edd540

I would like someone to explain proper rudder to aileron mixing.This is probably a silly question but I need some advise here. I learned to fly alone,lots of repair to the old sturdy birdy,but I did succeed,although I've never been able to make my left thumb do anything after takeoff except run the throttle! Ive got a H9 80" Cub and read alot about how you need to add rudder with aileron to turn.I've flown this plane several times(alone)My Question: Do I mix rudder and aileron in the same direction or opposite. I've tried flying both ways. If you apply left rudder and a little right aileron the plane turns and stays level through the turn.Is this what I'm striving for? I know this sounds like a stupid question ,but I 've just never had it explained to me.

Hircflyer

You hit it right on the head!!! Most high trainer types will benifit with a little rudder added during turns. Both sticks are moved in the same direction. Usually the rudder is released before the ailerons are used to level the wings.

Rudder is added to prevent adverse yaw. This is a yawing movement of the aircraft that is oposite to the direction of the intended turn. The rudder is used yaw the nose of the aircraft in the intended direction after the bank angle is induced with the ailerons.

4*60

My Feedback: (41)

Ed540:

You are looking for right rudder with right aileron and vice versa. The problem is that when you apply the aileron for the bank, more drag is initially generated on the outside wing, so the nose swings in the opposite direction to the turn (adverse yaw). Mixing the rudder (right rudder, right turn) will overcome that swing and give you an aerodynamically clean turn without training your thumb!

You are not striving for the level turn that you mention right at the end. Mix the opposite of that! right and right, left and left!

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

Edd540,
On additional thing to realize is that the amount of needed aileron to rudder is not linear. If you have a point or non-linear mix then use it and take the time to get it programmed right. You will also see the amount of rudder to aileron will change with speed but I would not worry about that one as of yet.

Dave Bowles

My Feedback: (7)

I would suggest you continue to use manual control of your rudder and alerons, Forget manual or program mixing. Learn to use that rudder stick , it will make you a much better pilot .

Unstable

I agree with dave.... although mixing will work learnign to get that left thumb to do things will help you alot... I have the H9 cub and love the way it flys... but im constatly using both sticks to go through turns. I even added mixing to help it but I took it out as I felt more comfortable doing it myself.

to train using both thumbs try a few flat turns.... ie turn using the rudder and use ailerons to keep the wing level .. also try "slipping" the plane.... dip one wing. apply opposite rudder, a bit of elevator and "fly sideways" a bit..

that gets you useing all the controls at once.

also try flying circuts with only rudder and elevator....
all theses skills will help you if something fails and you need to get it down with partial control

computers are great.. but still the best one is embedded in your head.

HarryC

My Feedback: (1)

Mixing from aileron to rudder by definition only works while aileron is applied. Therefore the main benefit of this is only during the roll into and the roll out of a turn if the model suffers from adverse yaw. Adverse yaw only happens while aileron is applied, if a plane is out of balance during a turn it is simply out of balance, that is not adverse yaw.

An aircraft may yaw slightly out of or into the turn, this is called respectively slipping and skidding. Which it does depends upon the speed, the angle of bank, the power setting, the design and so on. In one turn it may slip, in a different turn it may skid. The first needs rudder into the turn, the latter needs rudder out of the turn. Since mixing will only give rudder one way, it can not be of use. Anyway, unless you are having to hold on a lot of aileron during the turn, the low % mix will not be moving the rudder and if it did it may be moving it the wrong way for that particular turn.

So by all means use mixing to counter the adverse yaw rolling into the turn, but during the turn you will need to use your rudder thumb if you feel the model is so far out of balance that it needs it.

Harry

Wayne22

My Feedback: (2)

Good question!! When I first got my Hanger 9 Cub, my mind was full of horror stories of tip stalls and such. Like you, I had a lazy left thumb. I used my computer radio to mix in rudder with ailerons - which was good for turning, but no good for rolls ,taxiing in a wind, etc. At some point I found it was easier to do without the mix, and use some hand - eye (thumb to eye?) coordination....
I trained my thumb by doing a lot of circuits using only throttle and rudder (ie left thumb only) and by practicing a lot of really slow flight, using the rudder to keep the wings level...
That, plus some vocal criticism from the peanut gallery whenever they see anyone dragging their tail through the inside of a turn, did it. That was quite some time ago, now it is second nature.

It may seem like an unnatural act at first, but there are exercises you can practice to make it work for you.....good luck!