The Holger Peterson RC Aviation Education Series Presents:

A Short Pitch on RC Takeoffs

Rikk Wolfs 10 June 09
Click on the plane below to view the video

Why did that crash happen?

It is NOT the wind It is NOT the airplane It is NOT I got HIT or that @$&% servo It MIGHT BE Rikk is on my frequency

But most likely it is YOU

If you watch your plane veer around on takeoff, and you do not act, you will crash A poorly executed takeoff is often a safety hazard at the field because you are not in control of the model

A Short Pitch on RC Takeoffs

Agenda
Causes of pulling left during the take-off roll and responses Sequence of take-off events Climb out dos and donts Emergency responses to:
Engine outs Control failures Landing gear failures

An Example Takeoff
Click on the plane to the left to view the video

The probability that I will say something that someone disagrees with is equal to the probability that I will bend my landing gear this season

Forces on Takeoff

Torque / Adverse Yaw

Propeller Effect

Precession

Slipstream

Forces on Takeoff: Torque/Adverse Yaw

The torque problem comes from Newton's basic law of motion which states that "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When viewed from the front, most propellers turn counterclockwise, so the rest of the plane has a tendency to rotate clockwise, or left-wing down. Since the plane wants to roll to the left, you will apply right aileron (i.e. deflect the left aileron down, right aileron goes up) to increase the lift on the left wing creating a right-roll moment.

The left aileron deflection has the effect of making the left wing have more lift than the right.
The left side of the aircraft now produces more drag than the right and causes it to yaw to the left, an effect known as adverse yaw.

Causes Snap Rolls at slow speed when the throttle is advanced too fast

Forces on Takeoff: Propeller Effect / Asymmetric Thrust

Forward moving blade has higher airspeed, and produces more lift Rearward moving blade has lower airspeed, and produces less lift Lift

Lift

Mismatched amounts of lift tend to roll the helicopter clockwise as viewed from the cabin

Forces on Takeoff: Propeller Effect / Asymmetric Thrust

Many discussions of this effect say that it is negligible in airplanes

We see the same effect in the airplane, in theory When slow, and the airplanes nose is raised (high angle of attack) The propeller disk is not flat to the direction of travel It sees a relative wind, so the right blade (viewed from the cabin), produces more thrust than the left This yaws the airplane to the left

Forces on Takeoff: Precession/Gyroscopic Effect

Tail rises on T/O, which is like pushing on the top of the prop which translates 90 degrees to a yaw to the left

Precession is the resultant action, or deflection, of a spinning rotor when a deflecting force is applied to its rim. When a force is applied, the resulting force takes effect 90 ahead of and in the direction of rotation. Any time a force is applied to deflect the propeller out of its plane of rotation, the resulting force is 90 ahead of and in the direction of rotation and in the direction of application This element of torque effect has always been considered more prominent in tail-wheel-type airplanes It most often occurs when the tail is being raised during the takeoff roll This change in pitch attitude has the same effect as applying a force to the top of the propeller's plane of rotation. The resultant force acting 90 ahead causes a yaw to the left

Forces on Takeoff: Slipstream

The most significant effect of the four

Pushes the tail to the right and down, so the nose yaws left and pitches up This is why we have right and down thrust built into the engine mount

Takeoff: Sequence of Events

Start in the pits, engine running Confirm idle is good, and not lean at full power Run up engine, to clear unburned fuel from crankcase
Unburned fuel can stall the engine at a bad time, in some engine designs

Check operation of flight surfaces and directions (develop a routine) at full throttle Confirm that no more than three other pilots are up Push/drag the airplane to the fence, with engine at idle Confirm no RC plane is in the pattern to land Confirm no full scale activity is on the field or in the pattern Check the flag for windspeed and direction Announce, Taking off to the west/east Start your timer Taxi with authority to the center of the T/O area, and line up with the center of the runway hold up elevator on taildraggers during taxi Check operation of flight surfaces and directions (develop a routine) AGAIN Advance the throttle slowly at first, then more quickly to full throttle use full throttle! As the roll starts, counter the precession yaw to the left with RIGHT RUDDER use a lot at first Hold the right rudder in to counter the slipstream yaw as you accelerate Airspeed on the ground is your friend do not yank the airplane up Bleed off rudder to hold centerline Ease in up elevator, and be ready to counter a left roll as she breaks ground with RIGHT AILERON, which means you need RIGHT RUDDER again, to counter adverse yaw Climb out smoothlydont go vertical unless your engine is reliable Smile broadly

Suggestions for Improvement

Be sure to throttle up to full power, advance it smoothly If the plane is veering off to the left, and you cant control it CLOSE THE THROTTLE while you can!! Practice on a sim by putting a big prop on a little plane Taxi on the field until you can go straight be sure you get some speed on to make it real Do this one evening, alone at the field when you can get behind the plane and watch Get a coachanyone can offer helpcoaches, please be quiet during puckering time Fix your airplane so it is reliable, and the engine runs right Practice moving your left thumb on the TX Many people cant force themselves to make the rudder move at all Use the rudder when you are flying sometimes, even when doing a normal aileron turn Practice the T/O sequence at home with your TX off Dont do this with other people around, or they might haul you off to the home when you announce Taking off, I hope! while sitting on the john Think about why your last takeoff was a study in fear Start by blaming yourselfdenial is the enemy of self improvement Talk to other guys about what they think accept tough feedback, and act on it Get back in the saddle and try again until you fix the issue

Climb out
When taking off to the east, the yaw is still there and will draw you over the flight line on climb out
Guess what the fix is? If you arent high enough, it might draw you INTO the flight line

When taking off to the west, the yaw can send you very far out, and you might lose orientation If you climb at a 45 degree angle:
The yaw is worse The consequences of engine failure are worse Your airspeed is slow, you are low and you are pitched up this is no good if you stall Your flight surfaces are mushy It looks stupid

Practice holding runway centerline until you are higher than 50-100 feet, then start a gradual turn

Takeoff Emergencies
If you have engine failure at 50 feet or less, the chances of making a turn back to the field without stalling are low
Best to S turn, or hold heading into the wind and land long

If your ailerons are backwards on takeoff, I hope you practiced flying rudder only If a wheel comes off (common occurrence), enjoy a normal flight
Dont get so slow on the approach to save the landing gear strut that you stall/spin/splat At the moment of touchdown feed aileron to hold the strut off the ground

Aborting a takeoff that is going bad is the better part of valor

Click on the image to the left to view the video

Thanks for the attention!! Thanks, Holger, for setting this up!

May all your takeoffs end somewhere other than my pit area