The concept of "aircraft stability" explained - IN VIDEO
 

Hi all,

since a few months, it has been fashionable on this forum to discuss here and there around the concept of Aircraft Stability.

So, in order to help the reader to understand what does this concept means and makes all understand it easily (as it does not look like that all of those arguing really understand the basis), here is an extract of an interesting video on the Su-27 design story that deals graphically with aircraft stability.

You will be delighted to watch it even more, if you pay attention to who explains it.

Scroll down video to point 29min26 secs for the quick lesson to start

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVZbH...feature=relmfu

~S!

Good film....

i could learn to fly with that, if my stick didnt have a center spring :(

Pilots learn to fly with such airplanes since the beginning of heavier than air flight.

The more unstable the aircraft, the higher the work load to get it do a given maneuver. It takes more controlling on the part of the pilot.

Very interesting! Thanks Tomcat!

Excellent find, and simply understand!

Thanks! :)

Relaxed stability aircraft have artificial means to impart feel for the pilot like a center spring.

Would not be any different with your desktop joystick dealing with the instability of the early mark Spitfires.

You would have an advantage the real pilots did not have but it would much more realistic than having a FM that is static and dynamically stable.

Dont think thid will be done tbh crump. They cant even get the speed and engine boosts (i.e the simple stuff) right in the model let alone more complex stuff like this. Will have to wait for sdk when you can do it yourself mate

Sure they can get it right. They already have the relative performance correct and it is the best simulation of WWII combat piloting to date.

What makes you think they can't get this right too?

In fact, I think they have been looking like most of us, for the characteristics that made these aircraft equal dogfighters.

You won't find it just looking at raw performance numbers.

Dogfights mostly didn't result in a victory.

In a dogfight, most of the time, both pilots escape with their aircraft.

Which is why most victories come from surprise.

Which is why it didn't really matter that the bf109 was a useless dogfighter.