Doug Riley
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2004
- Messages
- 7,194
That accident appeared to be a ground loop. Of course, this form of instability is a constant problem for tailwheel airplanes. In a giro, the hazard is greater because the rotor, once tilted, tends to pull the aircraft over.
In a direct-control giro, you have a small "window" in which to stop the rollover. But the typical control range is only about ten degrees tilt on each side of neutral. Therefore, once the aircraft tips more than ten degrees, even full opposite stick is insufficient to prevent the rotor thrust from pulling the aircraft over.
Obviously, a crosswind makes the situation much worse. In the 1930s, aircraft frequently flew from fields that lacked runways. You simply pointed the aircraft into the wind. In a sense, there was no such thing as a "crosswind."
Perhaps the giro would benefit from skids near the tips of the wings. The skids could be mounted on long legs, so that they could prevent a roll of more than, say, ten degrees. Training wheels!
In a direct-control giro, you have a small "window" in which to stop the rollover. But the typical control range is only about ten degrees tilt on each side of neutral. Therefore, once the aircraft tips more than ten degrees, even full opposite stick is insufficient to prevent the rotor thrust from pulling the aircraft over.
Obviously, a crosswind makes the situation much worse. In the 1930s, aircraft frequently flew from fields that lacked runways. You simply pointed the aircraft into the wind. In a sense, there was no such thing as a "crosswind."
Perhaps the giro would benefit from skids near the tips of the wings. The skids could be mounted on long legs, so that they could prevent a roll of more than, say, ten degrees. Training wheels!
