Soaring, prop feathered on a beautiful January afternoon
One of the questions I get asked the most is, 'What's an RF-5B like to fly?'
Before I bought N99809, I talked to every current and former owner I could find to ask the same question. I was surprised how uniformly enthusiastic they were. Not just most. Every single one of them loved the glider. I, too, have found it to be a sweet airplane to fly.
The Best
You'll think about signs more than you ever have before.
General Comments
In short, I enjoy flying this aircraft. Be prepared for ramp questions and people who just want to get photographed standing next to it. Since there are only about 10 of these flying in the U.S., few people have seen them.
The view is hard to beat. On the ground. In the air. Even just looking out over the long wings is quite a sight.
The engine and muffler make the glider surprisingly quiet under power.
On one hand, just a little pressure on the stick creates movement. So, the glider is responsive. But, it is more pitch sensitive than roll sensitive. Rolling into a 45 degree bank takes both rudder and stick. Those 56' wings are just not going to move the same way a short-winged RV will.
Taking Off
I've been in some airplanes where quickly opening the throttle can virtually throw you off the runway. That's not a big concern with the RF-5B. On a hot day, you're more likely to want to apply full power from behind the hold-short line, out onto the runway to give yourself more running room.
Yet, under anything close to normal conditions, the tail lifts at about 45mph (about stall speed). With gentle backpressure, the glider lifts off in about a 3-point attitude at about 52mph (minimum sink) and climbs reasonably well at 62 mph (best L/D). It's ironic how those same speeds keep cropping up. Under these same conditions, you have a relatively short ground roll (200'-600') and a decent climb (400-500fpm).
Climbing
Climbing in a stock RF-5B in hot weather is an art. The glider seems to climb well to about 800-1000', but may climb slowly after that. One trick I found is to use the cruise prop, 2800 rpm, trim for 85-90mph, then add upward trim and add slight forward pressure on the stick to yield about 78-80mph. Rather than 'climb' in a normal sense (big power, upward pitch), you 'elevate.' That is, you seem to have an essentially level pitch (in part because you are applying forward pressure on the stick), the engine is getting good cooling because you have good air speed, but the upward trim causes you to gain altitude. One fellow claimed this technique was used by old air-racer's so they could climb while maintaining maximum speed. Sounds possible.
Cruise
Due to the pitch sensitivity and those big wings wanting to catch every updraft, this is not a 'trim and forget it' aircraft. It takes attention and input to keep a constant altitude.
Rudder
It's not surprising that with those big wings, this is a 'rudder aircraft.' But it can fool you. Under power, banking into turns takes gentle pressure on the rudder rather than big movement. Once in the turn, reduce rudder pressure. But soaring's slower speeds require somewhat more rudder movement. This seems obvious, but it does mean that flying the same aircraft, making the same maneuver requires different inputs. Flying Cessnas never seemed to require that variation, but I tended to fly them at similar speeds. This is different. In many ways, more engaging.
Good visibility over the nose, but stay ahead of what's happening
Landing
The biggest irritation of any pattern work is the existence of other aircraft. How dare they want to fly at reasonable speeds for themselves?? To the typical fixed wing pilot, the RF-5B can ascend and descend at such slow forward speeds your movement is more like a rotor wing. However, to try to be a good neighbor, I fly downwind at about 80mph, at the end of the runway, drop to idle and never use power again. Lower the gear, check the spoilers, adjust the prop to fine pitch. Fly the base at 70, final at 60…trying to slow to 50 or so, over the fence. The spoilers are a tremendous help for altitude control. If I am in the pattern with a typical Cessna, I can often fly a shorter pattern and keep pace with them (as many powered pilots seem to fly much further than they can glide to the runway).
Learning to flair at the right height can be interesting. I flew Cessna's for years before the RF5B. When learning to land the RF5B, initially I tried to flare about 4 feet above the runway. Not good. It was hard to stop until I realized that I was flaring at exactly the same visual point that I had in the Cessna with vertical seats and tall legs. So, I had to learn a new sight picture for landing. I do it better now, but still have a tendency to flare high.
On short final, open the spoilers about half way, then just fly through the flare to the ground. Wheel landings are prohibited due to possible prop damage. So, keep the nose up, plant the tailwheel, then let the wings stall - dropping onto the main gear. With skill, it's a little plop. Some days, it's a bigger one than you (I) want to admit.
Crosswinds
The wings are too long to slip with one wing low all the way to the runway. So, crab on final. Just above the runway, rotate to be in line with the runway. The spoilers can help you plant the glider before the winds carry you off center. Be ready to move the stick laterally into the wind. Don't over do it. You can overpower the nylon outriggers and drop a wingtip onto the pavement, which won't do much for the wood tip and its finish.
Soaring, prop feathered, near Ephrata, WA
Photo by Dave McConeghey
Soaring
For soaring, reduce power to idle, adjust the prop to climb position. Advance the throttle just enough to turn off the warning horn. During the next few minutes as you fish for thermals, the engine will start to cool. Once you see the temp actually start to go down, you can shut off the engine at any time. Turn off the ignition switch; leave the Master on if you need radios or transponder. If the Master is on, advance the throttle enough to silence the warning horn. Feather the prop.
The glider banks easily and well, so it's straightforward to get into and stay in most thermals.
The motorglider needs a stronger thermal than a lighter, high-performance glider. Yet, I can fire up the engine and fly to the coast for lunch. I can go "fishing for thermals" on marginal days when other gliders won't pay for a tow. On really weak days, I can "motor soar." The thermals may not be strong enough by themselves, but I can keep the engine on at lower RPM's, giving me enough boost that I can still fly the weak thermals. Overall, a good trade.
It's important not to become over-confident about engine restarts. At 2,500' AGL, if I'm not clearly within gliding distance of an airport or friendly field, I restart. The engine has always started easily, but I prefer to be conservative.
Flying the glider is easy, but there are a number of subtleties to flying the glider well. Enough to keep you engaged and to feel good when you do fly well.
In a broader sense, it's nice to have the balance of powered flight when you want to go somewhere or take someone for a ride, or soaring for flying with a quiet, different kind of challenge.