Very interesting aircraft! I did not know that the No.1 triplane used variable angle of incidence on the middle wing to control pitch. It's clear that aviation was completely unorthodox compared to today's setup. Some machines had sliding cradles that the pilot lied down in, some had wheels on the sides of the machine to control pitch, bank, or yaw. If someone had an idea, he tried it. Some were lucky. Others, unfortunately, were not.
For those who complain that it's too hard to fly, I would imagine that the original one would be even more difficult to fly in real life in some regards. Think about wing warping. If a pilot is on final and a small gust of wind causes the plane to bank, a typical pilot would simply bank the plane back to level, but doing so with wing warping would give the downward wing an enormous amount of drag, and with low airspeed and power and an ineffecient airfoil, that would almost surely result in a spin!
I'm so glad to see an enthusiast of the old flying machines. Thank you for making this and sharing it. I successfully landed, but had to do a pattern the size of a small city! I will continue to have fun with this and will definitely check out your other amazing machines when I have the chance. Oh, and you have a new follower!
@luciozanassi My first actual instruction flight was in an old 150. I sure love the 150's; nice and light on the controls, nice and cheap on fuel... The particular one I flew in, though, was kind of a piece of junk. The first flight, we had to jump start it (quite an interesting experience given how new I was to flying- I thought it was a lot more by the book than that!), the second flight, the alternator died and the battery went flat, so we had to scream to each other over the engine. Fun stuff!
The Decathlon's a surprisingly docile plane for being aerobatic. The only thing I really think is tricky about it, other than being a taildragger, is that with its semi-symmetrical airfoil, the stalls are a little aggressive and it usually drops to the ground during flare (just a small bump) rather than settling down like a flat-bottomed airfoil, but the plane's a real sweetheart. The controls are incredibly light, yet firm, and the plane will do pretty much whatever you want it to!
But I definitely recommend that you keep working toward your goal! The Decathlon is a fairly popular airplane; there's gotta be one somewhere near you!
@luciozanassi Actually, the first small plane I ever flew was a Citabria, but the majority of my instruction in a Super Decathlon. Both are wonderful planes!
@PlanesOfOld No problem!
Very interesting aircraft! I did not know that the No.1 triplane used variable angle of incidence on the middle wing to control pitch. It's clear that aviation was completely unorthodox compared to today's setup. Some machines had sliding cradles that the pilot lied down in, some had wheels on the sides of the machine to control pitch, bank, or yaw. If someone had an idea, he tried it. Some were lucky. Others, unfortunately, were not.
For those who complain that it's too hard to fly, I would imagine that the original one would be even more difficult to fly in real life in some regards. Think about wing warping. If a pilot is on final and a small gust of wind causes the plane to bank, a typical pilot would simply bank the plane back to level, but doing so with wing warping would give the downward wing an enormous amount of drag, and with low airspeed and power and an ineffecient airfoil, that would almost surely result in a spin!
I'm so glad to see an enthusiast of the old flying machines. Thank you for making this and sharing it. I successfully landed, but had to do a pattern the size of a small city! I will continue to have fun with this and will definitely check out your other amazing machines when I have the chance. Oh, and you have a new follower!
@luciozanassi Definitely a good choice!
@luciozanassi Ah, that sucks...
Interestingly enough, that Cessna 150 I did my first instruction in was exported to Argentina. Is it a popular plane there?
@StudentAV8R Awesome! What did you receive most of your instruction in?
@luciozanassi My first actual instruction flight was in an old 150. I sure love the 150's; nice and light on the controls, nice and cheap on fuel... The particular one I flew in, though, was kind of a piece of junk. The first flight, we had to jump start it (quite an interesting experience given how new I was to flying- I thought it was a lot more by the book than that!), the second flight, the alternator died and the battery went flat, so we had to scream to each other over the engine. Fun stuff!
The Decathlon's a surprisingly docile plane for being aerobatic. The only thing I really think is tricky about it, other than being a taildragger, is that with its semi-symmetrical airfoil, the stalls are a little aggressive and it usually drops to the ground during flare (just a small bump) rather than settling down like a flat-bottomed airfoil, but the plane's a real sweetheart. The controls are incredibly light, yet firm, and the plane will do pretty much whatever you want it to!
But I definitely recommend that you keep working toward your goal! The Decathlon is a fairly popular airplane; there's gotta be one somewhere near you!
@StudentAV8R Thanks! So, based on your username, are you learning to fly?
@luciozanassi Actually, the first small plane I ever flew was a Citabria, but the majority of my instruction in a Super Decathlon. Both are wonderful planes!
The same type of plane I learned to fly in. Great work, and thanks for sharing this!