OT: new World of Planes screenshots

[flynlion]

Originally Posted by Robotic Pope

It would just look a bit silly to only have one hand on the yoke while the pilot desparatly trys to pull his P-38 out of a almost supersonic dive.

I think it would look silly to have 2 hands on the yoke when the other hand could be reducing power, pushing the prop controls forward, working the elevator trim or deploying those dive brakes that the P-38 was famous for. I'm not saying pilots don't ever use both hands on the stick, just that it's very rare, even in combat. Flying has never been about brute force:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBcapxGHjE

OK, so I know that pulling G in combat isn't the same as the silky smooth loops and rolls that Bob Hoover flys in his air show. I just think this is a graet video and couldn't resist posting it

[Burtonboy05]

Awesome video and thanks for posting.

Is that the old twin aerocommander plane?

[flynlion]

Ok Pope, maybe I came on too strong here. Yes it would be pretty cool for a video game to have the pilot move his hands around in the cockpit. I just think it would be more realistic if his hands spent most of the time on throttle and stick and very little time with both hands on the stick. Where do I get that idea? I’m an ATP with over 12,000 flight hours, and less than half of that time is in modern jets with boosted controls. Pilots who fly with both hands are called “ham fisted” and seldom even get to solo, let alone move on to fighters LoL

Every airline captain flies left handed, not just on the ‘Bus, so he can get to the throttle quadrant which is between the 2 seats. Flying left handed is something you learn when you upgrade from the right seat to the left. With most airlines a captain is required to pass a "right seat checkout" every so often, just in case the company needs him to fly as an FO. This is all too common when the airlines are furloughing, and switching sides like that can make for some interesting trips.

Thanks for the Red Bull video Gilly. I seldom watch those races because I can’t stand the idiot commentary that is normally associated with televised sporting events, at least here in the states, but some of those YouTube clips are rather enjoyable. I was surprised that he carries so much instrumentation since it’s strictly a VFR kind of flying and all those G forces are very hard on flight instruments, but like he said that stuff is mostly for ferrying the plane from race to race. I do kinda wonder how often they need to replace those very expensive gauges?

Glad you like the video BurtonBoy. You’re correct about Bob Hoover’s plane, it’s an Aero Commander Shrike. I’ve got about 300 hours in one but of coarse I never flew it near as well as Bob I did roll it once or twice (don’t tell my boss). It does not have boosted controls.

[Robotic Pope]

Originally Posted by flynlion

Ok Pope, maybe I came on too strong here. Yes it would be pretty cool for a video game to have the pilot move his hands around in the cockpit. I just think it would be more realistic if his hands spent most of the time on throttle and stick and very little time with both hands on the stick. Where do I get that idea? I’m an ATP with over 12,000 flight hours, and less than half of that time is in modern jets with boosted controls. Pilots who fly with both hands are called “ham fisted” and seldom even get to solo, let alone move on to fighters LoL

Every airline captain flies left handed, not just on the ‘Bus, so he can get to the throttle quadrant which is between the 2 seats. Flying left handed is something you learn when you upgrade from the right seat to the left. With most airlines a captain is required to pass a "right seat checkout" every so often, just in case the company needs him to fly as an FO. This is all too common when the airlines are furloughing, and switching sides like that can make for some interesting trips.

No Worries

Thats interesting about the captain flying left handed, but don't most airliners have steering yokes, so it can't be that much difference switching sides of the cockpit right? , I would think it would be like driving a foreign car with the steering wheel on the other side than you are used to. I guess in a light plane you just worry about accidently opening the door when automaticly reaching for the throttle lol.

I still believe that warbird pilots mostly flew hands on stick, especialy in combat. Just like a rally driver has both hands on the wheel as much as posible and has the gear shifter placed as close as posible to the wheel.

[flynlion]

Originally Posted by Robotic Pope

I still believe that warbird pilots mostly flew hands on stick, especialy in combat. Just like a rally driver has both hands on the wheel as much as posible and has the gear shifter placed as close as posible to the wheel.

Nope, an airplane is not a rally car. A rally car controls throttle with his feet and doesn't bank or pull G. Flying combat with your hand away from the throttle would be like racing a rally car with your feet off the pedals. One of the students where I fly on weekends is a BMW racing school instuctor and he's a terrible pilot, for a long time we were wondering if he would ever solo. He's a nice guy though and I sure hope he doesn't read this forum

[winny]

This guy is clearly flying with one hand on the yoke..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2MRxmfoeWE

However RAF pilots were advised to use 2 hands when firing, to brace, mainly.

I've read one account where the pilot of a Spitfire put both feet on the instrument panel and 2 hands on the stick to get out of a dive... That would be a cool animation.. Desperation mode!

I think the basic answer is they used 2 hands only if they needed to. I don't think you'd abandon the throttle in combat unless you had to. (I can't think why, all spitfire pilots say that you only had to twitch your hand and the aircraft twitched too, a very responsive aircraft).
The only time Spitfires stiffened up was at very high speed.
Fact is you'd pass out from the G before you ever needed 2 hands because a Spitfire got 'heavy'.

I've got 100's of RAF pilots BoB accounts and there is reference to throttle adjustments, turning the sights on, adjusting the sights etc, all during combat. The only time I see any reference to stiff controls is when the Aircraft was up near 400mph.

[Robotic Pope]

urmmm winny??? I think its pretty clear that you can't see that guys hands. But I agree with what you wrote. This could be true about the spitfire and other lighter fighters

but I was originally talking about the P-38. I watched an episode of Showdown-Air combat about Richard Bong and the P-38 driver every time he was shown flying had both hands on the yoke.

[flynlion]

Originally Posted by Robotic Pope

urmmm winny??? I think its pretty clear that you can't see that guys hands. But I agree with what you wrote. This could be true about the spitfire and other lighter fighters

but I was originally talking about the P-38. I watched an episode of Showdown-Air combat about Richard Bong and the P-38 driver every time he was shown flying had both hands on the yoke.

I'm not really sure why the P-38 had a yoke, I personally get much better leverage with a stick. Most larger long distance type planes have a yoke because it's easier to read a map or copy an ATC clearance without a stick coming up between your legs (that sounds wierd). It's easier to fly one handed with a stick, and I suspect that many people who put 2 hands on a yoke wouldn't need to if they flew stick. And don't forget, that TV show you saw about the great Richard Bong was just that, a TV show. I also notice that you used the word "driver", and not "pilot". Drivers use 2 hands, pilots fly with one

[winny]

Originally Posted by Robotic Pope

urmmm winny??? I think its pretty clear that you can't see that guys hands. But I agree with what you wrote. This could be true about the spitfire and other lighter fighters

but I was originally talking about the P-38. I watched an episode of Showdown-Air combat about Richard Bong and the P-38 driver every time he was shown flying had both hands on the yoke.

You can tell that his right arm is forwards and his left isn't from his shoulders. He also waves at one point, and his arm comes from the side not in front.

P-38 was a big Aircraft, maybe heavier..?

Also, the reason British Aircraft had a spade grip was so that they could use 2 hands, so it was obviously thought that 2 hands may be needed at times.

I still don't think you'd sacrifice a such an important control as the throttle unless you had to. To be not on the throttle in combat would be dangerous, getting from stick to throtle under high G can't be easy and, there's a delay.

Also if you're using 2 hands because it's heavy then when you let go, to go to the throttle, you're gonna invoulantarliy lose control, like I already said, it makes no tactical, or physical sense to believe that, as you said, "warbird pilots mostly flew hands on stick, especialy in combat."