Daff RSAF posted 12-07-98 06:21 PM ET (US)        

Ok..I dive down on someones low 6, pick up a lot of speed and as I close in I retrim rudder & ailerons(manually) so that the slip indicator is neutral and I dont have to put any force sideways on the stick..I normally keep the top of the crosshair on the bogey and pull up when I get to d7-6 with intentions to fire at d3-2. But.. alot of times, my plane will keep drifting to the right and be the time I discover it I'm lucky if I can get a few pings on the wing and what should be a certain kill is now completly aware (beacuse of the tracers and the fact that I overtake him with about 250mph +).

Last ToD I was in a major slump and blamed that on my missed bounces ,but today, I checked the slip-indicator as it happened and it stayed in the center. I also checked the calibration of my stick & rudder and it was fine.

Is there any logical explanation for this "skid"?

Another oddity is the amount of pilot kills I recieve in the 47 (C & D)..I thought it was supposed to be the best armored plane, but I get more pilot kills in the 47 than I do in any other plane (And hardly any of them show that the pilot armor got removed first).

Oh yeah...give us the real 47C art!!

Daff

(Frustrated P47 driver)

Disco Fever posted 12-07-98 06:37 PM ET (US)         

As to your skid, I wouldn't attribute this to trim but rather to the fact that it is almost impossible to line up "dead 6" on a target you are over taking. If you are off to either side by just a few degrees it is going to require a lot of compensation from rudder imput as you near to firing range, d2-3. You didn't say in your post if you have rudders. If not I recommend that you do get them and use them to produce enough yaw to get your shots where they should be. If you do have them, don't get too caught up in trimming everything perfectly on a pass. To be honest, I generally trim my plane on time for level flight and all other adjustments are made by either rudder of joystick imputs. If you are over taking a guy on a BZ pass, you really shouldn't have time to mess with your alieron and rudder trim as you approach him. Keep your eye on the target and dont think so much about trim as you are going for the kill.

-Disco Fever ==df==

Daff RSAF posted 12-08-98 05:12 AM ET (US)            

For the last 3-4 months or so, I've started trimming manually a lot, so I can do it quite fast (A look on the slip indicator will tell me how much is needed). As for trimming for speed, even if I trim for 250 mph, it will need severe rudder/stick input when you reach 450, which I found made it harder to hit the target. (And yes, I have pedals). I've noticed, though, when I reach that speed, left rudder input have very little effect. It crossed my mind after I posted yesterday, that I might be trimming in crossed controls?!?!?.

Furthermore, I only experience this in the P47.

Daff

Disco Fever posted 12-08-98 06:14 AM ET (US)         

I'm not sure what you are refering to by crossed controls but it is odd that you only notice this in a 47. At 450 ( which in a US plane like a 47 is MPH and basically hauling ass ) you won't get a great deal of movement from stick and rudder input. Yes the 47 is an excellent plane as far as resisting compression is concerned but at that speed any plane is going to have diminished response from stick and rudder inputs with the exception of the 262.

-Disco Fever ==df==

Daff RSAF posted 12-08-98 06:23 AM ET (US)            

Crossed controls: If I remember right (I've only skimmed this part in my flying training book), you can keep a plane in balance with opposite stick & rudder..(I think this only refers to when flying in crosswind..I'm sure some of the other guys out there can correct me on this..otherwise I'll check when I get back from work)..but if that's the case, I could imagine the same thing was happening, due to slipstream/torque effect...ie the plane is in balance, but in effect skidding due to the torque/slipstream.

Daff

Bino posted 12-08-98 09:50 PM ET (US)            

Daff,

I have not had this problem with gunnery (I fly mostly the FW, 109, Corsair, Mustang), but you might try programming a button on your stick or throttle as the "autopilot/angle", and then engage it for a moment when you're pointed right at your intended victim. I use this sort of trim shortcut when I'm on a Jabo run, and find it helps me line up.

bino--

II./JG54

bino.warbirds.org