I have done the same test as Mark, though from on 6500', in a my nearly stock KR2 and cannot pick the difference between windmilling and engine off. Maybe our idle is the same RPM that causes the same drag as a stopped prop. My engine won't windmill unless I'm doing around 95+ kts.
Also from what Colin Rainey said in a prior email, practice you emergency procedures. I operate from a grass strip and practice engine out (at idle) emergencies probably 25% of my air time (We get a lot of socked in weather here that limits me to doing only circuits). Last weekend, when it was blowing 20kts and gusting to much more, and within 20 degrees to straight down the strip, I even practiced an engine out on climb out, at 500' as I turned to join circuit. I dropped the nose to maintain 80kts and cranked it round in a very tight turn to get back over the airfield with about 70' to spare, as I eased the angle of the turn I bought the speed back to 65kts and went in to a full side slip right to the ground and just kicked it straight on touch down, as I was more than half way down the strip I went full power and went around. Observations from this were: 1) Rollout would have been very long with 20+ kts behind me 2) I have a belly board and I did not use it as there are no guarantees that it would retract as I intended to go round. 3) If I hadn't gone full power it would have been messy, probably an intentional ground loop just before the end fence. 4) With the belly board it would have been much better. NOTE: Any manoeuvres near the ground, especially tight turns, require good airspeed. What I did was a classic way to spin in as pilots will see the ground rushing up at them in the steep turn and they try to stay away from the ground instinctively and speed washes off and then its bad. I practiced this type of emergence at 400' AGL many times before getting near the ground. There is one statement that I really like. "The more I practice, the luckier I get" I hope that also applies to emergencies in the air. Fly safe Barry Kruyssen Cairns, Australia k...@bigpond.com http://www.users.bigpond.com/kr2/kr2.htm -----Original Message----- From: krnet-boun...@mylist.net [mailto:krnet-boun...@mylist.net] On Behalf Of Mark Langford Sent: Monday, 22 May 2006 5:02 AM To: KRnet Subject: Re: KR> engine outs I did a flight test in my KR2S a few weeks ago to check the facts on windmilling props and glide ratio. Two tests from 10,000' (one with engine on, one with it off) proved to me that there is no appreciable difference in glide rate between engine idling and engine off. Engine off in a VW or Corvair engine mean the prop is stopped, rather than windmilling, so that may be the difference in KR "real world" and "conventional wisdom". Short props and high compression ratios keep the prop from windmilling when the engine is off. I did these tests because I wanted to know what my real glide rate was (13.5:1 in present configuration) and because I wanted to know if my glide rate would improve with the engine off. Mark Langford, Huntsville, Alabama see KR2S project N56ML at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford email to N56ML "at" hiwaay.net
