Originally posted by GrnBrt
When in a aileron and elevator turn the nose will want to drop, so using the rudder will bring the nose back up so you don't lose any altitude. It is really noticeable with a bi-plane. When you apply opposite rudder you will cause the plane to yaw on its axis's.
Oh heck no! The elevator is used to hold the nose up in a turn, the tighter the turn the more elevator is needed to hold it up. Yes, odd as it may seem especially when in a very steep bank where you might think that rudder holds the nose up, it is still held up by applying more and more elevator. This is necessary in order to make the required increase of lift now that the lift angle is so far off the vertical. If you are gaining or losing height in a turn, no matter how steep, then you are using too much or too little elevator, the rudder does not come into it. The rudder is used purely to fine-tune the balance of the turn if the fin is not keeping the turn in balance. in other words the rudder is still just used to keep the plane straight on into its airflow regardless of how much bank is used.
Do not confuse this with knife-edge. Knife edge and all side-slip manouevres are out of balance flight and the rudder is being used to put the plane out of balance. Its job in a turn is to keep it in balance and not to hold the nose up.
I have flown many full-size types from gliders, through low power biplanes to jet fighters and no matter what plane, the rule is the same. In a turn, elevator to hold the nose up and rudder to keep it in balance, whether a shallow bank in a glider or 80 degrees of bank pulling against the buffet in a jet fighter. Please note that no aircraft can make a true turn at 90 degrees of bank since the lift required is infinite. To maintain height the plane would need to knife edge which by definition is an out of balance turn!
Harry