increasing in the slip. If you don't consciously think about it the whole way down, when you come out of the slip you may find your airspeed 10 mph higher than desired – enough that you float a long way down the runway. Good way to learn about the power of ground effect though... Ha!

 

[Bob Turner]

After a while you can hold it in the slip during the first part of the flare. Slows down real quick.

Interestingly, my students have a difficult time keeping the aircraft track on the extended runway centerline. It is all aileron, since the rudder is pegged.

 

[aftCG]

Most pilots only performed slips as part of their PPL training and based on instructor reaction during BFRs (grabbing on to something and saying "um...") they're not too comfortable either.
During my initial CFI ride he asked me about airspeed. I had the usual response "well in the C172 you add 5 knots for a slip to the right (reduced pressure on the static port) and subtract 5 for a slip to the left.
Trouble was, I was taking my ride in an Arrow so of course I walked into that unprepared.

He taught me to just watch over there nose. Keep the pitch attitude the same and you can give it full boot on either direction. I haven't glanced at the air speed indicator in a slip ever since.

This clip was from some recent pattern work. I was abeam the numbers when the tower asked me to expedite a short approach for sequencing. I love a good throw down. Had a ton of potential energy to get rid of. I'm even slipping (not skidding!) the base to final turn here. Still a little hot over the numbers but mission accomplished.

 

[JimParker256]

That was a really nice touchdown. I've got the "no bounce" oleo gear, and doubt that I can do quite as well as you with the "bounce-o-matic" spring gear... (I say that because I have spent many hours at my home drone watching the Letourneau University flight school teach new kids in their much-newer-than-mine 7ECA. The gal who instructs is pretty good, and whips them into shape in just a few hours. But those first few hours are, well, entertaining, to say the least.) I've been making a point of lining everything back up at around 25-30 feet, since I'm a fairly low-time tailwheel pilot (<100 hrs in TW, almost 1900 overall).

 

[aftCG]

The bounce-o-matic gear was bad enough before I had the 8.50x6 tires. With 15 psi they bounce like a basketball. I'm going to try 12 psi and see if that helps. Some people run them lower than that

 

[Bob Turner]

I converted to the spring aluminum gear, and am quite happy. I run 32 psi in the 6:00x6s.

I now make sure each student can stay on the centerline with full rudder input. Speed is secondary for me, but if there is energy to dissipate, faster is better. My J-3 can draw a 60 degree down line.

 

[Ron86654]

In my 7ECA when entering a slip from a glide, I put the nose in a "climb attitude". When I come out of the slip I put it back in the "glide attitude". The speed will be right where it needs to be.
You don't need no stinking airspeed indicator.