Superstar ep Going in circles
03-30-2004, 07:04 PM
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Superstar ep Going in circles
Why does my super star ep pull ot the left ? No amount of right rudder will make it go straight.. Still in traing with my aerobird,,but thought I would take the SS just to try and get the feel of it taxing I'm using a two lane black top road for an airsript so . Is the motor not aligned right or what? It has the prop that came with it. 11x5.5 I think.Any ideas guys
03-31-2004, 06:36 AM
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RE: Superstar ep Going in circles
ORIGINAL: richpalan
Why does my super star ep pull ot the left ? No amount of right rudder will make it go straight.. Still in traing with my aerobird,,but thought I would take the SS just to try and get the feel of it taxing I'm using a two lane black top road for an airsript so . Is the motor not aligned right or what? It has the prop that came with it. 11x5.5 I think.Any ideas guys
Why does my super star ep pull ot the left ? No amount of right rudder will make it go straight.. Still in traing with my aerobird,,but thought I would take the SS just to try and get the feel of it taxing I'm using a two lane black top road for an airsript so . Is the motor not aligned right or what? It has the prop that came with it. 11x5.5 I think.Any ideas guys
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03-31-2004, 11:00 AM
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RE: Superstar ep Going in circles
You are experiencing what is called a ground loop, a common problem with taildragger airplanes. Motor torque and a phenomenon called P-Factor cause the plane to circle around to the left if you don't compensate for it.
No amount of right rudder will stop a ground loop in the early stages of takeoff. There simply isn't enough airflow over the rudder for it to get enough "bite" to do anything useful. On top of that, the Superstar's tailwheel is not steerable, AND you're trying to take off from smooth asphalt where the non-steerable wheel can't get any traction to help keep the plane going straight. In grass, the tailwheel dragging will help to stabilize the plane until it's going fast enough for the rudder to start working.
Placement and alignment of the main gear can help with ground looping. Ideally, the main axles should line up with the leading edge of the wing when the plane is sitting level, in "flying trim," not level as in sitting on all three wheels on the ground. Having the wheels too far forward makes the plane unstable on the ground, and causes ground loops.
No amount of right rudder will stop a ground loop in the early stages of takeoff. There simply isn't enough airflow over the rudder for it to get enough "bite" to do anything useful. On top of that, the Superstar's tailwheel is not steerable, AND you're trying to take off from smooth asphalt where the non-steerable wheel can't get any traction to help keep the plane going straight. In grass, the tailwheel dragging will help to stabilize the plane until it's going fast enough for the rudder to start working.
Placement and alignment of the main gear can help with ground looping. Ideally, the main axles should line up with the leading edge of the wing when the plane is sitting level, in "flying trim," not level as in sitting on all three wheels on the ground. Having the wheels too far forward makes the plane unstable on the ground, and causes ground loops.
03-31-2004, 03:56 PM
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RE: Superstar ep Going in circles
O K Matt thanks I'll look into that also .. Did what Jim said and it helped a bunch.. It will go straight now but still need to hold right rudder.. Still haven't got up the nerve to fly it yet... Been kinds windy I think ..Its kinda hard to keep the aerobird going where I want it to go ... Just a matter of time and I'll get it up there....Oh by the way this SS doesn't have a tail wheel all it has is piece of plastic for a skid plate..
03-31-2004, 05:35 PM
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RE: Superstar ep Going in circles
ORIGINAL: richpalan
O K Matt thanks I'll look into that also .. Did what Jim said and it helped a bunch.. It will go straight now but still need to hold right rudder.. Still haven't got up the nerve to fly it yet... Been kinds windy I think ..Its kinda hard to keep the aerobird going where I want it to go ... Just a matter of time and I'll get it up there....Oh by the way this SS doesn't have a tail wheel all it has is piece of plastic for a skid plate..
O K Matt thanks I'll look into that also .. Did what Jim said and it helped a bunch.. It will go straight now but still need to hold right rudder.. Still haven't got up the nerve to fly it yet... Been kinds windy I think ..Its kinda hard to keep the aerobird going where I want it to go ... Just a matter of time and I'll get it up there....Oh by the way this SS doesn't have a tail wheel all it has is piece of plastic for a skid plate..
