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| CHAPTER 5—Performance
FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF SEAPLANES WITH HIGH THRUST LINES Many of the most common flying boat designs have the engine and propeller mounted well above the airframe’s CG. This results in some unique handling characteristics. The piloting techniques necessary to fly these airplanes safely are not intuitive and must be learned. Any pilot transitioning to such an airplane is strongly urged to obtain additional training specific to that model of seaplane. Designing a seaplane with the engine and propeller high above the water offers some important advantages. The propeller is out of the spray during takeoffs and landings, and more of the fuselage volume can be used for passengers and cargo. The pilot usually sits well forward of the wing, and enjoys an excellent view in almost every direction. Pilots who fly typical light twins are familiar with what happens when one engine is producing power and the other is not. The airplane tends to yaw toward the dead engine. This happens because the thrust line is located some distance from the airplane’s CG. In some respects, this situation is similar to the single-engine seaplane with a high thrust line, except that the seaplane flies on one engine all the time. When power is applied, the thrust tends to pitch the nose down, and as power is reduced, the nose tends to rise. [Figure 5-4] This is exactly the opposite of what most pilots are accustomed to. In typical airplanes, including most floatplanes, applying power raises the nose and initiates a climb.
Naturally the magnitude of these pitch forces is proportional to how quickly power is applied or reduced. The most extreme pitch force logically results from a sudden engine failure, when the full thrust of the engine and its associated downward pitching force are suddenly removed. Forward thrust is replaced by the drag of a windmilling propeller, which adds a new upward pitching force. Since the seaplane is already trimmed with a considerable elevator force to counteract the downward pitch force of the engine, the nose pitches up abruptly. If this scenario occurs just after takeoff, when the engine has been producing maximum power, airspeed is low, and there is little altitude, the pilot must react instantly to overpower the upward pitching forces and push the nose down to avoid a stall. The reversal of typical pitch forces also comes into play if porpoising should begin during a takeoff. As discussed in Chapter 4, Seaplane Operations - Preflight and Takeoffs, porpoising usually occurs when the planing angle is held too low by the pilot, forcing the front portion of the floats to drag until a wave builds up and travels back along the float. The same thing can happen with the hull of a flying boat, and the nose-down force of a high thrust line can make porpoising more likely. Once porpoising develops, the standard solution is to reduce power and let the airplane settle back into the water. But if power is reduced too quickly in a seaplane with a high-mounted engine, the sudden upward pitching force can combine with the porpoising to throw the seaplane into the air with inadequate airspeed for flight, decreasing thrust, and inadequate altitude for recovery. Depending on how far the engine is from the airplane’s CG, the mass of the engine can have detrimental effects on roll stability. Some seaplanes have the engine mounted within the upper fuselage, while others have engines mounted on a pylon well above the main fuselage. If it is far from the CG, the engine can act like a weight at the end of a lever, and once started in motion it tends to continue in motion. Imagine balancing a hammer upright with the handle on the palm of the hand. [Figure 5-5]
Finally, seaplanes with high-mounted engines may have unusual spin characteristics and recovery techniques. These factors reinforce the point that pilots need to obtain thorough training from a qualified instructor in order to operate this type of seaplane safely. |
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