Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

I need some ideas concerning this plane. It flies and lands great, but taking off is a pain. It always wants to turn to the left when powered up. I end up over correcting and then it just zig zags down the run way. It does have retracts so I am not sure I can toe in the main wheels, but there must be some solution.

Thanks
Scott

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

Put a cheap non heading gyro on the rudder . . .

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

You can also try by adding power slowly on the runway to build speed before rotating her. You could be experiencing high amount of torque if throttling rapidly as you would on single engine model.

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

Are both engines coming up to speed evenly? You could have the left engine bogging down a bit and the right engine will want to push it left because it's revving up quicker. The fact that it's a tail dragger could have something to do with it, but I have a tricycle gear twin that did the same thing until the engines were balanced out

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

The engines tach with in 100 of each other. The pull to the left is to much for a gyro I would think, but that may be my next idea to try. I start slowly on the thorttle and it is in the mid range when the pull to the left happens.

Thanks
Scott

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

One way to help this is to. Drive the rudder and tail wheel from different servos. You mix them into the same channel then whe you are lined up on the runway cut off the tail wheel so you only stays straight. Now you are free to use full right rudder from the beginning of the take off run without over steering with the tial wheel. Also adding power slowly to allow speed to build up also helps...

Ty

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

I had similar problems with single engine and it was one wheel wasn't turning freely. oiled it and everything is fine.

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

Hay Scott,
Check your tail wheel stearing...it may be set up with to much travel. Buggs50 mentioned your wheels and if they both turn freely and the same. Correcting toe-in and toe-out, may be difficult with the Robart retracts for the DC-3.

Do you have an engine comming up on power way sooner then the other... ? Do you have the same make and size of props on both engines ?

You may just need to learn how to take off your DC-3...coming up on power slower and working that rudder with more finesse. Tail dragging twins...

How about a picture of your DC-3... : )

Soft Landings always,
Bobby of Maui

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

Bob,

It could very well just be me needing to learn. Of all the twin and tripple engine planes I have built and flown this is the first tail dragger. I will cut down low rates on the rudder and try slow rolls. I usually do what most do. Slow start and then try and speed up qucikly to md throttle and then a little faster and head in the air.

I am taking it out again tomorrow and will check the wheels, but I am pretty sure there is no drag on either.

I will get a picture soon. Several guys took pctures of it flying and landing. I must admit it is pretty cool flying by low with the wheels up. I have yet not to smile when I fly it.

I can not wait to build a C-47. I know all the things I will change.

Thanks
Scott

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

Hi Scott, I know exactly what you are talking about. I have been flying the Ziroli DC-3 for 3 years now and I have 6 flights on my Ziroli Beech 18. The Beech 18 takes a hard left as soon as the tail starts to fly on the rollout. No amount of right rudder is going to compensate for the "P" factor envoled. Nick Ziroli sr. had the same issues when he 1st flew the Beech 18. Both engines were originally out 2 degrees, so he pointed the left one straight ahead and it helped alot! I was the twin sync beta tester for the Zenoah engines and fortunatly Bill Wike added an optional "rudder steer" mode for floatplanes because they wont turn at low speeds. When you apply right rudder, the left engine will throttle up and vice versa. I can steer with the throttles up to about 60% throttle opening. The throttles stay synced untill you go past half way to full right rudder and then the mix overrides the sync mode. I tested this mode on my Beech 18 for takeoffs and it helped alot, but I also tweeked the parameters for the IC in the twin sync unit. Now it works great! I can takeoff in a 20 mph crosswind and keep her straight all the way to rotation! (with a little practice). If you contact Bill at [email protected] and get a twin sync from him with Rick's rudder steer improvments, you will fix your takeoff problem, plus the added benifit of safe twin flying. Rick

RE: Top Flite DC-3 or any person who has a twin and take off issues.
 

 if your still having this problem dont get carried away with extravagant fixes. go back to basics, first make sure the plane is balanced from side to side. hold nose and tail on center line and make sure the left wing tip is not heavy. I used to use different size nails to balance. if no balance problems show up, kick your engine trust line a couple more degrees to the right unitl it stops torking to the left. this advice is only good if all other controll surfaces are set at 0. its like aligning the tires on your car for your air plane. also try waiting longer on the runway until the engines load up before pulling up in other words make sure the plane is flying on the ground before you try flying it in the air.</p>