Angle of attack indicator

Yeah, and those two guys did fine with minimal instruments when they were in aircraft so equipped.

Speaking of Yeager, see what he says a little after two minutes into this clip:

 
Last edited:
He probably doesn't need an engine monitor, either. Or fuel flow instrument. Or GPS. Let alone things like obstacle alerts and synthetic vision. Bully for him. I like those things in my airplane and use them regularly.
 
Stewartb said:
He probably doesn't need an engine monitor, either. Or fuel flow instrument. Or GPS. Let alone things like obstacle alerts and synthetic vision...
Click to expand...
But he does need a pilot in the front seat :cool:

Nauga,
who doesn't need a canopy or a nose gear either
 
Stewartb said:
He probably doesn't need an engine monitor, either. Or fuel flow instrument. Or GPS. Let alone things like obstacle alerts and synthetic vision. Bully for him. I like those things in my airplane and use them regularly.
Click to expand...

i like all those things too, but I thought we were talking about AOA indicators.
 
nauga said:
But he does need a pilot in the front seat :cool:

Nauga,
who doesn't need a canopy or a nose gear either
Click to expand...

At one point, Yeager had more hours in high performance aircraft than anyone alive. Obviously with no AOA indicator.

In a type in which he had never flown, for a VIP, I think someone in the front was a pretty good idea.
 
You'll find the appeal to authority doesn't do much to change my opinion. There are things I don't need an AOA indicator for and there are things I wouldn't consider doing without one. Maybe Yeager thinks I have no business in an airplane, but I think that reflects more on him for saying it than it does on me for knowing how and why to use one.

Nauga,
on speed
 
Yeah, I see what you mean. What could Chuck Yeager possibly know about flying anyway? I’m sure that you’re a much better stick than he ever dreamed of being.
 
Does dissing AOA make you think you're a better pilot than guys who choose to use them? Do you think you're above using one? Already at the pinnacle of your potential? I don't understand why guys beat their chests with pride over rejecting an instrument that would likely make them safer and has ZERO chance to make them less safe. I get that some guys aren't interested. No bid deal. But you seem interested in opposition. Nothing better to do?
 
MBDiagMan said:
Yeah, I see what you mean. What could Chuck Yeager possibly know about flying anyway? I’m sure that you’re a much better stick than he ever dreamed of being.
Click to expand...
If that's what you think I said then there's no point in continuing the discussion.

Nauga,
into the void
 
Stewartb said:
Does dissing AOA make you think you're a better pilot than guys who choose to use them? Do you think you're above using one? Already at the pinnacle of your potential? I don't understand why guys beat their chests with pride over rejecting an instrument that would likely make them safer and has ZERO chance to make them less safe. I get that some guys aren't interested. No bid deal. But you seem interested in opposition. Nothing better to do?
Click to expand...

I don’t at all think I’m a great pilot. It’s a miracle every time I survive breaking the bonds of Earth. That is what makes it amazing that I’ve done so multiple times without this indispensable instrument.

I thought I made it clear in an earlier post that those people who think that they can’t fly without one, should most certainly get one. So what’s the problem?
 
MBDiagMan said:
Yeah, I see what you mean. What could Chuck Yeager possibly know about flying anyway? I’m sure that you’re a much better stick than he ever dreamed of being.
Click to expand...

He also never landed on the boat (I asked him) so perhaps he doesn't know everything. Lots of flying out there and to disparage an instrument that gives you really useful information in some regimes of critical flight is simply silly.
 
IMHO
If you are only flying from one 4,000' runway to another 4,000' runway in something that has a 1,000' ground roll, you probably don't "need" anything more than ASI. Now if you are pushing that same plane to its limits and putting her down on a 1,200' sandbar, you might want, "need" an AOA. I've been playing around getting to know my 182s STOL potential and true capabilities up at 3,000agl. I've found that my stall horn starts blowing about 25kts before the nose drops. I get almost no buffeting and the controls never feel "mushy" until just as the nose drops (around 35kts indicated) . That's obviously with no ground effect. So.. at those very slow speeds I only have my ASI (which isn't very accurate at that high of pitch) and my stall horn that's been blaring in my ear for the last few min as my air speed drops another 25kts. I'm just figuring out my STOL capabilities in my plane more for fun than anything else. I don't plan on landing on a 800' gravel bar any time soon, so I probably wont get an AOA but I can sure see how it would be nice to have.
 
