“And opening the door on say a Cessna 152 or a Beech Craft Bonanza may not affect the aerodynamics, but the door opens out so the wind rushing past the nose of the plane washes past the door preventing it from opening more than a couple of inches at best.”
I could “steer” i.e. yaw my PA-22/108 by opening the passenger door in flight. Only a little resistance, really, at least for the first 12 inches or so.
“Only a little resistance, really, at least for the first 12 inches or so.
If it’s one of the older Colts, with a cruise speed of under 100 knots, cracking the door could cause a stall if you aren’t watching out for it even with a stall speed at 47 knots. My father learned to fly on one of those. As a two seater it is a good small aircraft to work with an instructor. But Piper never built them for speed. At least not with a 108 horsepower motor. But they are economical. I’ve seen grand transpo with bigger gas tanks. Tri or tail dragger?
wy69