ALPHA Trainerwww.pipistrel-aircraft.com
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POH-162-00-40-050
Appendix
When the nose wheel has lifted off the ground, there is nothing else but to hold the same pitch
attitude and the aircraft will become airborne. Crosswind take-offs, depending on wind strength,
require a little bit of aileron deflection into the wind. Remember, wings must stay level throughout
ground-roll, rotation and initial climb!
Having lifted off the ground, gently push the stick forward just a bit to accelerate. At some 110
km/h
(60 kts) set flaps to (+1) if position (+2) was used. At 130 km/h (70 kts) set them to neutral (0).
Climb
A comfortable setting for climb is flaps in zero/neutral position, speed of 76 kts (140 km/h) at or slightly
below 5500 RPM. In summer time or when outside temperature exceeds 85° F (30°C) you should
consider climbing at some 85 kts (160 km/h) to provide more airflow to the engine radiators. Trim the
aircraft for comfortable stick forces.
Cruise
Make sure flaps are retracted. A comfortable cruise setting is 5300 engine RPM.
Cruising fast, do not kick-in rudder for turns! Above 85 kts (160 km/h) the rudder becomes almost
insignificant in comparison to aileron deflections when it comes to making a turn. Cruising fast,
it is important to fly coordinated (ball in the middle) as this increases efficiency and decreases
side-pressure onto vertical tail surfaces. Also, pay attention to turbulence. If you hit turbulence at
speeds greater than VNO, reduce power immediately and pull up the nose to reduce speed.
If flying a traffic pattern, set engine power so that airspeed does not exceed 150 km/h (80 kts).
Descent
Descending with the Alpha Trainer is the stage of flight where the most care should be taken. The
aircraft is aerodynamically clean and builds up speed very fast.
Start the descent by reducing throttle and keep your speed below VNO.
During initial descent it is recommended you trim for a 10 kts lower speed than the one you decided
to descent at. Do this for safety. In case you hit turbulence simply release forward pressure on the stick
and the aircraft will slow down.
Also, keep in mind you need to begin your descent quite some time before destination. A comfort-
able rate of descent is 500 fpm (2.5 m/s). So it takes you 2 minutes for a 1000 ft (300 m) drop. At 105 kts
(200 km/h) this means 3.6 NM for each 1000 ft drop.
9-5
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