One of things pilots learn about their aircraft is the Best Glide Speed (Vbg). Gliders come with a page in the manual the shows the sink rate at various speeds and glider pilots use a couple of rules of thumb to adjust their glide speed for headwinds and tailwinds. One day, for fun, I took out a Sport Cruiser (CZAW) and had a friend take pictures of the display while I tried different glide speeds – then I plotted them in Excel to see if I got the same basic shape:
Notice how quickly the aircraft descends when it drops below 50 knots? The clean stall speed is 39 knots and once you hold it in the “falling leaf” maneuver, it starts dropping very quickly. Also, if you err 10 knots too fast, at least you’re getting closer to somewhere to land, if you’re 10 knots too slow then your choices are limited as you’re dropping but not going as far. BTW, I think it would be interesting to do similar experiments and see what happens during the “impossible turn“.
Note: These experiments were all done at least 3000 feet AGL, I have aerobatic experience in several different types, a glider rating, and the Sport Cruiser has a BRS parachute. Please be careful up there!
