Simviation Forum - Quiz: Name the plane

Reply #15 - Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:50pm

Steve M Offline
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Looking at the yoke it almost looks like the ailerons are controlled via a chain and sprocket or maybe a rubber belt? Judging from the protective cover I see. (Or a cable)

Flying with twins is a lot of fun..

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Reply #16 - Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:58pm

Hagar Offline
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Steve M wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:50pm:

Looking at the yoke it almost looks like the ailerons are controlled via a chain and sprocket or maybe a rubber belt? Judging from the protective cover I see. (Or a cable)

That would be perfectly normal for an aircraft of this vintage. Each end of the chain would be attached to a cable or push rods.

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Reply #17 - Jan 11^th, 2012 at 8:07pm

Steve M Offline
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Hagar wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:58pm:

Steve M wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:50pm:

Looking at the yoke it almost looks like the ailerons are controlled via a chain and sprocket or maybe a rubber belt? Judging from the protective cover I see. (Or a cable)

That would be perfectly normal for an aircraft of this vintage. Each end of the chain would be attached to a cable or push rods.

Very interesting, Thanks Doug.

Flying with twins is a lot of fun..

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Reply #18 - Jan 11^th, 2012 at 8:17pm

Hagar Offline
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I found a photo of a Sunderland yoke (called a spectacle or control wheel on this side of the pond) showing the sprocket.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/nudpp4Y_SP29P0T7YcCVbQ

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Reply #19 - Jan 11^th, 2012 at 10:23pm

beaky Offline
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Jetranger wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 2:37pm:

YIP- that Du-Flunky is a genuine GRUMMAN Albatross ,, amphibiean plane . OK- now what do I WIN ?? a free trip to hawaii ,,, or all expense paid trip to the duxford air museum - a date with jennifer annistion ,,,, ????? the Jetranger ! Grin

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Reply #20 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 4:40pm

C Offline
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Hagar wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:58pm:

Steve M wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:50pm:

Looking at the yoke it almost looks like the ailerons are controlled via a chain and sprocket or maybe a rubber belt? Judging from the protective cover I see. (Or a cable)

That would be perfectly normal for an aircraft of this vintage. Each end of the chain would be attached to a cable or push rods.

And younger aircraft too!

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Reply #21 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm

Steve M Offline
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That explains some of those movie stars using all their strength to muscle an aircraft through a storm. No power steering. Thanks for the input Doug and C. I learned something today!

Flying with twins is a lot of fun..

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Reply #22 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 4:55am

Hagar Offline
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Steve M wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm:

That explains some of those movie stars using all their strength to muscle an aircraft through a storm. No power steering.

I suspect that was more for dramatic effect than realism. Unfortunately I was not allowed to touch the controls on the Sandringham for obvious reasons.

The history & development of aircraft control systems is an interesting subject in its own right. Flying large aircraft like the Sunderland* fitted with purely mechanical control systems could obviously involve more physical strength & effort than with servo-assisted or powered systems but that would depend on the individual design & the way it was set up. Some aircraft are better than others in this respect. All sorts of devices are used to reduce the control forces for the pilot, including bell-cranks, gears, levers, sprockets & chains, cables, push rods, pulleys, springs, balance weights, servo tabs etc. etc. This Wikipedia article explains the basics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_flight_control_system#Flight_control_syste...

*The large rudder on some marks of the Sunderland was fitted with two trim tabs, the upper one acting as a servo tab (moving in the opposite direction to the control surface) to reduce control forces in the cockpit. This would obviously only be effective when the aircraft was in flight.

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Reply #23 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 12:25pm

Flying Trucker Offline
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Excellent Link Doug...have a book in our library that gives all that information. Must have a look at it again... Wink

Thanks for posting that Link and jarring the old grey matter... Grin

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

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Reply #24 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 5:42pm

C Offline
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Steve M wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm:

That explains some of those movie stars using all their strength to muscle an aircraft through a storm. No power steering. Thanks for the input Doug and C. I learned something today!

Of course the hilarity is that when certain types of flying controls were introduced, certainly those operating remote servo type controls (be if cable or more modern FBW), they then had to introduce an artificial "heaviness" to control systems! Grin

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Reply #25 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 6:46pm

Steve M Offline
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C wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 5:42pm:

Steve M wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm:

That explains some of those movie stars using all their strength to muscle an aircraft through a storm. No power steering. Thanks for the input Doug and C. I learned something today!

Of course the hilarity is that when certain types of flying controls were introduced, certainly those operating remote servo type controls (be if cable or more modern FBW), they then had to introduce an artificial "heaviness" to control systems! Grin

That is so ironic, it's actually quite funny! Thanks for that, C. Cool

Flying with twins is a lot of fun..

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Reply #26 - Jan 14^th, 2012 at 4:35pm

C Offline
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Steve M wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 6:46pm:

C wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 5:42pm:

Steve M wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm:

That explains some of those movie stars using all their strength to muscle an aircraft through a storm. No power steering. Thanks for the input Doug and C. I learned something today!

Of course the hilarity is that when certain types of flying controls were introduced, certainly those operating remote servo type controls (be if cable or more modern FBW), they then had to introduce an artificial "heaviness" to control systems! Grin

That is so ironic, it's actually quite funny! Thanks for that, C. Cool

On "a previous type", which had one of these systems (well, two of them in fact for redundancy), there was a manual remedy available if the system failed - a large metal strut (enclosing a large spring!) that was fixed to the cockpit floor and the control column to stop the accidental application of large elevator inputs and subsequent overstress...

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