George, I'm not getting what you are saying - you can't imagine a plane that would allow a ws to be kicked out, but on some of them they almost fall out I want one of those cold ones too. The story might have been about a C150. Am sure that after mechanic #2 crawled out and was hanging on to the motor mount, they weren't joy flying around looking at the scenery. They had to be headed down (remember, no motor) with the ability to flare and make a survivable emergency landing.
I've taken off from your place before daylight. Where exactly were those medium intensity lights? Could barely see Cleo with his flashlight trying to scare any deer that might have been on the runway that morning. It is a dark hole, but what a pretty sight when you get above the trees and turn out over Lake Travis - just gorgeous. That was a really fun weekend.
Joe, my thought was that a properly installed windshield would be difficult to kick out in flight, ...but that if it were kicked out the airplane would likely be unable to continue flight and proceed to a safe landing, whether or not it had a terrified person hanging on out front.
I recall reading one of the Aeronca accident reports where the airplane was unable to safely descend and land with it's windshield missing, even with a healthy engine running at full power. The occupants did not survive, and they had no wt and bal problem, they just had an aerodynamic-drag problem.
You took off on my grass runway (Rwy 11/29.) My paved runway (3/21)has the lights on it.
Additional weight reduces speed because it increases induced drag from the required increased ange of attack. Aft cg increses speed because it reduces the induced drag by incresaing the lift component. As George pointed out it also reduces longitudonal stability. But as long as you stay within the envelope, for maximum efficiency fly with an aft cg but without ballast (additional unneeded weight).
Rudy
On the loss of engine topic ... when I was at Laughlin AFB (Del Rio, TX) around 1990 or so, there was an accident that resembles the earlier posted story. So, here's a real story about the physical loss of an engine:
A T-38 on a student sortie in the San Antonio area and a Cessna C-150/2, also on a student flight had a mid air collision. The T-38 and C-150 were both legally in their respective airspace but both were VFR. I can't remember if the C-150 was squaking or not, but a collision happened. The vertical tail of the T-38 sliced the nose of the C-150 off from the firewall forward (90 degree collision). The T-38 immediately went out of control and the pilots had to eject, both successfully. The C-150 (as guessed in an earlier post) went immediately into a steep climb due to the loss of the weight of the engine. The CFI was quick thinking and evidently a great stick too, he immediately pushed full forward on the yoke and was able to keep the airplane just above a stall ... but that was it. They were able to glide down to a road for an emergency landing. No injuries.
Now for Paul Harvey's "rest of the story". Our two intrepid military aviators landed safely (thus joining the catepillar club) and met each other on the ground. Seeing that they were both uninjured they figured they'd better call the local Air Force base and let someone know they were OK. Well, when they reached the Supervisor of Flying at Randolph AFB (in San Antonio) they were told "we'll have to put you on hold, we have an airpland down and we're working that emergency". They didn't even get the opportunity to say "it's me!!" So, they did the next best thing and called long distance to their home base Laughlin AFB (in Del Rio, 150 miles away). They were able to get a message to the commanders there as to their status. Thus relieved of that they finally let someone know their status and whereabouts, they proceded out of the house where they made the phone call and were approached by a little boy with the logbook from their airplane (no kidding) ... so now they could finish the paperwork!! I can only imagine the log entry, "mid air collision, airplane destroyed, please return it to the taxpayers ... can I have another one?"
All four aviators were local hero's at their home fields for a short while. Thus ends one of the few midair collision stories with "no injuries" on the ground or in the air.
And now the REST of the story: The datatag on the C-150 was later discovered accompanied by an airframe, engine, and logbook that recorded "No Damage History"!
gahorn wrote:And now the REST of the story: The datatag on the C-150 was later discovered accompanied by an airframe, engine, and logbook that recorded "No Damage History"!
I know that part's true,I was the one who ended up buying the NDH special!
I want one of those cold ones too. 
The story might have been about a C150. Am sure that after mechanic #2 crawled out and was hanging on to the motor mount, they weren't joy flying around looking at the scenery. They had to be headed down (remember, no motor) with the ability to flare and make a survivable emergency landing.
