Originally Posted by
Adlerdriver
I don't know guys - I think he was simply referring to the times we're in the "corner" of the envelope, typically at high altitude cruise. Personally, I like having accurately derived flight envelope information on my instruments rather than going into paper charts like we used to have to do.
You've never had to climb a few thousand feet above optimum or get close to max when you're still a little too heavy so you can get the altitude you need for a crossing? Not that we're talking test pilot stuff or life and death - I just know there have been a few times that I've been stuck with maybe a 20 knot spread between stall and MMO.
I don't have a lot of light airplane time, but I don't remember that same thing being an issue.
It depends on the airplane, but most of the time in the 72, 75, and 76 I have worried about the overspeed more than the stall as we got higher. In cruise, I am more likely to need to slow down then speed up. What little I remember about light airplanes is the higher I got the more I worried about staying above stall. Not saying you cant out climb your lift potential and power available, but I think a bonanza probably operates closer to the extremes. To me AOA has always been a concern of too much lift generated with absence of energy to sustain it.