Simviation Forums

hi

when ever i arrive to the runway after my taxi and enter the runway for take off I try to aline my aircraft with the center of the runway, and it appears that it is centered. However once i have take off power set i always drift off to the side and always just manage to stay on the by a matter of centimeters. So i was wondering if anyone had any pointers on how to stay in the middle of the runway. ( i always make sure the rudder is centered and trim is good)

Hi cb747,

I assume your flying props??

The problem sounds like it is caused by prop torque - you can eliminate this in FS9 by going into your realism settings & setting the 'P_Torque' to 0. But in real life it would be countered by using the rudder.

However, the problem is a real life problem, to save typing it all again, I have just copied a post I made about it a while back:

All planes will drift off course if left to their own devices (whilst flying this can be caused by winds etc.), but you may find this more noticeable if you are flying props, it is caused by the slipstream effect, although it is more apparent on take off & climb because of the high power output (& low speed) being used.

To explain it easier I have just scanned a diagram:


Hope this helps, the tendency for the plane to drift on the runway is perfectly normal (for props anyway).

Cheers,

TSC.

My take-offs veered to the left until I realised what was wrong.  I recalibrated my joystick & now the centreline belongs to me  

Well, if the plane you use has a strong tendency in veering off the center it means either it has a lot of power or its dynamics are poor. If for the last case there's little we can do, for the first case try and not give full power suddenly. If you don't have problem of short runway ahead of you, take it easy and add power smoothly. The plane will behave more smooth as well.

At least doing so I find it helps with my take offs.

Of course, if you have a 300 feet runway to take off from, it's another story, and then you have to use a lot of rudder, but then, so is in reality.

TSC has it spot on. It's all about torque in props and as long as you know to expect the yaw to the left then you can adjust your rudder trim accordingly. Rudder pedals are really excellent for this but if you have a rudder twist motion with your stick then the same effect can be achieved. Crocker

First thing to check is your joystick. If that's OK then it's likely due to your realism settings. They don't need to be set all the way to the right. FS tends to exaggerate things like torque, P-Factor and other forces.

What I did was to try a takeoff in the default C182 and adjusted that so it was as near to a real C182 as I could get it. That had my realism sliders about 80%. I also had to change it a little when I switched joysticks from a Logitech to a Saitek so your mileage may vary.

What Matt says is fundamentally correct, though it must be noted that some planes, like the realair ones, even the free mods to the default C172, call for maximum realism to be set so to enjoy a full and correct simulation of those planes.

In short, the degree of realism you should use varies from plane to plane. For normal planes about 80% of the max value is about correct (I talk about good add-ons, as I steadfastly refuse to use the default refuses), while some planes might require different settings.

Also bear in mind that many FS aircraft will get all messed up by crosswinds while rolling, despite using correction that would work in RL. They often "weathervane"- that is, point into the wind- in a most unrealistic manner (I have never, ever had a trike-gear plane weathervane on me in RL crosswind takeoffs).
Sometimes it's a matter of the friction values set for the wheels... but I'll leave explaining that to the experts.
Is there any particular aircraft  that you're having trouble with?

I know exactly what you mean and it will do it with any aircraft, small jet, jumbo, cessna you name it.
Try, taxing to the runway and allign bang on in the middle slowly. Turn the gas down and apply the handbrake. Now you are looking ahead.
Move up the throttle to 30% (wait!) - now release the handbrake once you have steady engines. See if that helps.

I also have the same problem, and not only with props but with every single plane, and in all types of weather. As soon as I start the take off run all the planes steer to the left, always!!!

Another thing...after I land I don't have any steering control, nothing??

Why is this?? Can someone help me?

xman, it's important to land 'straight and level,' not in a skid. Even so, the rudder should help - look well ahead to the end of the runway, correct your line with the rudder, and give the aeroplane time to respond.

About torque making the aeroplane swing on takeoff, if you'd like a 'nice' change, try a British aircraft. British engines turn the opposite way to American ones - so at least you'll find yourself swinging right instead of left........

One more tip - with tail-draggers, make sure you lock the tailwheel before starting the takeoff run (forget the key code, look it up in 'Aircraft/Keys.'

Except in the case of a short field take off, one should alighn the a/c with the centreline and when given clearance to take off apply two thirds power smoothly allowing the a/c to gather speed quickly and allowing you to counter any tendency to drift. A second or so later apply full power the a/c is now correctly trimmed to fly straight down the rwy. BUT, remember to point the nose into the wind with the rudder straight after you leave the ground.
Vololiberista