[bouncing replies to flightgear-devel]

David Megginson wrote:
> I don't know if we're modelling this or not, but with full power you
> often need a lot of rudder to keep a plane straight during the
> takeoff roll even when there is no crosswind.  During the landing
> roll, with no power, it is a lot easier.

YASim is definitely not doing this right.  This is because in a real
plane the wheel casters a little, which has the effect of twisting the
nosewheel away from the wind.  On planes with a direct linkage between
the nosewheel and the rudder, this is essentially the same as applying
a control force.  YASim doesn't model this kind of "castering torque"
on the nosewheel.

I know Curt was complaining to me once about an aircraft that would
yaw violently in crosswinds once the nose came up -- I think this was
the reason.  When the nosewheel is on the ground, it isn't trying to
"steer into the wind" like a real plane would be; so on rotation the
pilot hasn't applied the right amount of correcting rudder.

Modelling this would involve some complicated per-airplane
configuration, I think.  I guess we could start by defining a
"castering distance" (distance from the wheel contact point to the
rotation axis) and interpolate the force as linear across the full
rudder travel to get a effecting "rudder trim" setting.  Other planes
(I know the 152, probably other Cessnas) have a spring connecting the
nosewheel to the rudder cables, so they will see a similar but smaller
effect.

Then again, some planes have fully castering nosewheels with no rudder
linkage and steer with braking.  These get modelled correctly as-is.

Andy

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