Hi guys,please don't take this a typical smartass I know better question. The plane flies great. It is just that it really interests me. Both props are spinning in the same direction. Is that right?Doesn't this produce the unrealistic yaw during takeoff?I notice that at least all of Steve Small's props are counterspinning. Rgds,Alex

Hi Alex,Yes, and yes :-)With a few exceptions, such as the P-38, most military, and even civil multi-engine aircraft, such as the DC-3 and just about every other airliner you can name, had engines that rotate in the same direction. Think about the supply problems of stocking twice as many engines and you'll understand why.I seriously doubt that a flight dynamicist of Steve's caliber has modeled this improperly, so it must be one of the aforementioned exceptions to the rule.There are handling consequences from torque, P-factor, and gyro effects, as you note, but once the plane is up to speed, these are negligible. So, the yaw you note is, in fact, very realistic indeed. :-)Bill Rambow MAAM-SIM - Rambow, Visser, Banting, and Younghttp://www.fssupport.com/maam_sim/maamsim_logo.gif

Thx :-).Alex

A lot of modern GA twins such as the Seneca, big Cessna twins and I think (but may be wrong!) the Beechcraft as well, use engines that rotate in the opposite direction simply to make them easier and more comfortable to operate - and because it tends to be possible to get ones in both spin directions relatively easily.Having seen two Senecas, one with opposite spin engines (a Seneca V) and one with two spinning the same way (a slightly strange - probably modified - Seneca III), taking off from the same runway in a slight crosswind, I can see why they make the engines go in opposite directions - both got off quite safely, but the second was definately not on the centreline the entire takeoff run! :-hahIan P.:-halo(Edited to fix broken "bold" tag... Whoops!)

Another interesting "twist" to the counter rotating props is the Cessna push/pull twin ( the name ezscapes me at the moment) but they have one forward facing engine and one aft facing engine which cancel the torque/P factor effects. That particular aircraft has a special multi engine class (in the USA at least) and it is called "multi engine, center line thrust". There is no "critical engine if one of them gets quiet on you.. BT is one of the few FS planes I have seen when you get the nose up it heads for the side of the runway. (You need happy feet to keep her straight) Well done Rob... Mike B.

Skymaster - affectionately called "Mixmaster" in Vietnam where it served in a Forward Air Controller role.Bill Rambow MAAM-SIM - Rambow, Visser, Banting, and Younghttp://www.fssupport.com/maam_sim/maamsim_logo.gif

Skymaster, there ya go Bill. I was having a senior momment.. Lol Been having a LOT of fun island hopping in the South pacific with BT.. Give it a try. Been finding islands 50-100 miles apart and NOT using GPS or other help (if they have a radio beacon I'll use that) and real weather/wind. These guys must have had stones as big as grapefruit to take off across ALL that water with little more than a compass and a boxed lunch.. It's REAL easy to miss these little atols with poor visibility....Here I am sitting in my chair safe and warm flying the Pacific warters and my palms get sweaty when I leave sight of land...lol Mike B.

I fly her the same way as you in the carribean using the two IWI sceneries. It is a amazing how short the runway can be for a plane this fast.Alex

The video 'Doolittle's run' on the CD shows the engine start-up of the real aircraft and it can be clearly seen that both engines turn in the same direction, i.e. right. The model is (of course.. ) correct ! ;-) :-outta Francois :-wave[table border=0 cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0][tr][td valign=bottom" align="center]"At home in the wild"[/td][td valign=bottom" align="center][link:avsim.com/alaska/alaska_052.htm]Don's Alaskan Bush Charters]"Beavers Lead the Way"[/td][td valign=bottom" align="center][br][tr][td valign=top" align="center]http://www.fssupport.com/images/moose4.gif[/td][td valign="top" align="left" colspan=2][/td][tr][/table