On 3/30/2015 10:47 AM, John H. wrote:
On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 10:20:47 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 3/30/2015 9:57 AM, John H. wrote:
On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 04:57:56 -0700 (PDT), True North wrote:

Keyser Söze
- show quoted text -
"So, this is what you have to contend with when flying that RC Cessna 172?

http://tinyurl.com/pvyg9t7 "


SNERK!
Is Johnny still trying to convince everyone that flying his toy is the same as flying a real plane?

Don, can you find where anyone here has said any such thing?



I don't think you ever claimed that flying a RC is the same as flying a
real plane. Of course it isn't.

Exactly.


At some point in the discussion you asked what the "differences" are.

I don't believe that's true either. I believe I may have referred to 'similarities'
in which case you started in about how they were not at all similar.

Among the obvious (being what happens to the "pilot" and airplane if
he/she screws up) one of the differences is in how some are "steered" at
slow speeds on the ground. My comments where related to the types of
airplanes that I had experience flying ... primarily the high wing,
tricycle gear small Cessnas.

You asked perhaps a dozen different questions. To each of them I provided an answer.
You then highlighted the 'big differences', such as the steering, which in fact
turned out to be quite similar in both real and RC aircraft. In fact, a whole lot of
similarities surfaced.

You claim that they have a steerable nose gear, controlled by the rudder
pedals. I claim they have a passive, spring loaded nose gear
that allows it to "follow" a turn but does not initiate the turn.
The "steering shafts" that you refer to are the two, spring loaded
assemblies that allow limited angle movement of the nose gear to follow
the turn. A sharp turn is initiated by differential braking. Shallow or
wide turns can be accomplished by deflecting the rudder (with the rudder
pedals that will cause the prop wash to push the tail one way
or another. The nose gear simply follows (slightly) due to compression
on one of the springs in the assemblies. Otherwise, you'd be scuffing
the nose gear tire similar to making a sharp turn on dry pavement in
your truck with 4 wheel drive engaged.



Exactly. I'm glad to see you acknowledge that the Cessnas *can* be turned by nose
wheel with the rudder pedals. Initially your claim was that they couldn't, and there
was another of the big differences between 'real' and 'RC'.


On that point we are still in disagreement. The Cessnas in discussion
are *not* turned by the nose wheel. The nose wheel simply reacts to a
turn via compression of the springs in the shaft that makes a minor
adjustment in the wheel's castor angle, allowing it to follow the turn.
The turn is initiated by differential braking (for a sharp turn) or
by the affect of prop wash over the rudder. The nose gear reacts passively.

Obviously there are other types of small airplanes that have active nose
gear steering, but this is how the Cessnas work.

Perhaps you interpret the name "steering shaft" as meaning it is active.
What is called the steering shaft is really just the tube assembly
containing the spring.

I learned something I didn't know before in this discussion. When a
Cessna lifts off on takeoff, the nose wheel drops a bit, disengaging
from the spring loaded tubes and defaults to a position that is in
alignment with the main landing gear. This is important when landing
obviously. You hold off putting the nose down for as long as possible
while bleeding off speed.