Pipistrel Virus 912 User Manual

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VIRUS
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89
VIRUS
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Appendix
Also, keep in mind you need to begin your descent quite some time before destination. A com-
fortable rate of descent is some 2,5 m/s (500 fpm). So it takes you some 2 minutes for a 300 meter
(1000 feet) drop. At 200 km/h (105 kts) this means 6,7 km (3,6 NM) for each 300 meter (1000 feet drop).
Entering the trac pattern the aircraft must be slowed down. In order to do this, hold your alti-
tude and reduce throttle to idle. When going below 150 km/h (80 kts), set aps to neutral position.
Set proper engine RPM to maintain speed of some 130 km/h (70 kts). Trim the aircraft for comfortable
stick forces.
Just before turning to base-leg, reduce power to idle and set aps to 1
st
stage. Once out of the
turn, reduce speed towards 90 km/h (50 kts). Power remains idle from the point of turning base all
the way to touch-down. If you plan your approach this way, you will always be on the safe side - even
if your engine fails, you will still be able to safely reach the runway!
Turn to nal at 90 km/h (50 kts). When in runway heading, set aps to 2
nd
stage. Operate the air-
brakes to obtain the desired descent path.
How to determine how much airbrakes you need for a certain angle of attack?
Open them half-way and observe the runway. If the runway treshold is moving up, you are dropping
too fast - retract the airbrakes a little. If the runway treshold is disappearing below your aircraft, you
are dropping too slowly - extend airbrakes further. When working on airbrakes, it is important to
keep the angle of attack constant thoughout nal all the way to are! The airbrakes will not im-
pact your speed, just rate (angle) of descent. For pilots who are not used to operate airbrakes but
throttle instead, let me tell you that airbrakes in Virus work just like throttle does: handle back equals
less throttle, handle forward equals more throttle.
CAUTION! Never drop the spoilers’ (airbrakes’) handle when using them, keep holding the
handle even if you are not moving it!
Roundout (Flare) and touchdown
Your speed should be a constant 90 km/h (50 kts) throughout the nal with the descent path con-
stant as well. At a height of 10 meters (25 feet), extend the spoilers (airbrakes) fully and hold them
there until the aircraft comes to a complete standstill. The are must be gentle and the aircraft must
touch down with the main (back) wheels rst, so you will not bounce from the runway. After touch-
down, operate the rudder pedals if necessary to maintain runway heading and try to have the nose
wheel o the ground for as long as possible. When the nose wheel is to touch the ground, rudder
pedals MUST be exactly in the middle not to cause damage to the stearing mechanism. While brak-
ing, hold the stick back fully! Once you have come to a standstill, retract aps all the way to nega-
tive position (handle full down) and rectract and lock the spoilers (airbrakes) - handle full up.
Should you bounce o the runway after touch-down, do not, under any circumstances, push stick
forward or retract spoilers (airbrakes). Spoilers (airbrakes) stay fully extended, the stick goes back-
wards slightly. Bouncing tends to attenuate by itself anyhow.
Crosswind landings, depending on the windspeed, require some sort of drift correction. Most
ecient is the low-wing method, where you are to lower the wing into the wind slightly and main-
tain course by applying appropriate rudder deection. You can also try the crab method.

Pipistrel Virus 912 Specifications

General

Brand	Pipistrel
Model	Virus 912
Category	Aircrafts
Language	English