Ground handling

[ckolonko]

Hello everyone,

I have a quick question regarding ground handling. When taking off in a spitfire it is possible to keep the spitty straight by just using rudder. The manuals state to use full right rudder trim. Even when applying full throttle rapidly I am able to stop my spitfire from ground looping or spinning in circles. Is this accurate? I remember I time when I would end up a burning wreck (the plane not me) if I applied full throttle too quickly and used no rudder trim.

[zipper]

Actually, ground handling is the worst part of the game as there is no groundlooping, there never was - at least not at the epic scale like someone would take pictures of. (I fly taildraggers in the real world and it definitely adds a very big dimension to the whole flying experience.) Start off pointed slightly to the right then add power slowly until you're going 40-50 mph then go full throttle. I've been able to take Spits (and others) off hands/feet free this way though one might not think it's very realistic - lol.

[ckolonko]

Me too, I used to play BoB II. I really miss having to be especially careful when taking off, ensuring you don't nose over or end up dragging a wing.

[Furio]

As a RL pilot I’ve flown mostly trike (nose gear) types, but also single-wheel, with tail wheel and outriggers. Frankly, I don’t miss groundloops that much, considering how difficult can be even taxing in a strong crosswind.

My feeling is, also, that adverse yaw is vastly reduced in game, another thing that I appreciate. On the other hand, I don’t like the lack of trim change when extending flaps, but we are talking of a magnificent sim anyway. Some compromise is necessary, and we should accept it gladly. By the way, TD is improving many aspects of our beloved game so, who knows?, perhaps we’ll have some surprise in the future!

[ckolonko]

I agree Furio, who needs to be challenged on the ground when there's plenty of action to be had in the air. I would also like to have to re-trim when deploying flaps :)

[zipper]

Adverse yaw was engineered out of a lot of WW2 aircraft to a large degree. This was accomplished by differential aileron deflection and offset hinges (like the Frise). Agreed, though, that the game is fun enough. When one starts picking at it it really begins to fall apart, so it's better to just let it be what it is and enjoy it - lol.

[Furio]

I agree Furio, who needs to be challenged on the ground when there's plenty of action to be had in the air. I would also like to have to re-trim when deploying flaps :)

To say it better, what I would like is not the need to re-trim, but a change in glide path. Without entering in technical details, full flaps produce more drag than lift, with the effect of steepening the glide path.
Here you can see what I mean. The keys of short field landing are low stalling speed and a very steep approach, even without flare!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PtXS-zSnYU


You cannot do anything like that with a fighter, but something better than our current flat approach – perhaps – could be made. If possible, of course, and without compromising other aspects of the game!

[ckolonko]

I see what you mean. Thanks for the video :)