Calibrating rudder

[pschlute]

Pete

In calibrating the rudder, i first set the sensitivities in FS( to minimum null zone/maximum sensitivity. Then used FSUIPC to calibrate, and added some slope to give less sensitivity to the initial twist of the joystick.

I still find however that the rudder is difficult to control accurately ( mainly on the ground). Is it sensible to now lower the sensitivity setting (after having calibrated with FSUIPC) within FS9 settings, or am I then defeating the object of using FSUIPC in the first place?

Many thanks for your help.

[Pete Dowson]

I still find however that the rudder is difficult to control accurately ( mainly on the ground).

Ground steering by rudder is mainly dependent on speed. What aircraft are you talking about? What sort of taxiing speeds are you using, and what winds?

In my 737NG cockpit I use a steering tiller to emulate nose-wheel steering rather than rudder effects. Of course it still uses the rudder (that's the only steering input available in FS), but the effect has to be exaggerated enormously over the rudder effect, which on a larger aircraft is negligible at taxi speeds (5-25 knots, always less than 15 when turning, and much less for tight turns).

This is, of course, the exact opposite of "reducing sensitivity"!

Is it sensible to now lower the sensitivity setting (after having calibrated with FSUIPC) within FS9 settings, or am I then defeating the object of using FSUIPC in the first place?

Well, in my opinion, if you want realistic steering you certainly don't want LESS sensitivity, but much more. I don't know what you mean by "difficult to control accurately", but if it is a light aircraft with wind or more than a few knots, it IS actually quite difficult in real life. You have to very careful with the throttle, and differential (proportional) braking helps too.

In an airliner you try to avoid using brakes because you don't want them overheating just in case you need them fully efficient for an RTO. However, the wind has far less effect, so your control then is the throttle, keeping the speed low and anticipating the needs for turning. For a really tight turn a dab on the appropriate brake does help, of course, and even use of asymmetric thrust too, but at correct speeds neither should be necessary.

If you do decrease sensitivity in FS, what you are really doing is reducing the range the axis provides and also reducing the number of different positions on the rudder which do anything different. This is almost the same as using a much cheaper set of rudders, and in the end doesn't give you as much relaxed central control as simply choosing a flattened slope in FSUIPC.

But why ask me, when you can try it? Nothing you change in these thnigs need be permanent so you can excperiment to your heart's content!

Regards,

Pete

[pschlute]

Pete

Thanks for reply. sorry i should have been clearer.

refering to the default cessna on a take off run with 8 kts sidewind. I turn into the wind to keep straight, but this qickly develops into "oversteer"... the correction to this results in a wind-induced oversteer the other way. So i zig-zag my way down the runway till airborne.

I am using a joystick so i guess the answer is to go for pedals.

[Pete Dowson]

refering to the default cessna on a take off run with 8 kts sidewind. I turn into the wind to keep straight, but this qickly develops into "oversteer"... the correction to this results in a wind-induced oversteer the other way. So i zig-zag my way down the runway till airborne.

Yes, as 8 knot crosswind isn't nice in such a light aircraft, and I think FS does rather overdo the effects -- make sure your "realism" menu settings have most of the sliders centred. I think things are overdone by quite a bit if you have them all up full.

I am using a joystick so i guess the answer is to go for pedals.

Pedals are, indeed, a lot easier. I assume by "joystick" you mean one with a twist action for rudder? You aren't using auto-rudder to steer with the aileron axis, are you?

You actually need to hold the wings down a bit on the windward side, which you do with aileron, but you don't actually want to also steer into the wind with the rudder. You have to use pedals to counter both the into-wind tendency (from the pressure on the tail) and the effect of increasing throttle on what the aircraft wants to do. With auto-rudder enabled that combined trick is almost impossible unless you turn the realism right down.

Until you get a set of pedals you could try the FSUIPC option for taxi-wind. this keeps your crosswind low without affecting your headwind, and with wind smoothing turned on too it allows the crosswind back gradually after take-off.

Regards,

Pete

[pschlute]

Pete

Yes i am using a saitek joystick with twist for rudder. Auto-rudder is always off in FS9 settings. I will try to perfect the aileron technique.

Thank you for your help.