Stupid noob question - taxiing

[Dethmagnetic]

Sorry if this has been asked already, I checked Google and the forum search and didn't see any obvious hits.

 

Is taxiing supposed to be this difficult? Even with stick full backwards or full forwards I feel like I have almost no authority. I've ended up just using differential brakes to steer, but I know that's not exactly recommended practice. Is there a NWS (TWS I guess) switch or anything I'm missing in my startup checklist?

 

I guess I wasn't expecting puttering around on the ground to be the second most difficult part of this game (after the godlike fighter AI - which brings up another question, is that going to be tunable, or am I doomed to be pwned over and over again by the PC?)

[SmokeyTheLung]

I've ended up just using differential brakes to steer

 

I'm no expert here, but as far as I'm concerned this is key with the mustang. Also knowing when to push the stick forward and let the tailwheel caster. With a lot of practice it starts to get more comfortable... in the same way that walking on hot coals or lying on a bed of nails would :P

[Echo38]

Try quick bursts of high power as you're giving full rudder--you don't want to be charging around the taxiway at high throttle settings too often, but you do want to throttle up briefly for a turn, to provide more rudder authority.

[WildBillKelsoe]

your friend is differential braking while sticking stick to your gut. on takeoff though, don't hold stick too much back to gut, or risk a topple short of takeoff, specially with standard recommended rudder trim setting.

[VH-Rock]

I've never understood the difficulty in taxiing this aircraft, although I've flown props in different sims for a long time, so maybe I'm just used to it.

 

If you unlock your tail wheel, Apply Rudder and power to initiate the turn, you can use the differential brakes (in the opposite direction) to stop the aircraft spinning. It's very smooth and easy to taxi using this method, especially if you have toe brakes set up...

[Slayer]

It's because RL pilots saying it is improper to use and "wear out" the brakes. Supposedly we should be able to taxi this without so much as touching the brakes at all.

[Slayer]

So, to the OP it's not really a stupid noob question. A taildragger is a whole different ballgame than a jet with NWS...it's a pretty valid question that some of us can learn from.

 

The pilots book from a real P-51 states "In ordinary Taxi, keep the stick in neutral or slightly aft position, this locks the tailwheel and makes it steerable 6 degrees right or left with the rudder. To make sharp turns or go around corners, unlock the tailwheel by pushing the stick full forward"

 

Nothing is said at all regarding braking.

[cichlidfan]

The pilots book from a real P-51 states "In ordinary Taxi, keep the stick in neutral or slightly aft position, this locks the tailwheel and makes it steerable 6 degrees right or left with the rudder. To make sharp turns or go around corners, unlock the tailwheel by pushing the stick full forward"

 

Nothing is said at all regarding braking.

 

Having read through that same manual I could not help noticing that a great many details are either glossed over or not mentioned at all. It seems, also based on pilot accounts of the era, that a great deal of the required knowledge was passed from mouth to ear in the classroom and on the flight line. The manual was more of a general reference.

[Echo38]

And, at least in the case of the P-38 manual, there were quite a few rather large errors--some of them so horribly wrong that Lockheed test pilots had to fly around Europe, going from base to base to personally correct the misimpressions caused by the USAAF's often-bogus manual. : /

 

Perhaps the best example of this was when Tony Levier performed aerobatics in the European theater with only one engine running, to disprove the rampant rumors that the '38 was a death ship in the event of engine loss; the rumor was ultimately the fault of the manual, which wrongly stated that rolls were impossible with one engine, and warned pilots against even turning in the direction of the dead engine.

 

Tony's low-altitude spins and his barrel rolls into the dead engine disproved this and other rumors, and, in doing so, he did a lot to increase morale and pilot confidence in this much-falsely-maligned airplane. I don't know if the P-51 manual had as many errors as the P-38 manual, but if the P-51 manual was written by the USAAF instead of by North American Aviation, I would expect it to have a large number as well.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Echo38

[cichlidfan]

You may well be right but this is more an issue of omission rather than inclusion of eroneos data.

[Echo38]

You may well be right but this is more an issue of omission rather than inclusion of eroneos data.

 

Aye, that was a general rant which was sparked by remembrance other USAAF flight manual info which was missing or faulty. The bit quoted by Slayer sounds right to me, for tailwheel taxiing, but, in general, the USAAF manuals should be taken with a slight grain of salt. I'm not saying to chuck 'em out altogether, because the majority of info in them is good, but it's better far to also use other, more reliable sources in conjunction with the official flight manuals.

[mmaruda]

Taxing is about as easy as IL-2 in the Mustang... Once you stop listening to all the handbook this, handbook that jabber.

 

Just bind separate wheel brakes and use rudder in combination with the appropriate wheel brake. Go slow, keep your stick neutral or pulled back and for the love of everything holy DO NOT UNLOCK THE TAIL WHEEL.

