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#1
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I had suspected that a Rstol kit was available for the 206. Did it make the
control feel heavy in roll when maneuvering aggressively? Blue skies to all. "Teranews" wrote in message news:1110905672.beb14466ee7812b1cb84a18618da6a10@t eranews... Correct. I flew a turbo 206 with the Robertson kit. It would droop the ailerons 10 degrees with the first 15 degrees of flap. We regularly operated in and out of a 500 foot strip in Southern Oregon for 14 years. Al snip |
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"M" wrote:
I was sitting on a Northwest Airbus A-330 a few Sunday's ago at Tokyo Narita airport waiting for everybody to board on the flight back to Seattle, when I noticed something strange with the ailerons. Both ailerons were at their full downward deflection at about 30 degrees. Things like this can of course never happen in any light GA planes where the ailerons are mechanically linked to move in opposite directions. I have never seen that on any Boeing planes either. Knowing those airbus having flight by wire systems I assumed that the computers were just taking a hiatus when the galley was being loaded and the ailerons should straighten out once the engines are started. I peeked out of the windows again as we lined up on the runway and began the takeoff roll. To my astonishment both sides of ailerons were still at a downward deflection at about 10 degrees. As we rumbled down the runway I had this strong urge to tell the flight attendents to check the ailerons. Can you say "flight control: free and correct" in the before take-off checklist? Those ailerons just plainly looked wrong to me. The big turkey finally lifted off the runway and it suddenly hit me: this bizarre behavior of the ailerons was actually a genius engineering feat by the nerds at Airbus! It became obvious that the fly-by-wire computer actually uses the independently controlled ailerons to act as part of a full-span flap system. This allows the benefit of a full-span flap without having the drawback of a traditional full-span flap like the MU-2 (MU-2 has full-span flaps but it has no room for ailerons. It uses spoilers for roll axis control). By doing so Airbus probably saves some weight in the main flap system which, in my wildest un-scientific guess, reduces the fuel cost per-seat on my 4000nm trip to Seattle by maybe a dollar. I'm sure that's very important for the airline bean counters. As the plane climbed out over Tokyo bay the ailerons returned to their normal position as the main flaps were retracted. On our final approach to Seattle the main flaps were down to about 30 degrees and those ailerons were down again at about 10 degrees. The weather was CAVU to 200 feet above the ground, and it was near zero visibility in fog at the airport. The autopilot flew a fabulous category III ILS all the way the ground and the main gears landed very gentally. The pilot was in a hurry to derotate the nose down to the ground and the nosewheel hit really hard. I guess when you can't see a damn thing 30 feet in the air as the rear end of plane already on the runway, you want to get the nose down asap and start braking. What goes around comes around? in the mid fifties the RCAF acquired an ASW aircraft called the Argus...it was a much modified Bristol Britannia and had 'floating controls'. They were free floating and were controlled by 'tabs' on their trailing edges. When at rest the ailerons hung down (both of them!) at about 45 degrees and when the 'gust locks' were on they both reared up about the same. The elevators both hung down 30 0r 40 degrees when unlocked and were straight back when locked, the rudder was straight back when locked and was 'where-ever it damned well wanted' when unlocked...quite weird...got many tower controllers (and airline pilots) in a knot. -- -Gord. (use gordon in email) |
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Gord Beaman wrote:
What goes around comes around? in the mid fifties the RCAF acquired an ASW aircraft called the Argus...it was a much modified Bristol Britannia and had 'floating controls'. They were free floating and were controlled by 'tabs' on their trailing edges. When at rest the ailerons hung down (both of them!) at about 45 degrees and when the 'gust locks' were on they both reared up about the same. The elevators both hung down 30 0r 40 degrees when unlocked and were straight back when locked, the rudder was straight back when locked and was 'where-ever it damned well wanted' when unlocked...quite weird...got many tower controllers (and airline pilots) in a knot. Doesn't the DC-9 work this way too? I have a vague recollection of talking to a DC-9 pilot who explained the system to me -- mechanical interconnections to servo tabs, with the main surfaces floating free. Or is my memory faulty? |
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#5
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Bob Moore wrote:
(Roy Smith) wrote Doesn't the DC-9 work this way too? I have a vague recollection of talking to a DC-9 pilot who explained the system to me -- mechanical interconnections to servo tabs, with the main surfaces floating free. Don't know about the DC-9, but the B-707 worked that way. Bob Moore PanAm(retired) Really?, I'd have thought that the 707 (and maybe DC-9 too) would have had powered controls?... -- -Gord. (use gordon in email) |
#6
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Gord Beaman wrote
Really?, I'd have thought that the 707 (and maybe DC-9 too) would have had powered controls?... Rudder...yes, Ailerons and Elevator...no. In fact, the two elevators were not connected to each other. It was not unusual to see a taxing 707 with one elevator up and the other one down. Each positioned by a control tab, the left one by the left yoke and the right one by the right yoke. The two yokes were connected under the cockpit by a coupler that would slip if forced. Airflow would cause the tabs to "fly" the elevators to the commanded position. The ailerons operated in a somewhat similiar fashion. Bob Moore ATP B-707 B-727 PanAm (retired) |
#7
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On 14 Mar 2005 12:28:39 -0800, "M" wrote:
I was sitting on a Northwest Airbus A-330 a few Sunday's ago at Tokyo Narita airport waiting for everybody to board on the flight back to Seattle, when I noticed something strange with the ailerons. Both ailerons were at their full downward deflection at about 30 degrees. Things like this can of course never happen in any light GA planes where the ailerons are mechanically linked to move in opposite directions. Things like this can happen to ordinary GA light planes and in fact has been around at least since WWII. Google Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. Corky Scott |
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