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#11
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08-07-2018, 11:48 AM
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 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:72 male Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 21,156
Contributions: 1
Mentioned: 52 Post(s) Quoted: 4949 Post(s)
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Re: World War II-Era Military Aircraft Crashes on Take Off in Texas
The pilot started to loose directional control during the take off roll, probably due to a crosswind. Normally an aircraft's direction, on take off, is controlled by the rudder ( pilot's feet on rudder pedals ). An aircraft with a tail wheel has a tendency to 'ground loop' , the tail wants to swap ends. This has to be constantly corrected by using the rudder. The combination of a crosswind, and engine torque, can make this action challenging and difficult, and failing to correct the 'swing' of the tail at the right time will result in a 'ground loop'. Once the aircraft is in the air, this is no longer a problem, and directional control is mainly using the ailerons on the wings. The rudder is still used in flight, but it's in coordination with the ailerons. In this case, the pilot was loosing control of the tail, and as the aircraft picked up speed he also applied aileron input, which resulted in the wing dipping, and contacting the ground. It's not unusual to add aileron control on take off, but you have to adjust it according to it's affect, and, in this case it was too much. Ok, you just got your first flying lesson, you owe me a beer   |
