La-5 Stall characteristics, Why is it so mild?

[MikhaVT]

Hello all, 

 

This weekend i was playing around with stalling various red aircraft to practice recoveries. When i got to the La-5 i noticed that any stalls i could cause in the aircraft would recover the second i started to attempt to recover it. On further investigation i found that simply removing my hands from the controls resulted in the aircraft returning to controlled flight. Further attempts to force the aircraft into spins required quite heavy control inputs to achieve, and it still recovered well when controls were released. I tried these characteristics in a couple ways, but primarily by pulling on the stick as hard as possible with variations of power from idle to full-power. Aircraft like the Yak-1, Yak-7 and the LaGG-3 have much more "violent" stall behavior relative to the La-5. As far as i can tell the biggest differences between the LaGG-3 and the La-5 are the engine and that the La-5 has leading edge slats. I'm no expert on aircraft especially in stalls so i was wondering if anyone knows the technical reasons for why the La-5 seems to have such great stall recovery

 

P.S. not complaining about anything, just curious about this. The more info the better, especially if it's technical info.

[INVADER_WARHAWK]

The leading edge slats on the La 5 play a significant role on how the aircraft behaves in a stall , so its normal to have a much smoother stall than that on the lagg 3 , wich doesnt have l.e. slats

 

[MikhaVT]

3 hours ago, INVADER_WARHAWK said:

The leading edge slats on the La 5 play a significant role on how the aircraft behaves in a stall , so its normal to have a much smoother stall than that on the lagg 3 , wich doesnt have l.e. slats

 

 

I havent flown the blue side much, but i've heard the 109s have leading-edge slats too, do they also exhibit a similar kind of stall behavior? 

 

Same with the MiG-3, i've flown that a bit, but cant say i remember ever putting it into a spin like i have with the Yaks, or LaGG-3. I'll have to give the MiG-3 and some of the 109s some more testing to see if it acts the same as the La-5

[ACG_KaiLae]

10 hours ago, INVADER_WARHAWK said:

The leading edge slats on the La 5 play a significant role on how the aircraft behaves in a stall , so its normal to have a much smoother stall than that on the lagg 3 , wich doesnt have l.e. slats

 

Slats were added on the LaGG-3 series 34/35, which we don’t have in game. The series 29 is the last major series without them, actually.

[gimpy117]

Slats

 

109 doing cooky stuff? slats

 

la5 doing cooky stuff...also slats 

[Krisu]

50 minutes ago, gimpy117 said:

Slats

 

109 doing cooky stuff? slats

 

la5 doing cooky stuff...also slats 

 

Is cooky stuff and flaps also a thing for some aircraft? Don't even bite this one, I think it's beyond me anyways

[Voyager]

As I recall, the La-5 also has fairly low wing loading too, which can cover a multitude of sins. 

[gimpy117]

2 hours ago, Krisu said:

 

Is cooky stuff and flaps also a thing for some aircraft? Don't even bite this one, I think it's beyond me anyways

me too. but i know "slats" is a catch all 

[[CPT]Crunch]

Wing shape, highly tapered, the thicker part which provides the majority of the lift is nestled closer up to the fuselage, not the greatest config for speed, but excellent for stability.

[blitze]

I like my La 5?

 

Take her out on mission but with reduction from full fuel tank - based on distance to be covered and task.  She packs a nice punch but have to be frugal on the trigger finger.  Closed up - she's a match for her contemporaries.  Just have to ride the thermostat. 

[JtD]

The La series previous to installation of the slats was considered terrible in terms of stalling characteristics. The introduction of slats improved this behaviour to the point where it became barely acceptable. It probably further improved along the line, even though the LaGG-3/La-5/La-7 never achieved the foolproof handling qualities of the Yak series.

 

The only reference I know about the La-5FN is from the German report of Hans Werner Lerche. Overall I think he considers the stalling characteristics manageable, but is critical of lack of damping, aileron reversal and elevator reversal. Elevator reversal would be particularly annoying in landing attempts, as the aircraft would lose elevator authority, increase angle of attack on its own before dropping a wing. It doesn't quite sound like what we see in game.

 

Lerche gives no information on spinning characteristics.

[Brano]

La-5FN had asymetrical elevator pivot angles. I don't remember exactly, but it was more upwards like 30°+ and downwards 15°. Due to changed center of gravity with heavier ASh-82FN engine. It was also forbidden to take-off or land with engine cowl flaps (covering exhaust pipes) open, as it would disturb airflow greatly at low speeds decreasing tail surfaces effectiveness. I don't know if Herr Lerche was aware of these peculiarities when testing the plane.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S! 

 

@Brano Well, this restriction has no effect in game on the LaaLaa. Can keep your cooling doors in whatever position without any negative effect. 

[Brano]

Hi Flanker. I still didn't take La-5FN in game for a spin,even I bought it months ago. Little to no incentive to play the game. No idea how it flies. 

  I just pointed out few informations from technical description and pilot manual that may not have been available to Herr Lerche when testing the captured La-5FN.

[312_Lazy]

1 hour ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

S! 

 

@Brano Well, this restriction has no effect in game on the LaaLaa. Can keep your cooling doors in whatever position without any negative effect. 

The effect is there. Try sustained turn and then open cowl flaps fully.

(La-5 s.8)

[MikhaVT]

11 hours ago, Voyager said:

As I recall, the La-5 also has fairly low wing loading too, which can cover a multitude of sins. 

 

The standard weight wingload for the La-5 is actually not great, it's well behind all the Yaks, LaGG-3, P-39 & 40 and most of the 109s

[Brano]

I can have a look at stall characteristics, spin recovery and such in technical description and pilot manual of La-5FN at home. I used to have it as pdf in my previous phone, but it drowned in the beer ??