Well, from what I remember from API... the AOA gauge is valid at all airspeeds/altitudes/weights.
So why do the Air force instructors keep telling me things that don't seem to jive with that? I had the third instrucor (these are retired O-3's and above) tell me that Max Range on the AOA indicator doesn't do what I think it does.
Here's an almost exact quote:
"If you want to stay in the air for as long a spossible, use the Max Endurance AOA. which for the T-6 is 8.8 units, or the White Diamond. So, if you were on a low level and didn't know if you could make it to the field, would you use the Max Range White triangle?"
When I answered Yes, in front of the class... I was quite perturbed to be told:
"Actually No. See, the AOA gauge gives you an airspeed that will give you best range at 4.9 AOA at 31,000 feet. So, if you were on a low level... you'd need to fly somewhere between zero and Two AOA because you need to fly faster to get max range. 4.9 AOA works out to be about 148 knots at 31,000 feet... which is not the airspeed you want to fly when you're this low."
Am I completely confused here? I'm no engineer... but I distinctly remember being taught the AOA gauge was a pretty good indication at ANY time... and in our DASH 1 (kinda like a NATOPS) it does in fact say the AOA gauge is valid at any altitude and airspeed, but the values are "optimized for 31,000 feet MSL" What exactly does that mean? And why does the AF keep telling me that Max Range is unreliable, Max Endurance is always reliable... but to just fly at a set airspeed of 125 knots in any emergency, and never to referance the AOA indicator?
I've had several discussions with instructors trying to either straighten myself out, or straighten them out... and I always end up confused in the end.
So why do the Air force instructors keep telling me things that don't seem to jive with that? I had the third instrucor (these are retired O-3's and above) tell me that Max Range on the AOA indicator doesn't do what I think it does.
Here's an almost exact quote:
"If you want to stay in the air for as long a spossible, use the Max Endurance AOA. which for the T-6 is 8.8 units, or the White Diamond. So, if you were on a low level and didn't know if you could make it to the field, would you use the Max Range White triangle?"
When I answered Yes, in front of the class... I was quite perturbed to be told:
"Actually No. See, the AOA gauge gives you an airspeed that will give you best range at 4.9 AOA at 31,000 feet. So, if you were on a low level... you'd need to fly somewhere between zero and Two AOA because you need to fly faster to get max range. 4.9 AOA works out to be about 148 knots at 31,000 feet... which is not the airspeed you want to fly when you're this low."
Am I completely confused here? I'm no engineer... but I distinctly remember being taught the AOA gauge was a pretty good indication at ANY time... and in our DASH 1 (kinda like a NATOPS) it does in fact say the AOA gauge is valid at any altitude and airspeed, but the values are "optimized for 31,000 feet MSL" What exactly does that mean? And why does the AF keep telling me that Max Range is unreliable, Max Endurance is always reliable... but to just fly at a set airspeed of 125 knots in any emergency, and never to referance the AOA indicator?
I've had several discussions with instructors trying to either straighten myself out, or straighten them out... and I always end up confused in the end.