I am learning to fly and I do have an instructor. I can keep the plane up and land it. When I tryed to take off I thought that the hard part was behind me. However, I am having trouble taking off. I am having trouble keeping the plane running in a straight line. The plane I have is a Superstar 40. My question is, do you line up the front wheel and let it run down an incline and lock it in place when it rolls straight or do you go to the field and with wing attached, let it run down the runway and take into consideration the torque from the engine pushing it to the left, make an adjustment so that it will track strainght? I have made all the adjustments I can make with my transmitter to make the wheel movement less sensitive. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Poppy2

Get it to roll straight by pushing it. You don't have to roll it on an incline, just turn the radio on, and with the controls at neutral, give it a push across some flat and level concrete. If it pulls, then correct that until it rolls straight. Correct it mechanically, not with trim, as this will mess up your rudder trim as well. Then, learn to correct for engine torque by applying opposite rudder. You might have a nose gear that's too sensitive (I'm assuming it's a trike setup). Make sure your nose gear is connected to the innermost hole at the servo, and the outtermost hole at the wheel. This will desensitize the nose gear so that over correction isn't as much of an issue.

I have the same problem--I'm all over the runway. People dive for the bushes when I start my takeoff roll. I find it works better if I accelerate slowly. Apparently, the steering wheel and the rudder aren't aligned well--when the rudder starts to take over the steering, the plane veers. If I cross this point slowly, I have more time to adjust. But not always.

if you want to go through the trouble then 1st mechanically adjust your nose gear to track straight and true. 2nd while inflight trim your aircraft for straight and level flight, 3rd readjust nose gear to track straight and true. this should provide you with an aircraft that tracks straight on the ground as well as in the air.

one other thing.check the mail wheels tomake sure they spin freely and that they are toed in a bit,toe in is when the axles are bent so that the wheels point towards the nose gear.this will help keep the plane running in a straight line once the nose gear comes off the ground.also the length of the nose gear strut length should be adjusted so that the plane is sitting level or a tad nose up.worst thing is to have the nose pointing down,takes too long to rotate.

First mistake that I made on take offs is JAMMING the throttle wide open and then your chasing the airplane. Start your take off roll by Gently applying power and gradually increase to wide open. This method you have the time to make the minor rudder corrections to track straight for a smooth take off.
-Tom

Are you flying off grass? If so, hold in a bit of up elevator to help "float" the nosewheel through the grass, rather than letting it dig into the stuff & jerk back & forth. That will help de-sensitize it and also shorten the take-off run. Accelerate smoothly & make your steering corrections by applying stick "pressure", rather than by pushing the stick around -- be gentle & she'll love you right back

If you are flying off a hard runway, the nose wheel will have maximum sensitivity. Try to line up very carefully & accelerate slowly, with minimal rudder input, until you have it tracking straight & moving well, then accelerate more firmly in the late stages of the run & lift off smoothly.

The (tricycle) trainer that I learned to fly with was an absolute pig. Even my instructor (with over 30 yrs flying and building experience) complained about it constantly. I tried everything and my instructor tried everything but nothing worked. I finally soloed and got rid of that @@$%# thing. And it's been tail-draggers ever since.

britbrat, APIA, SBD-5 and the others all have good ideas and I hope that one of them solves your problem. If it doesn't then you might have gotten ahold of my old trainer.

Get a tail-dragger. You'll never look back.

Best of luck,
Mike

Be sure that your nose wheel has as little travel as possible. Too much motion there will make it dang difficult to keep straight. It should barely move at all.

I want to thank you all for all the information you have given here. I am on grass and the runway is kind of narrow, at least I think so. It is a tricycle. I have just turned everything on, lined up the rudder and mechanically adjusted the nose wheel so that it rolls straight when I push it or let it roll down the driveway. That's were it is staying. The main wheels seem to be straight ahead or somewhat towed in. The transmitter has an adjustment for the front wheel/rudder and I have made that the least sensitive that it can be made. I am going to try to get out to the field tomorrow and practice running that plane up and down the runway with wing attached and hope to get a better feel as Britbrat says to just put pressure on the stick rather than pushing it all around. I am 63 years old and know that the refex is not like a 20 year old kid, but I am so close to flying on my own that I can taste it. Retired, less than five miles from the field, how lucky can you get. Again, thanks to everyone that has responded.

Poppy2

OK, here is a little secrete. Always have the steering arm on the opposite side from the axle. Why ? During the take-off run, the nose gear will try to turn toward the axle. Pushrods can flex and bow in compression. But they hold tight in tension. SHhhhh !

IMHO Danny and Nick have the answers. The wheel has control of the airplane until the throttle puts enough wind flow across the rudder, and at some point the wheel looses contact with the ground . . . and if it is fighting the rudder at that point you suddenly have a change in direction. Landing or taking off if your rudder is fighting with your steering, you loose. My preference is a minimal wheel steer and blip the rudder for tighter turns as needed. Danny has the key to making the finest of adjustments. Trim for straight flight into the wind. Then hold those settings and try the roll test with the engine off. Torque of a .40 or .60 will not overcome a nose wheel on a generally nose heavy trainer. Just be ready to apply a small amount or right rudder when the nose wheel leaves the earth. If you build up speed, gradually, and let the wing lift the plane without jerking back the elevator you'll have enough of the direction controlled by the rudder that the wheel's effect will be less critical when it disappears.

Yup, I think you got my old trainer.

Hi, Poppy.
I too, am 63 and retired. Ain't it WONDERFUL!
I wanted to mention something here in addition to the excellent information you've already received about alignment. I found that as you're beginning, the best way to take off is to stand directly behind your aircraft, if at all possible. This will help immensely as you can quickly and immediately see the aircraft start to veer off one side or another and make a slight correction, before it gets too far. As a beginner, it's difficult to judge where the airplane is really headed if you stand to the side and try to take off. Also, if you have a digital tx, set up the rudder/nosewheel channel (#4) in the "exponential" mode. This mode, which can be applied to other control surfaces as well, is a great help, even for experienced flyers. One of the two choices this mode gives you is to make the first amount of stick movement act slower on the nosewheel. As you move the stick further, the movement speeds up, until the maximum stick movement brings the nosewheel to full travel. In essence, movements of the stick close to the neutral position, produces little movement of the nosewheel, while correcting for drift on takeoff, but the further you move the stick, the faster the nosewheel will respond with greater movement. This serves to de-sensitize the stick around neutral, so the wheel isn't so responsive. Gee, I hope I've explained this funtion so you can understand it.
Jackster

Poppy,

In addition to the other suggestions you are probably getting behind on the steering, which gets better with practice. Initially the wheels point the airplane but as it comes up to flying speed the rudder starts taking over.

Bill

I want to 2nd the tail dragger . I crashed my 2nd hand .40 trainer with tricycle gear 4 times on take off . Four good take offs 4 crash and repair . I got a duraplane trainer used for $25 set up as a tail dragger 12 take offs 0 crash at take off . Not to say some of those take offs were not quite crazy LOL . I was very frustrated because I have flown electric hand launh very well and flew glow with a buddy set up fly and land very well but take offs were crash time. I am 55 and my reactions are not of a 20 yr old either.

Take the main gear off every now and then and swap side.
That will change the toe-out that develops over time (and rough landings) to toe-in.
Of course, get the rudder and nose wheel lined up straight as well!

Thanks again for all the information that everyone is adding. I am taking in all of it. I didn"t think that I would get this kind of response, but there sure is a lot of good information here. If anyone else has any ideas, please go for it. Thanks again.

Poppy2