[159th_Viper]

......and for the love of everything holy DO NOT UNLOCK THE TAIL WHEEL.

 

:megalol:

 

It's true what you say: With the tailwheel locked, you have 6 degrees left and right and that gets you around most 90-degree corners comfortably, even without resorting to differential braking to assist.

 

If you have to pop doughnuts to impress the lassies on the flight-line then unlock - with practice it becomes second nature, but again, can be done without.

[MadTommy]

To make sharp turns or to go around corners, unlock the tail wheel by pushing the stick full forward. In this position the tail wheel is full swiveling. Be careful not to start a sharp turn before unlocking the tail wheel – it tends to bind.

Manual - P128

 

Ok i'm having issues.

 

If i have to unlock the wheel, which according to Viper should not be often, (which in my P51 newbie state i'm having to do too often), I'm getting stuck.

 

I unlock to make a sharp turn... starts off ok, but them when i want to relock the wheel I'm unable to. I simply can't get the wheel within the 6 degree restriction again, and end up going around in concentric circles.

 

I attempt to straighten the wheel and then lock by pushing the stick forward. I am hearing a 'click' noise when i attempt this.

 

Once i unlock and start a tight turn i effectively can then only turn in that direction.

 

:doh:

[WildBillKelsoe]

Manual - P128

 

Ok i'm having issues.

 

If i have to unlock the wheel, which according to Viper should not be often, (which in my P51 newbie state i'm having to do too often), I'm getting stuck.

 

I unlock to make a sharp turn... starts off ok, but them when i want to relock the wheel I'm unable to. I simply can't get the wheel within the 6 degree restriction again, and end up going around in concentric circles.

 

I attempt to straighten the wheel and then lock by pushing the stick forward. I am hearing a 'click' noise when i attempt this.

 

Once i unlock and start a tight turn i effectively can then only turn in that direction.

 

:doh:

 

Mate, you unlock forward and immediately control turn with differential braking. this is the trick. nothing fancy.once your nose starts to spin too much, that means you're not braking effectively. for more info, watch the glory warbirds vid @ start, and see how the instructor taxiis.

[MadTommy]

Mate, you unlock forward and immediately control turn with differential braking. this is the trick. nothing fancy.once your nose starts to spin too much, that means you're not braking effectively. for more info, watch the glory warbirds vid @ start, and see how the instructor taxiis.

 

Thanks, I'm not breaking at all, as i thought you used rudder to steer the tail wheel, and used breaks as little as possible. (according to the training & manual)

 

I don't have pedals or the keys for individual wheel breaks assigned.... I'll need to sort this out and try again.

 

Thanks for your help. :thumbup:

[Yo-Yo]

And, at least in the case of the P-38 manual, there were quite a few rather large errors--some of them so horribly wrong that Lockheed test pilots had to fly around Europe, going from base to base to personally correct the misimpressions caused by the USAAF's often-bogus manual. : /

 

Perhaps the best example of this was when Tony Levier performed aerobatics in the European theater with only one engine running, to disprove the rampant rumors that the '38 was a death ship in the event of engine loss; the rumor was ultimately the fault of the manual, which wrongly stated that rolls were impossible with one engine, and warned pilots against even turning in the direction of the dead engine.

 

Tony's low-altitude spins and his barrel rolls into the dead engine disproved this and other rumors, and, in doing so, he did a lot to increase morale and pilot confidence in this much-falsely-maligned airplane. I don't know if the P-51 manual had as many errors as the P-38 manual, but if the P-51 manual was written by the USAAF instead of by North American Aviation, I would expect it to have a large number as well.

 

I know at least one general mistake in the P-51 manual - 15:1 glide rate with dead engine. 15 is a maximal L/D ratio but in the powered flight or if the prop is removed. Real glide ratio vary from 10:1 to 7:1 regarding prop rpm and can be even less if the prop stopped at low pitch.

[MudRat02]

Pedal the bike, stir the pot, and bash the throttle ;)

[Echo38]

I know at least one general mistake in the P-51 manual - 15:1 glide rate with dead engine. 15 is a maximal L/D ratio but in the powered flight or if the prop is removed. Real glide ratio vary from 10:1 to 7:1 regarding prop rpm and can be even less if the prop stopped at low pitch.

 

This is very interesting--I've often heard the 15:1 figure as well, and never knew that it didn't apply even when the propeller lever was fully back. So, with prop lever all the way back, you'll still only get ~10:1?

[Yo-Yo]

This is very interesting--I've often heard the 15:1 figure as well, and never knew that it didn't apply even when the propeller lever was fully back. So, with prop lever all the way back, you'll still only get ~10:1?

 

Right.

[Krebs20]

Too bad the mustang cannot feather its propeller all the way. It would glide a little better.