ORIGINAL: Thomas B
ORIGINAL: Stickbuilder
Not to be argumentative, but none of the airplanes that you mentioned were being built (or even conceived ) when the YMF was built in 1934. The Jacobs 225 can hardly be considered as a high performance engine.
Once again, what do you do when you have the offset engine thrust adjusted for cruise, and then change to a different throttle setting? Back to using the rudder and elevator. Right?
My YMF has an in-flight adjustable horizontal stabilizer (as did the full scale). The full scale had a ground adjustable trim tab for the rudder. You control your up lines and torque reaction during the take off roll with the rudder.
Engine thrust lines and propellor mis-alignment is noted during the static judging at Top Gun as well.
Bill AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1
I think you might find that airplanes of the 1930's vintage, Wacos included, often had the fin offset, per the link I supplied. Even the ground adjusted trim tabs were a nod towards reducing the pilot workload and trim need.
In fact, the Curtiss P-40 had a 1.5 degree fin offset and it is of the same vintage as the Waco, pretty much. Yes, it had much more power. By your logic, the P-40 pilots should have had straight zero-zero-zero aircraft and flown and trimmed as needed....
Lots of airplanes have some trim and thrust line adjustments made, so the aircraft is close to what it needs to be in cruise, where most of it's time is spent in typical operations. This minimizes the pilot workload, including trimming, in normal flight. You can never get rid of all of it, but it can be reduced.
Thrust line adjustments became trendy later, to be sure.
I would certainly agree that a Masters class/Top Gun scale entry needs to be scale in reguards to thrust line. However, the vast majoity of models being discussed in this thread will never be flown in competition.
You are absolutely correct.
What will you do when the day comes that you wish to become competitive, and you have never learned to truly fly the airplane, and you can't have the crutches built it? Will you have to learn to fly all over again? As I said, I don't use them, nor do I nail the throttle. I try to fly within the scale envelope at all times.
So with all that being said, you do it your way, and I'll do it mine. We can still be buddies. When are you going to request membership in the Brotherhood??????????
Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1