Bob Deford spent 28 years of his retirement building a replica Spitfire and the result was spectacular.
I have taught in many planes with aoa - both factory and aftermarket. I have found that the aftermarket ones are rarely calibrated correctly which makes them just extra weight.
When calibrated with an aural guidance mode, they do work well. So does simply learning attitude flyingâŚ
sj
AoA indicators are handy references, but should be calibrated as Steve wrote. Usually this is a straightforward process involving a series of stalls and incipient stalls. Iâll second Steveâs attitude flying statement. The AoA indicators in the aircraft I use to instruct have an aural âbeepingâ sound that increases in frequency as you approach the critical angle of attack. Thatâs a nice training tool when coupled with feeling the onset of air separation/burble and mushy controls.
I had an AOA indicator installed in my airplane about 16 years ago. It took some effort to calibrate it. But although itâs only a 172 variant (P172D), the difference in approach and landing speeds, especially lightly loaded, is significant, compared to using âbookâ speeds. Unfortunately I chose one that uses a needle on its unlit display, without any aural warning, so itâs hard to see at night. But I had it installed on the top of the panel so that itâs in my line of sight, so for daytime use, itâs very helpful.
I have an AOA as part of my Aspen PFD, but I never use it: itâs too small and a bit out of the way to focus on when doing instrument approaches, and itâs derived data that I donât really trust.
An AOA is more useful during VFR approaches, IMHO, than in instrument approaches. Instrument approaches are typically at a higher airspeed than VFR approaches, so that the AOA indicator always will show âin the greenâ or well above any marginal angle of attack.
Even derived data can be reasonably accurate, but youâll have to go through the same process of calibration that is necessary with a stand alone AOA indicatorânumerous stalls and incipient stalls. I donât know enough about the Aspen set up, but I have to assume that itâs possible to electronically calibrate its AOA indicator.
Us F4 drivers lived and died by the AOA indicator/tone.
I have AOA on my Aspens. There is a calibration flight but, you do not need to stall the aircraft. Just some slow flight clean and dirty. If you have any mods like VGs or STOL kit you do fly to the horn to see what speed it triggers at.
Military, yes, GA, no.
The GFC-500 in my Cessna 180 has âElectronic Stability and Protection, ESPâ and I hate it, though it would keep a less experienced pilot out of trouble.
A few years back, I took an IPC and BFR with an old buddy whoâd been my instructor in the Air Force. The autopilot was a new installation and we were both confounded when I was unable to stall the aircraft or perform a steep turn. The autopilot prevented it! Having the A/P turned off did not matter. A review of the manual indicated that the circuit breaker had to be pulled to disable the ESP.
That was almost as annoying as the lane keeping function in my wifeâs new car. She disabled it pretty quickly!
I find it a useless distraction from the primary inputs of airspeed, attitude, visual reference, situational awareness. Whatâs wrong with simple audio stall warnings as Cessnas have had for decades? Audio stall warnings donât distract from your visual scan as does this does.
I had never heard of an AOA indicator in civilian aircraft until the all-seeing FAA decided that everybody should buck up for one. Iâm with jdd633, the existing audio stall warning doesnât distract from your visual scan.
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