together well. That same shallow static stability remains,
so you’ll have to keep an eye on the airspeed indicator
to keep from wandering off speed around the pattern.
Roll rates average 35- to 40-degrees/second during 30- to
30-degree bank rolls using full lateral stick and coordinating rudder. Stick force remains a one-hand effort, and
although the stick contacts the pilot’s leg, full displacement is available.
Stalls with full flaps and idle power are similar to the
flaps-up stalls. Full aft stick again has the alarm chirping
and the plane’s nose near the horizon. Even with full aft
stick, coordinated rolls to 20 degrees of bank are easily
accomplished with no apparent threat of a departure
Misjudging your height
a bit and plopping it
down doesn’t seem to
bother the airplane.
from controlled flight. The minimum steady speed is 51 mph, but
a slower transient speed can be
achieved depending on the deceleration used. Approaching the stall
with a 5 mph/second deceleration
causes a traditional pitch break of
15 to 20 degrees, which places the
airplane’s nose just about where
it is during cruise flight. Turning
stalls also result in a full aft stick
situation, but the VSI shows 1,000
feet per minute. Recovery remains
a matter of relaxing the stick pull,
adding power, or both.
While both flaps-up and flaps-down stalls appear to be benign,
GX pilots should not be lulled into
a false sense of security. Although
the airplane is fully controllable, it
is still descending in a minimum
energy state, and as with all airplanes, stalls should be practiced at
a safe altitude. The other caution is
the full aft stick condition achieved
at a mid-CG loading might be preceded by the stall with an aft CG.
But if coming down is the goal, idle
power and 70 mph produces a timed
descent rate of 730 feet per minute.
Perform a full-pedal slip, and the rate
increases to 1,050 feet per minute.
Flying the final approach at 70 mph in an airplane
with such seemingly docile stall characteristics might
seem too fast. It isn’t. Besides the better aerodynamic
response to control inputs and a better view over the nose
at this speed, there’s an energy consideration. Pulling the
throttle to idle and raising the nose to begin the landing
flare must cause a substantial drag increase, because the
GX bleeds airspeed fairly quickly.
I suppose you could fly it onto the runway using a
back-side power method at a slower speed, but you have
more options flying 70 mph. With the power at idle all
the way down final and that noticeable bleed rate, there’s
about 5 seconds between flare initiation and touchdown.
You’ll have to get used to what looks like a flat pitch
attitude during the flare—it’s that generous look-down
over the nose. Misjudging your height a bit and plopping
it down doesn’t seem to bother the airplane. It doesn’t
bounce or pose directional control problems—it just takes
it. Getting it right takes two, maybe three landings. No
super skills required.
The REMOS GX is one of those airplanes that just
feels good to fly. Not just that good feeling pilots get
because they’re flying, but a synergistic, connected to
a well-mannered, responsive, comfortable airplane kind
of feel good.
Ed Kolano is a former Marine who’s been flying since 1975
and testing airplanes since 1985. He considers himself extremely fortunate to have performed flight tests in a variety of
airplanes ranging from ultralights to 747s.
