Airplane With The Nicest Handling
Did four channel runs in it, after all those landings yes it is possible to land a Seneca nicely.
X-winds. Oh well I guess some pilots cannot handle a crosswind, but the aircraft was certainly capable.
The nose wheel steering was for taxiing. If it was used for what it was intended for it worked fine.
The nose wheel steering was for taxiing. If it was used for what it was intended for it worked fine.
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Glasgow
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The early B757s were a delight to fly and the light controls were amazingly well-predicted by the simulator. After a few tail scrapes, Boeing changed the weighting to the extent that I thought there was an actual problem with the first modified aircraft I flew.
Only flew the lower powered air tourer and demonstrated looping to by little brother over the sea off Sunderland..stalled over the top and it continued seawards on its back until I used both Rudder and aileron to get the nose down. Second attempt did the same and saw the altimeter wind through 500ft during the recovery. Brother said he had seen enough thank you.
The T-6 model was the best, in my opinion. It is approved for all the usual aerobatics at maximum weight in semi-acrobatic category so has a useful load. It is strange as FAR 23 doesn't have a semi-acrobatic category and the TCDS doesn't explain it - I wonder what CASA thinks of that?
The T-6 doesn't have the inboard wing stall strips and the one that I flew often had a sudden, large wing drop at the stall (flaps up) that I could not prevent so I remain surprised that it was certified but perhaps other examples are different? The rudder is too small. Poor dutch roll damping. Springs in the aileron control system don't make the ailerons nice, in my opinion. So, a long way down my list of airplanes with the nicest handling even though I enjoy flying them.
Best single - Chipmunk
Worst - Beech 18. What a cantankerous beast anywhere near a runway - would never take the dirty dart in the same direction on landing more than once in a row.
Favourite jets - B727-200 and B777-300ER.
I’m surprised the Airbus FBW has some fans. I found them to be joyless airplanes - you just nudge the sidestick around to make it go where you wanted it to.
Worst - Beech 18. What a cantankerous beast anywhere near a runway - would never take the dirty dart in the same direction on landing more than once in a row.
Favourite jets - B727-200 and B777-300ER.
I’m surprised the Airbus FBW has some fans. I found them to be joyless airplanes - you just nudge the sidestick around to make it go where you wanted it to.
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Best single - Chipmunk
Worst - Beech 18. What a cantankerous beast anywhere near a runway - would never take the dirty dart in the same direction on landing more than once in a row.
Favourite jets - B727-200 and B777-300ER.
I’m surprised the Airbus FBW has some fans. I found them to be joyless airplanes - you just nudge the sidestick around to make it go where you wanted it to.
Worst - Beech 18. What a cantankerous beast anywhere near a runway - would never take the dirty dart in the same direction on landing more than once in a row.
Favourite jets - B727-200 and B777-300ER.
I’m surprised the Airbus FBW has some fans. I found them to be joyless airplanes - you just nudge the sidestick around to make it go where you wanted it to.
Dir. PPRuNe Line Service
I was honoured and fortunate enough to meet Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Hon FRAeS, RN who holds the record for the most types of aircraft flown, 487 not including variants.
He's no longer with us, having passed on in 2016 at the age of 97.I asked him what was his favourite aircraft and he said the de Havilland Hornet. I think his published words express why it was so good : “"The view from the cockpit, positioned right forward in the nose beneath a one-piece aft-sliding canopy was truly magnificent. The Sea Hornet was easy to taxi, with powerful brakes... the takeoff using 25 lb (2,053 mm Hg, 51" Hg) boost and flaps at one-third extension was remarkable! The 2,070 hp (1,540 kW) Merlin 130/131 engines fitted to the prototypes were to be derated to 18 lb (1,691 Hg, 37" Hg) boost and 2,030 hp (1,510 kW) as Merlin 133/134s in production Sea Hornets, but takeoff performance was to remain fantastic. Climb with 18 lb boost exceeded 4,000 ft/min (1,200 m/min)"...
"In level flight the Sea Hornet's stability about all axes was just satisfactory, characteristic, of course, of a good day interceptor fighter. Its stalling characteristics were innocuous, with a fair amount of elevator buffeting and aileron twitching preceding the actual stall"...
"For aerobatics the Sea Hornet was absolute bliss. The excess of power was such that manoeuvres in the vertical plane can only be described as rocket-like. Even with one propeller feathered the Hornet could loop with the best single-engine fighter, and its aerodynamic cleanliness was such that I delighted in its demonstration by diving with both engines at full bore and feathering both propellers before pulling up into a loop!”
He's no longer with us, having passed on in 2016 at the age of 97.I asked him what was his favourite aircraft and he said the de Havilland Hornet. I think his published words express why it was so good : “"The view from the cockpit, positioned right forward in the nose beneath a one-piece aft-sliding canopy was truly magnificent. The Sea Hornet was easy to taxi, with powerful brakes... the takeoff using 25 lb (2,053 mm Hg, 51" Hg) boost and flaps at one-third extension was remarkable! The 2,070 hp (1,540 kW) Merlin 130/131 engines fitted to the prototypes were to be derated to 18 lb (1,691 Hg, 37" Hg) boost and 2,030 hp (1,510 kW) as Merlin 133/134s in production Sea Hornets, but takeoff performance was to remain fantastic. Climb with 18 lb boost exceeded 4,000 ft/min (1,200 m/min)"...
"In level flight the Sea Hornet's stability about all axes was just satisfactory, characteristic, of course, of a good day interceptor fighter. Its stalling characteristics were innocuous, with a fair amount of elevator buffeting and aileron twitching preceding the actual stall"...
"For aerobatics the Sea Hornet was absolute bliss. The excess of power was such that manoeuvres in the vertical plane can only be described as rocket-like. Even with one propeller feathered the Hornet could loop with the best single-engine fighter, and its aerodynamic cleanliness was such that I delighted in its demonstration by diving with both engines at full bore and feathering both propellers before pulling up into a loop!”
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the DC-10. Many colleagues of mine who flew a lot of different airliners always mentioned the DC-10 as the nicest handling jet they ever flew.
Personally, the 767 is my pick for best handling.
Personally, the 767 is my pick for best handling.
