Interesting video.
Some may know about this accident, I didn’t.
That was a very tragic one, i can’t even look at that movie anymore. Inflight Tests after this accident discovered how much energy an An-2 wake really has.
Wow, just wow! Very well done film. Very sad.
Rolling with the rotor, and pushing might have resulted in a more controlled outcome, but if you had mentally prepared for this recovery, you would probably have also delayed the take off. Very tragic, one aspect of European GA is there is less mixing of light and heavy types than in North America. Conversely ATC in North America tends to be more prone to issue caution wake turbulence reminders, even when not on an approach or departure. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a caution wake turbulence reminder in Europe.
Do you think Robert that this Robin pilot could have done a complete 360 deg roll and not hit the ground?
Even if possible (my aeros knowledge is -273.16C) it would take massive balls.
RobertL18C wrote:
Conversely ATC in North America tends to be more prone to issue caution wake turbulence reminders, even when not on an approach or departure. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a caution wake turbulence reminder in Europe.
That’s very true. Recently I was overtaken (above) by an A380 on downwind for LAX, when the controller became concerned and vectored me on an offset course through the LAX Bravo airspace. In Europe, I have encountered it frequently when flying from LEMG, but not really anywhere else, IIRC.
(A roll at that low speed is impossible, after 90 degrees of bank the nose would point straight down)
Peter in theory, yes. The rotors descend at roughly 300-400 fpm, it is the down wash area between the rotors that will overcome a typical aircraft. But this is theory, the reality is to take the time to try and visualise the vortices and include them in your departure or arrival planning.
F59, an axial roll, where you push to reduce angle of attack (reduces aerodynamic damping thereby improving roll response, and maintains an axial or slow roll around the longitudinal axis), only bringing the stick back once you are going past inverted, should work if done in the direction of the rotor. Holding the stick in the climb position would, as you say resulting the aircraft becoming a lawn dart, in effect a low level dishing out of an incorrectly executed barrel roll.
That’s a valuable and very sad reminder.
At my airport (EKRK) the mix of traffic is fortunately so that we frequently have warnings of wake turbulence from ATC. That is very good from a school flight point of view, compared to schools running from a quiet field where the pilots get their license without ever having to consider w.t., or being reminded on the radio.
But in case of the AN-2, ATC would probably just stick to the w.t. categories – that’s what they’re made for, right – and NOT issue a warning, because it is “LIGHT” (below 7t).
Once approaching to land in an L-3 Cub 30 seconds behind something as light as a DA-40 I suddenly experiences a 45 degrees bank, which was easily corrected, but still. Being “Light” behind a “Light” is no guarantee.
