I am not a technical type at all. However, this thread brings a few things to mind. One: the DC-9-30. Flew them for a short time years ago. They had an early JT8D that had little turbine bypass and very long lag time. The pucker time was quite high during a steep approach with throttle at idle. Intercept the glide slope bring the power in and wait! Seemed like forever. The airline I flew for bought 727's very late in the game with a JT8D with a lot higher bypass and better fuel controls. Very little lag time. The newer engines on the 757 thru 777 all have sophisticated FADEC's. You can go from idle power the full power as fast as you want, the computers keep everything in limits. These new engines are very high bypass. A large percentage of the thrust comes from the fan section which is basically a ducted propeller. The original engines on the 727 and the DC-9 were pure jet engines and had long lag times. The latest engines are computer controlled turbofans. Totally different animal.

 

Two: turbo props. I've flown 3 different turbo props including the C-130 and the Lancair IVPT. I have 140 hours on my Lancair so I'm not an expert. All 3 turbo props have very little if any lag time. Think it has something to do with the fairly high engine speed even at idle. That said, at idle power the plane does not need speed brakes. It descends 2000-3000 fpm with throttle idle. A smooth increase in power produces a very conformable go around/MA. Since the diameter of the prop on the IVPT is quite small, the torque at higher horsepower is not as pronounced say as the P51.

 

You don't get yourself into trouble in the traffic pattern if you watch you airspeed. I have not done a go around from a lower than normal airspeed. I have my stall speed in the Chelton set at 90kts. I flight final @ 100kts. Touch down in the mid 90's.

 

Speaking of airspeed, did the Chelton from the Carolina thunder storm crash record extremes in airspeed even though the engine power was never changed? Only flown through one thunder storm in my career. It was in an Air Force plane that had a faulty radar. We thought we were going thru a soft spot. I was the copilot. The pilot had me operate the power and he concentrated on attitude. The fluctuation in airspeed was very large. Had the throttle at idle at one point. The pilot warned me to ready to apply power back. Sure enough the airspeed bled off rapidly. The airplane was the C-133, a terrible 4 engine turbo prop that had a history of airframe break ups in flight. I believe our little airplanes are pretty tough. We should be able to survive a thunder storm. With good attitude and airspeed control, we might have some hail damage but we should survive.

 

That said there are many products out there that aid flight planning. There is also the 180 degree turn. I hope if I get into a situation that is questionable I'll use the 180 degree turn.

 

By the way, just finished my second annual. I know a lot of you are very negative about the IVPT. I love it! It is everything I dreamed it would be.

 

 

Regards. Dave.