Take off with the DG-800C
or
"There are always 2 sides"
A report by our customer Wolfgang Mazoch:
There are a couple things that have to be mentioned for those who didn't have the pleasure to take off in a DG-808B. The "privileged" are requested to forgive me and just skip the first couple sentences.
Starting in a DG-808C appears to be one of the easiest things in the world. The plane appears to be solely built out of pure power and energy. It operates more or less on it's own and you are up in the sky before you can even think of it.
Well, for me - being a licensed pilot for engine, gliders and engine powered gliders with a mere 2500h on log there is always the measure: "Start at the end of the runway - apply full power up to 900 ft/Ground". Doing that I have tried to train myself to get the maximum rate of climb without a speed decrease after takeoff - establishing best rate of climb as soon as possible.
Well, everybody should do that - right?
Well, keeping to that tradition leads directly to the other side of the medal - as mentioned in the header.
Well - the cause for my story is the summer of 1998 - and a small airstrip in the Middle of France - around 80 km south of the Loire. As many of you know - the weather in Germany was nowhere close to being perfect in that summer and therefore caused many to "flee" the country.
Well, two German Flight clubs were present - trying to catch some sun and heat. Both were there. We had 40 - 42 C in the shade, narrowing the performance of the tow plane, a Morane down by quite a bit - in addition to my DG-800 there were a DG-400 and a PIC 20E and a dozen of other engine powered planes.
Getting ready for my first start I caught a number of weird looks. Looks, even though none of my colleagues appeared to feel a need to help me. I though "Oh well - whatever - I'll just start".
Everything went the normal way. I was at approx. 600 ft instead of 750' at the end of the runway, but it was very hot.
Everything went it's normal way - until - well, until I landed in the afternoon.
I rolled right to the hangar - as usual and started my post flight check. Than something started that appeared to be something like running the gauntlet.
One after the other people from another club came up to me asking me questions like:
" What are you thinking' " / "Do you want to kill yourself?" / "Are you crazy starting like that?" " Being a CFI I should be an example and not do something like that"....
Well, that were the nicer phrases... the "better" ones were i.e.: "You're an absolute idiot - choose a different airport for you crashes"
I didn't know what happened to me. I didn't do anything wrong - at least not in my eyes. I started at 85 to 90 and never got below 85. I felt comfortable.
A little bit later I got another set of questions and critics. But that time by a French pilot - the French way - more polite that the German way. He asked me: "Does your DG-800 always start like that?" "Isn't that dangerous?" "It's quite impressive, but it looks really weird".
I didn't get any comments from my colleagues (from my own club). They are used to the sight of a DG-808B taking off. When I mentioned the critical comments to a friend of mine, who saw the start I also asked him:" Did it actually look that bad?"
Well he said - you forgot that you started after a DG-400 and the PIK 20E. The difference between the takeoff of my DG-808C and the other two caused everybody to hold his or her breath whereas my friends - used to the sight - classified it as completely normal.
No, I had not done anything wrong. But everybody had discussed my bad flying and bad judgment.
Well - now I knew what it was all about. I spent part of the next days doing some explanatory work. " A DG-808B climbs a bit better than the rest" - "climbing at a low angle is bad because the RPM might exceed the max. level - and reducing the throttle is something out of discussion for a takeoff".
Well, as you might have noticed - even great performance can have it's bad side effects.
I for my own sake act differently on new airstrips. I ask questions like:" Have you seen a DG-808C taking off? " And sometimes go on: " It climbs great - but you have to climb at a high angle in order to prevent the RPM to exceed it's limits".
That also works - but I hope that more people will know about the takeoff performance of a DG-808C in the future with it's increasing market share. The smell of a risky takeoff will hopefully soon be replaced by a well minded "great performance".
I hope that I have not wasted your time - but taking off in a DG-808B sometimes means more than just flying...
Yours Wolfgang Mazoch