Questions on Steep Spirals
Asked by: Matthew Drooyan 9189 views Aerodynamics, Commercial Pilot, General Aviation
Hey all,
I'm working on commercial maneuvers in an arrow (PA28R200 Arrow II), and there are a couple things with steep spirals I'm having trouble/confusion with:
-When I practice steep spirals my bank rarely exceeds 30 degrees. The basic idea that several instructors have passed on to me is that we want to track a constant radius circle while maintaining best glide, period. Hence any variation in bank angle is only to correct for variation in ground speed. The PTS specifies bank angle not to exceed 60 degrees, I'm wondering should my maximum bank angle be greater? I've tried flying this maneuver with about 50 degrees of bank but have more difficulty trouble maintaining my best glide speed and keeping a constant radius. I guess my question is - what do you think about my choice of max bank angle?
-Second question: What are your thoughts on flying this maneuver low drag (prop aft, gear up) vs. high drag (prop fwd, gear down). My thoughts on both: With high drag I consistently have trouble completing all three turns even when starting from as high as 6500 agl! Obviously this is less of a problem with the low drag option. On the other hand, with the arrow the gear warning light will go off on me the whole time if I do this low drag. Since the PTS doesn't say anything is low drag vs. high drag a matter of personal preference?
Along those lines, what starting AGL altitude would you use for this maneuver in an arrow?
Thanks!
Matt
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