Thanks for the input.
VANS figures are around 500-600' for TO and landing but this is obviously under ideal conditions on a hard runway. My gut feeling had been that 2000' would be good but 1500' is a little on the short side for a bigger aeroplane like the -10.
Paul, because the majority of my landings are on my own short strip I have thought about this a lot. I would argue that the size of the plane is pretty much immaterial. There are bits of the landing that the pilot controls and bits that are largely a function of the aircraft.
Phase 1. You need to arrive, flared, just beyond your aiming point, just above the ground with a minimal speed over stall to be safe. This is ALL about pilot ability. (It comes with practice and comittment to accurate flying. It is also why many pilots say they need vastly more distance than VANS numbers indicate. I use an aiming point just outside my strip.)
Phase 2. You (at least I) then need some small amount of time to be sure that the aircraft is as I want it. (Still tracking the runway, very close to the runway, in or close to the 3 point attitude.) Then I shut the throttle. I think this is where attributes of the plane takeover, but Phase 2 is the biggest variability in the landing distance for me. Frequently, when all is going well before you make the decision to shut the throttle you feel a wheel drag. SHUT IT!
Phase 3. This is mostly a function of the plane. You should have touched at stall speed. Possibly slightly less, because until that point you had some low power blowing air under the wing. To come to a stop you have to destroy the energy; MVsquared. V will be at a minimum if you executed 1 & 2 correctly. M is a decision lots of builders choose to discard contrary to VanGrusven's advice during the build, but by the time you do this landing its a given. A larger plane will undoubtedly have a larger M but then it also has larger tyres and brakes so that is pretty much a wash. Some larger planes, in fact most, have a larger V at stall, but it is because of this that VANS numbers increase with the higher landing speeds. He appears to have over allowed slightly.
Phase 4. The pilot clearly adds some value in braking but not locking the wheels. The surface is a factor. On the one hand grass can be slippery (though I have never actually found it a problem.....yet) but the rolling resistance of a softer surface helps.
So my point is if you can execute Phase 1 and 2 effectively 1500' will be no problem if VANS say 500-650' if they have measured it consistent with the rest of the range. I would be very surprised if they haven't.
The things that help are:
- a slow idle
- a c/s prop
- practice practice practice
- a head wind!
The thing to check on final with the GPS is that you havnt picked up a tail wind.
My advice would be to mark out a 1000' bit of a runway somewhere. When you can 100% reliably land on that in all the conditions you need to, you are ready for 1500' with no overshoot.
Good luck and BE CAREFUL!
PS You cant beat having the plane at home!
PPS STOL in VANS aircraft is all about landing. The power to weight issue sorts the takeoff distance and there is much less opportunity for the pilot to delay things, though you need to do it right.
