Graham=2C
I think what Garry meant was that no aircraft designer in the fields of GA
and commercial aviation would dream of recommending a monowheel setup like
the Europa for a factory built aircraft.
You are throwing in all these other types for comparison. None compare. The
military planes were for highly specialized tasks=2C flown by very profess
ional pilots off very large large military fields. They are all jet powered
=2C hence no danger of a prop strike. The Harrier has other means of very p
recise directional control near the ground.They were all designed many deca
des ago
Gliders and motorgliders all have very benign ground handling characteristi
cs=2C and are stearable with the rudder down to very low speeds. On takeoff
the towplane or winch provide additional directional control. I believe th
at the Europa monowheel is only really safe in the hands of a high time gli
der pilot.
And safety is really the bottom line in this argument. let the statistics s
peak for themselves.
The performance claims for the monowheel are also just so much gobbledigook
. There are some trigears that outperform most monowheels.
The original concept of being able to land on any farm field etc. is also o
ut of dreamland. Why do monowheel pilots shy away from short grass fields ?
Because a full flap and high aoa takeoff is the last thing you want for a
short field takeoff from a bumpy grass field.
I think that almost all Europas are operating out of paved airports.
Lastly=2C there are very few alternatives to the trigear. I can only think
of the Remos=2C with folding wings and a clamshell trailer. But that is in
a different price range.
Karl
<html><div></div>> Date: Thu=2C 25 Sep 2008 00:52:36 +0100> From: gr
ahamsingleton@btinternet.com> To: europa-list@matronics.com> Subject: Re: E
uropa-List: Monowheel designs... any others out there?> > --> Europa-List m
essage posted by: Graham Singleton <grahamsingleton@btinternet.com>> > Garr
y wrote:> > Examples of monowheel designs have been proposed as follows:> >
> > Schleiker K14............is a motor glider> > Glassflugel.............
..is a glider> > Schempp Hirth............is a glider> > DG Flugzeughbau...
........is a glider> > SZD...........is a glider> > U2..........I was unabl
e to determine if it was a monowheel or not> > ASW.........I was unable to
determine what it was> > > > The only real airplane I've found is the Fourn
ier RF 3=2C4=2C5=2C etc.> > > > Garry> U2 is definitely a monowheel/taildra
gger> Harrier is a monowheel nose dragger> btw most gliders are very real a
irplanes=2C many of them will cruise cross > country faster than a C152 as
long as the sun shines> far too many "real??" airplanes have too much built
in headwind.> btw 2. the mind is like a parachute=2C if it ain't open it's
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