Remove Final Approach Remove Ground Effect Remove Knot
article thumbnail

2025 Richard Collins Writing Prize Runner-Up: Tailstrikes and Tiedowns

Air Facts

The airspeed indicator registered 55 knots, close to the Cessna 172s stall speed. But as I banked into my final approach, my heart sank. I did the worst thing possible and tried to lose altitude by steepening my approach. Time seemed to freeze as I floated in ground effect.

Knot 52
article thumbnail

Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts

Chess In the Air

This is consistent with Rick’s report, which referenced 9 knots of wind. Note that a 43 knot gust from a direction of 190 degrees was measured at 17:39, one minute after the accident (provided that the time stamp is accurate). The ADSB trace shows Shmulik’s ground speed of 92 kt as he began his final turn.

Pilot 52
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

What NTSB Reports Say About Impossible Turns and Angle of Attack

Air Facts

An incomplete summary description of FASF is whether the airplane made it out of ground effect. That phenomenon is best named Failure to Achieve Sustained Flight (FASF). This is more theoretical than practical for visual AOA, but can affect some proposals such as a general aviation stick shaker. No math required.

article thumbnail

Alton Bay's "Excellent Water"

Photographic Logbook

Not Cool, Man After transitioning across multiple sectors of Boston Center's vast airspace, the home stretch found us on with Boston Approach under a crisp, blue New Hampshire sky. With as much as 25 knots of tailwind, we made the flight from Sodus to Alton Bay in only two hours. It was only half full of parked aircraft.

Runway 68