I was thinking the same, this explanation doesn’t add up. Climb rate is by definition excess thrust, anything with a nose up attitude should produce a massive climb in that aircraft. I am also surprised you would need training on how to climb with a Bonanza. It’s a standard aircraft with a published Vx. Keep the airplane in the ground effect after rotation until you reach Vx and then maintain Vx. How can this plane be different from a thousand others?
Castlebar airport is closed a lot time. I started flying in 2000, and it was closed then.
Regarding the Bonanza, I’ve never sat in one, never mind flown one. So I’m not really in much of a position to comment. But I think the argument that was being made is that it wouldn’t accelerate to a normal climb speed unless the gear was retracted.
That would surprise me….I’ve never seen any such problem on the Arrow that I fly, but as I said; I’ve not go any experience of an Bonanza so don’t really know.
What am I missing?
This guy was flying a fairly quick plane so if he wasn’t climbing, but had full power set, his ASI would soon be indicating something like 140-160kt. My TB20 will do 165kt IAS if you just push the nose down in level flight, in climb power settings.
Configuration, configuration, configuration. The gear and flaps if down generate too much drag to climb in this configuration much over 90 Kts. The best rate of climb in this configuration is 80 Kts. It is extremely easy to demonstrate in this type aircraft. Each aircraft has a curve for each configuration and different speeds apply. The problem is that pilots who are not trained in the type assume that the POH Vy applies to this configuration, and it simply does not. Prior to the existence of the POH, the pilot manual was called the “Owners Manual”. Most of the useful technique information was purged when the POH came along.
When the Bonanza is in its clean configuration, it has a very shallow climb curve and still provides excellent climb performance at cruise climb speeds well in excess of the Vy of 100 Knots. So 1100 FPM at 100 Kts, translates to about 700 FPM at 130 Kts. As far as I am concerned, I prefer the higher speed climb for getting down the road faster, better forward visibility, and for better engine cooling.
To give you an idea of how much drag the gear and flaps represent, the emergency descent procedure (you are on fire and want to be on the ground as soon as possible, runway or not) is to lower the gear, set approach flaps, high RPM and point the nose down to achieve 154 Kts (maximum gear extended speed). The deck angle is awesome and the airplane comes down at 6,000 + FPM. I demonstrate this to new pilots in the type specific training and they are usually unwilling to lower the nose enough to achieve the 154 Knots without extensive coaching (lower the nose, more, more, more, …). I know when the right deck angle is achieved because one can feel the seats go over center and jump forward from the bottom of the seat track to the top. I will send you a copy of my checkout cheat sheet notes that you can post if you wish.
I was thinking the same, this explanation doesn’t add up. Climb rate is by definition excess thrust, anything with a nose up attitude should produce a massive climb in that aircraft. I am also surprised you would need training on how to climb with a Bonanza. It’s a standard aircraft with a published Vx. Keep the airplane in the ground effect after rotation until you reach Vx and then maintain Vx. How can this plane be different from a thousand others?
That is why there are differences training. Climb rate is based on thrust horsepower in excess of thrust HP required for level flight. The thrust HP required for level flight with gear down and flaps at the approach flap setting is substantially greater than that required in the clean configuration. The curve for THP required starts at zero near the stall speed and increases until the maximum at Vy for a given configuration and then descends back down to zero at the level cruise speed at that power setting. When there is substantially more drag, the peak of the curve is at a lower airspeed resulting in a lower rate of climb when compared with the clean configuration. Also, the cruise speed is much lower for this configuration and is close to the clean Vy speed. So Vy clean at full power is 100 Kts, with about 1100 FPM at GW and level cruise speed is just under 175 Kts at this power setting. With the gear and flaps down, Vy is close to 80 Kts and the cruise speed in this configuration is a around 110 Kts, much faster you will descend and at 100 Kts you will have a very anemic climb rate. At 80 Kts the airplane will climb 500 to 600 FPM in this configuration. There is a trade off one can make between using or not using flaps. With approach flaps the ground run is shorter but the eventual climb rate is lower. There is a cross over point where takeoff with or without flaps will reach the same altitude, beyond this point a clean configuration is better. Raising the gear for a close in obstacle can be problematic as the drag increases and performance decreases until the gear is mostly up due to the fact that the gear cycle begins by lowering the inner gear doors then retracting the gear, and finally closing the inner gear doors. Most instructors in the type will recommend leaving the gear down until the obstacle is cleared for this reason. There were over 15,000 variants of these aircraft produced, but there are differences and an unqualified or untrained pilot can get into difficulty if they fly the airplane assuming it is the same as all others. Like I have said, I have logged flight time in 44 different aircraft types and find this design to be one of the nicest flying machines ever produced.
The gear and flaps if down generate too much drag to climb in this configuration much over 90 Kts. The best rate of climb in this configuration is 80 Kts. It is extremely easy to demonstrate in this type aircraft. Each aircraft has a curve for each configuration and different speeds apply.
That’s really a worthwhile point. You have to think about the real situation, not just what the book says. My plane (not a Bonanza) has a field approved propeller and NONE of the POH performance data is relevant now.
Why does Vs full flaps increase, if weight decreases? May be a CAS quirk?
Why does Vs full flaps increase, if weight decreases? May be a CAS quirk?
The flaps induce a pitch down moment when they are deployed. When an A36 is lightly loaded with just the pilots up front the CG is as far forward as one can get it. The airplane won’t stall, but rather you hit the aft pitch stop and run out of elevator. The charted stall speed is the higher of the actual stall speed or the point when controls are at the limit. Not many people catch this, good observation. 
From the pilot.
“Truth is, I did a great job with the situation that was presented me. I owe it all to my training and instincts.”
This from someone who struggled to clear 44ft high trees with over 1,000 mtrs to play with. I’d have been ashamed to post the video.
(in a 300 hp airplane, that is …) I would have cleared those trees in my 44 year old Warrior, and actually I do often