MBDiagMan said:
It was very plain what you said.
Click to expand...

He said Yeager made a fool of himself.

He does that fairly regularly. Just using his government funded fame to sell access to himself these days is bad enough.

He’s no Hoover that’s for sure.
 
AlphaMike said:
IMHO
If you are only flying from one 4,000' runway to another 4,000' runway in something that has a 1,000' ground roll, you probably don't "need" anything more than ASI. Now if you are pushing that same plane to its limits and putting her down on a 1,200' sandbar, you might want, "need" an AOA. I've been playing around getting to know my 182s STOL potential and true capabilities up at 3,000agl. I've found that my stall horn starts blowing about 25kts before the nose drops. I get almost no buffeting and the controls never feel "mushy" until just as the nose drops (around 35kts indicated) . That's obviously with no ground effect. So.. at those very slow speeds I only have my ASI (which isn't very accurate at that high of pitch) and my stall horn that's been blaring in my ear for the last few min as my air speed drops another 25kts. I'm just figuring out my STOL capabilities in my plane more for fun than anything else. I don't plan on landing on a 800' gravel bar any time soon, so I probably wont get an AOA but I can sure see how it would be nice to have.
Click to expand...

You should adjust the stall horn to make it more useful.

In general I don't "need" an airspeed indicator. In fact the twitchy little straight tail 150 tail dragger I was trained in didn't have an operable airspeed indicator. I soon discovered I fly better with one. For flying slow the same is true with an AOA.
 
Stewartb said:
You should adjust the stall horn to make it more useful.

In general I don't "need" an airspeed indicator. In fact the twitchy little straight tail 150 tail dragger I was trained in didn't have an operable airspeed indicator. I soon discovered I fly better with one. For flying slow the same is true with an AOA.
Click to expand...
.
Yeah I probably will adjust it. It comes on a couple kts before the end of the white arch. I assume that’s what it was set too. The plane has a sportsman stol and VGs so that end of the White arch doesn’t represent much anymore.
 
Pugs said:
He also never landed on the boat (I asked him) so perhaps he doesn't know everything. Lots of flying out there and to disparage an instrument that gives you really useful information in some regimes of critical flight is simply silly.
Click to expand...

in a previous post I clearly stated that for those who want one should get one. No need to get your nickers in a twist. If you can’t manage to fly without one, then get one.
 
Airspeed tells you when your aircraft will stall under one specific set of circumstances. AOA accounts for every set of circumstances. What more can you say.
 
I think that some here have exposed a problem that is seen in our society these days. There are people today with proven accomplishments and undeniable success whose opinions and knowledge are belittled because they have an abrasive or otherwise off putting personality.

I have known and worked with several people over the years whose personality I did not care for, but they were very knowledgeable and effective at what they did. People should be able to separate personality from knowledge, experience and accomplishments. Unfortunately in today’s world, there are many people that are so massively shallow that they are incapable of making such a distinction.
 
You're absolutely right. Key word there is "known".

Unfortunately, while it was rather easy to determine the bona fides of someone like Kelly Johnson, Bob Hoover, Chuck Yeager, etc., and make the determination if their knowledge was worth the trouble of dealing with an abrasive personality, that is not possible with anonymous people on the internet. All you know for certain is that they come across as know-it-all-a#%holes with information of unknown worth.

Such is life on the internet. :)
 
MBDiagMan said:
I think that some here have exposed a problem that is seen in our society these days. There are people today with proven accomplishments and undeniable success whose opinions and knowledge are belittled because they have an abrasive or otherwise off putting personality.

I have known and worked with several people over the years whose personality I did not care for, but they were very knowledgeable and effective at what they did. People should be able to separate personality from knowledge, experience and accomplishments. Unfortunately in today’s world, there are many people that are so massively shallow that they are incapable of making such a distinction.
Click to expand...

autobiography? ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top