Andy Ross writes: > What I think you're seeing is the feature that *everyone* who tries > the DC-3 discovers: the DC-3 is a taildragger, and is really, really, > really (!) hard to handle on the ground. I've had zillions of > complaints about this, and have investigated every one thoroughly. > Really, there's nothing unphysical going on. The instability is an > actual feature of the real aircraft.
Andy -- can you actually manage the DC-3 in a ground roll and takeoff? I have not been able to do so for a long time -- it always ends up spinning like a top. If you can do it, perhaps it would help if you posted a step-by-step. > (3) YASim doesn't model prop wash, so rudder authority is lower at > slow speeds than it should be. On the contrary, the slightest rudder input at slow speed starts the plane spinning right now. > (4) You don't have toe brakes. At slow speeds, the only useful way to > control yaw is with differential braking. Flapping the rudder is > exactly like swinging open your car door -- it's a poor way to > turn. I have toe brakes, but you shouldn't be using brakes in the takeoff roll anyway. > (5) Really taildragger pilots are much better than sim jockeys. True enough. At our flight club, we have someone who does dual taildragger training in his Chipmunk, and apparently it takes most private pilots about 4-5 hours to get the hang of it. Note, however, that FlightGear users are trying this with perfectly calm winds, eliminating the hardest part of ground handling for the DC-3. This isn't a matter of having trouble taxiing, etc. -- basically, with the DC-3 moving fairly slowly (i.e. 20kt), a very slight (i.e. 5%) rudder deflection starts it spinning very rapidly as if it's on a turn-table and nothing less than full opposing toe brake can stop it (nearly tipping over in the process). I know that ground loops are a danger with taildraggers, but this seems excessive. Send us an XML file with what you'd like logged, and maybe we can get to the bottom of this. I've missed the DC-3 the past few months, since this problem started. All the best, David -- David Megginson, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.megginson.com/ _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel
