PRB's MacRobertson Machinations

Picked up Longreach on the NDB radio set. That's cool. There were B-17s there in WW-II. Not for long though. The pretty Boeings were soon banished from the Pacific in favor of bombers with the range and payload better suited for the theater - B-24s!
 
I just looked up Charleville in my book of airports. It says the long runway is only 5000 feet long! That's not good. I've been getting better at landing this thing on runways over twice that long. Not funny. Not funny at all...
 
Yep, it was kind of "interesting" when I landed there in the Gee Bee. I'm pretty sure the judges will be ready with the scorecards.
 
Rgr that Willy! It wasn't pretty, but I made it. It's turning out that narrow runways are harder than short ones. With wide runways I can see each side in the final hundred feet and keep, more or less, centered. With the narrow ones, I sometimes run into the wind sock, or those trailers we see used as control towers...
 
I feel your pain on those narrow runways. My technique with the Caudron involved coming in a bit high just above stall speed so I could nose down and dive to the runway, pulling up into a flare prior to making a big hole in the ground, or else slipping my way back and forth so I could see out the side. Or both, using slips to get lined up, and then doing the dive maneuver when very close.
 
I have used this technique, and in general I prefer it. But these Gee Bees make that difficult. They develop such a huge rate of descent without much nose down attitude, even at higher than normal approach speeds. Plus it seems that no matter how smooth I am (or think I am anyway...), it bounces like mad, unless I'm right at stall speed, or even below, hanging of the edge of death and ground effect! It's a fun plane! The Virtavia R2 is even worse at the -VS. If you even think about descending, you'll have a 2000 FPM rate in a second. Darned planes can't fly anyway. No wings and no rudder!
 
My technique uses a curved approach. If it's a left curve, I keep the left edge of the runway in sight and guide off of it looking out the left side of the cockpit to land. As for the bouncing, I just fly it down to the runway and chop power when the wheels touch. But I'm usually about 120 kias on short final and probably about 100 at touchdown. Then just try to keep from pulling back on the stick during the rodeo. It works (most of the time)

I was wanting to fly my return trip in the R-2, but couldn't seem to get a handle on it. Out of numerous landing attempts, I think I've managed once to avoid a crash landing and I'm not sure what I did then that made a difference.
 
Interesting Willy. I usually go to idle a few seconds before touchdown, and hold her off the runway until the last possible moment, when she just won't fly anymore. That works for long runways, not so much for short ones... :)
 
A beautiful day over New South Wales. The name Narromine means "Honey Person" in the Aboriginal language. So says my Australia Tourist Guide. Hmm... Look, that lake looks like a big tooth.
 
No time for lollygagging. A quick hotdog and a coffee and it's off to Melbourne.
 
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