STICK FIXED AND STICK FREE STABILITY
•Is what it says
–a) Hold the stick stationary and see what kind of stability you have (=stick fixed stability)
–b) Let go of the stick and see what kind of stability you have (=stick free stability)
–The elevator tends to ‘follow’ the airflow effectively reducing the AoA and therefore the amount of lift and pitch restoring moment
–So even if the glider is stable stick fixed it might be unstable stick free
•It so happens that
–a) is related to the amount of stick movement needed
–The more stable stick fixed, the greater the movement needed for control
–and b) is related to the amount of stick force needed
–The more stable stick free, the greater the forces needed for control
•Read a book if you want to know any more !!!