Calling all wannabe STOL pilots
 

It looks like the Belgians are organizing a STOL contest on the beach this summer (see attached link). So all you guys & gals out there who dream of being an Alaskan bush pilot this may be your chance to strut your stuff.

VintageAirRally organises at STOL competition at Knokke (Belgium) in June 2018 - Aviation24.be

Actually it's a Brit doing it... :)

Sam's got to be at least half Belgian by now!

I'm up for the turbine category - EC120


I'm off out to practice!


John

The original website VintageAirRally - Home

Never realised it was Sam, well done that man. I’m looking forward to finally meeting him when he hands me the winners trophy in the >750kg class. And just so the other competitors know, there’s no shame in 2nd or even 3rd prize, it’s competing that matters. 👍🏻

Good luck pb84, I wish I could be there to watch/participate.

Be careful and don't overdo it. Remember you have three prop blades that could be dinged now! :E

Well, if they're MT blades, they could be repaired! But yeah, it's better not to ding them in the first place!

I hope that all the participants have a safe, fun time. To reduce risk, it's worth recalling that "STOL" means Short TakeOff and Landing. It does not mean silly steep climb aways after becoming airborne. Get the aircraft off the surface in the shortest distance, and claim your success. Climbing away at slower than Vx after becoming airborne does not make your takeoff any shorter, it just puts you at great risk. If the engine quits at 100 feet AGL and 35 knots, you're not going to be able to clide down from that horrible place. John R81 will confirm that the helicopters he flies cannot be safely autorotated back down from 100 feet at 35 knots, neither can a plane.

For those who wonder about this, take your trusty plane way up high, hang it off the prop at full power, stall warning just teasing. Climb one hundred more feet from your "hard deck" that way. Then smoothly close the throttle and see if you could arrest your descent (flare) so as to stop descending momentarily at your "hard deck". The result may surprise you, and be ready to accomplish a stall recovery.

I've been flying STOL modified planes for more than 30 years. Though some have been modified to operate out of alarmingly short runways, most were modified to allow the pilot to get off the surface as quickly as possible. Once safely airborne, accelerating in ground effect is the norm, then climb away normally. I teach that STOL capability is like four wheel drive, if you need it to get in, you should go somewhere else. If you're safely in the right place, it may help you get out, if conditions are not right.

Aside from my flying in Alaska (which was happily a turbine helicopter), I have rarely encountered GA runways so short that real STOL techniques were needed. Rather, its the off runway operations which benefit from this capability skill. Mostly floatplanes into lakes, and to some degree wheel planes onto non runways. In those cases, wise pilots allow themselves lots of length for the approach and climb away, then choose the landing surface very carefully, using as little as possible. If you are using the STOL capability of the aircraft, and thereafter depending upon a steep climbout other than to clear a hedge, you've put yourself in a dangerous situation. Great skill, experience, and planning should be applied to that.

But the basics of short takeoff, short and spot landings are otherwise lots of fun, and well worth the skill development.

I am wondering how on earth they are planning this event on this beach which Skydemon depicts as a Bird Sanctuary.
So apart from the advice from Pilot DAR, bird strikes may prove to be an additional hazard.

Has anybody heard what Entry Fees may be levied for the event?

If SD maps the bird sanctuary to include the beach then I wonder if they're right - though their data are usually quite good. Perhaps the limitations only apply from a certain given altittude? And/or a temporary exception ("derogation") has been granted? Check AIP and NOTAMs!

I count on Sam to chime in soon, to explain it all. He has a tradition of knowing what he is doing, even if not everything and everybody is under his control ;)

Attachment 4163

Don’t care what species shows up at the sanctuary for the contest my money’s still on the Maule for the win.

My cash rides on the back of anyone entering a Zenair 701. Definitely the 'king' of STOL - bar none !
www.zenair.com


I've owned two over the last ten years.

Sure, In its weight class, with the Highlander Super STOL running a close second.

I've got a 701 (or perhaps one its several descendants/derivatives) for a hangar neighbour. Curious to see them turn up. Might have a go myself, perhaps, my own Fox-derivative not too bad at slow speeds either.

But did I hear a rumour of a quite high entry fee, somewhere?

Just exactly how high???

Check at VintageAirRally Beach STOL Competition at Knokke-Heist - Aviation24.be
Only hearsay, of course, no doubt Sam will soon be around with some real figures.

Well if that rumoured €400+ beach landing/entry fee is close to the mark, I know where my fantastic STOL aircraft will not be that weekend.
I would rather be up in Scotland challenging PiperBoy and his Maule!

Practical STOL
 

In my experience the more 'STOL' you get the less cross wind friendly control follows soon after.
If you fly from your own 'limited' strip with 360 degree landing options then that's fine, however when you have to actually go somewhere and fit in with other 'facilities' the situation gets slightly difficult. Add on to that speed, range, payload, the situation becomes even more limiting.
I operated a STOL modified twin for many years; this machine would out perform its 'normal' version in all aspects, and opened up the use of the smaller grass strips that could be very convenient for actually being close to your required destination.
STOL is fun and an 'operation of its own', however the ultimate STOL machine is so slow and out of wind limiting it proves nothing, especially when you HAVE to use a runway out of wind (because its the only one) and you are not allowed to land anywhere else.

Exactly, I know the feeling, you get so used to landing into the wind regardless of the runway heading by cutting severe cross angles that when you actually have to land on the white line on a narrow runway it becomes a real challenge

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/t...an-bay-p315721

I’ll bring the beer👍