lateral balance
03-06-2012, 08:51 AM
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lateral balance
With both engines at 90 deg on a twin, is there a sufficient amount of weight that needs to be placed on the left wingtip to lateraly balance a twin. I can place my battery against the left side of the fuse to help a little, however it will take a bit more weight to completely balance the plane. I read in an article about adding weight to a wing tip to conteract the torque on takeoff. I believe it was to make the right wing tip a little bit heavier. Would this also hold true for twins?
03-09-2012, 02:10 PM
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RE: lateral balance
G'day Flyboy,
Yes add weight to the wing tip to laterally balance. Your plane will fly nicer.
The article about putting weight in the right wing tip to counteract propeller effects (spiral slipstream and offset thrust, not torque BTW), is generally accepted as rubbish. It would only work while accelerating during the initial part of the takeoff run and have no effect once speed had stabilised, whereas rudder is needed for the final part of the takeoff and climb. The tip weight would adversely affect the entire flight and landing.
Better to use the rudder to keep straight, that's what it's there for.
Dave H
Yes add weight to the wing tip to laterally balance. Your plane will fly nicer.
The article about putting weight in the right wing tip to counteract propeller effects (spiral slipstream and offset thrust, not torque BTW), is generally accepted as rubbish. It would only work while accelerating during the initial part of the takeoff run and have no effect once speed had stabilised, whereas rudder is needed for the final part of the takeoff and climb. The tip weight would adversely affect the entire flight and landing.
Better to use the rudder to keep straight, that's what it's there for.
Dave H
