Straightening Unlocked Tailwheel?

[Nealius]

For the life of me I can't get the tailwheel to straighten.

 

First off, there may have been an update as I have been out of the game since March, but my gaming rig has no internet at the moment so I am currently on...whatever update was before March. 1.2.7? 8?

 

Anyway, I nudge the stick forward to unlock, initiate right turn. After completing a 90-degree turn I stop, pull back on the stick and try to taxi forwards. But the tailwheel is still stuck in a right turn and the plane starts turning right again. If I slam the brakes the tailwheel will straighten out a smidge, but usually not enough. Is there some secret to snapping it back into a neutral position?

[Cykyrios]

What I do is I avoid stopping after, and even more so during the turn. Not sure if I do things as I should, but I start turning pushing the pedal, unlock the tail wheel and recenter the stick when the plane starts turning. Then I brake with the outer wheel to control the turn, and again to go straight after that.

I think the wheel will only lock if it is within its 6 degrees of swiveling, and I sometimes find myself needing to start turning the opposite way to make it lock properly.

[ZaltysZ]

If you stop after the turn, you will need to apply opposite rudder and give a brief surge of power, then lock the wheel after the aircraft jumps forward a bit. Don't be afraid of going to sides of taxi way, because you will soon have opportunity to correct that with steerable tailwheel.

[Zabuzard]

From start to end (left turn):

 

- Unlock tailwheel, full left rudder, shortly apply left wheel brake

- Shortly before turn is ending:

- Increase power a little

- Full right rudder, apply right wheel brake (increase power so you don't stop during usage of brakes)

- Lock tailwheel as soon as you see you are moving straight again

(If waiting to long you're turning right, if to early you're turning left again)

(If power to low and you stopped during usage of brakes it can be hard to get staight again)

 

And here is my tutorial of that:

Edited July 8, 2014 by Zabuza

[Paganus]

Just keep driving it around. Eventually it will feel so natural you wont even use the wheel lock.

[Nealius]

Full right rudder, apply right wheel brake (increase power so you don't stop during usage of brakes)

 

Is that the secret? If I try to apply opposite rudder while in the turn it has absolutely no effect and I just keep going.

[Sceptre]

Use the differential brakes they help a lot

[Zabuzard]

Using the wheel brakes will stop movement in that direction completely. This will help gaining "speed" into the other direction again. If you time it correct you end up having no speed to left or right and all your speed goes straight again.

 

If you're keep being bad in steering with unlocked tailwheel you can use the locked tailwheel all the time with heavy usage of wheel brakes to steer (for that you need some power)

(Yeah I know this is pretty bad to do but it's better as to loose the fun if you can't handle it)

[Nealius]

Yeah, I used to rely on the differential breaks but I think I read somewhere that (realistically) it's not very healthy for the plane.

[Wichid]

Yep I stop a turn with a touch of a single wheel brake.

[Soulres]

Say your turning left with the wheel unlocked and want to straighten, Leave the Throttle, Turn the Rudder Right, Let go of Left Brake, Use Right Brake, Make sure the Flgiht Stick is Center! otherwise it wont lock back into place. It isnt Healthy, But back when the plane was made,Broken parts could be replaced.Now adays if you watch P51 pilots,that tailwheel is unlocked until the runway.