Flight Laboratory on Aircraft Stability

Twenty-three cadets enrolled in Aircraft Performance and Stability conducted flight laboratories over the Hudson Valley area. The purpose of these labs was to experimentally determine the longitudinal stability characteristics of the Cessna 182 and correlate real-world behavior with theoretical concepts discussed back in the classroom. Laboratories were flown by CPTs Ashcraft and Rigney, members of the CME Flight Section, as well as CW5 Benjamin Pletcher, the Second Aviation Detachment Fixed Wing Standardization Pilot. In sum, the cadets flew a total of 12 labs periods for 25.5 flight hours.