Comment by wkat4242
1 day ago
It's not an impossible maneuver. Glider pilots do this all the time especially if they don't have spoilers
1 day ago
It's not an impossible maneuver. Glider pilots do this all the time especially if they don't have spoilers
Also with additional control difficulty due to reduced hydraulic pressure.
> On the Boeing 767, the control surfaces are so large that the pilots cannot move them with muscle power alone. Instead, hydraulic systems are used to multiply the forces applied by the pilots. Since the engines supply power for the hydraulic systems, in the case of a complete power outage, the aircraft was designed with a ram air turbine that swings out from a compartment located beneath the bottom of the 767,[10] and drives a hydraulic pump to supply power to hydraulic systems.
> As the aircraft slowed on approach to landing, the reduced power generated by the ram air turbine rendered the aircraft increasingly difficult to control.[16]
> The forward slip disrupted airflow past the ram air turbine, which decreased the hydraulic power available; the pilots were surprised to find the aircraft slow to respond when straightening after the forward slip.
Yes. On a plane which is designed to be a good glider. I highly doubt a 767 is designed to be a glider. It's definitely not impossible (after all, it was done successfully!), but certainly a very difficult (and undocumented) one on such a plane.
I don’t think there’s much connection between a plane’s ability to do a sideslip and how well it glides. A sideslip is just what naturally happens if you apply opposite aileron and rudder inputs. I think the issue is just that it’s a rather acrobatic maneuver to perform in a large passenger jet.
Yes an airliner is not designed for it and could easily get into a deadly spin when doing it. Especially engines out because you have two huge surfaces blocking airflow. A glider can do it pretty naturally because of its extremely low stall speed.
But I wouldn't call it impossible that's all.
Since a sideslip increses air resistance by essentially flying sideways, if I didn't know that it has been done, I'd say it might even break apart a (long, thin) plane that wasn't designed for it. And it still might, but at much higher speeds than close to landing.
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I would say it is much much harder. The wing configuration of an aircraft dictates the minimum glide speed. The more angled (for a better word) the wing, the higher the speed it needs to be at to be able to glide and not stall.