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Autorudder. Used in real world?

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Hi all,I want to aski if in real world pilots fly autorudder.Which is realistic, on or off?Thanks,Christos

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Hi all,I want to aski if in real world pilots fly autorudder.Which is realistic, on or off?Thanks,Christos
There is no autorudder in the real world. Many more advanced aircraft do have yaw damper systems that have similar effects (although typically more mild), but a function that automatically makes coordinated turns by checking a box is not present. Usage of yaw damper systems varies by specific aircraft, but generally if you have it you try to use it. The closest to that are a couple of the military fighter fly-by-wire systems.Eric Szczesniak

Eric Szczesniak

A modern yaw damper is also a turn coordinator, which means no rudder input is needed in turns. Fly by wire Airbus aircraft have auto rudder in all but name in normal law. This will compensate for most things, including thrust asymmetry. The 777 has a thrust asymmetry compensation system, which automatically drives the rudder in case of an engine failure. Any CAT 3 autoland capable autopilot requires a rudder controller for rollout guidance.So yes, auto rudder is a reality in many airliners.

ki9cAAb.jpg

A modern yaw damper is also a turn coordinator, which means no rudder input is needed in turns. Fly by wire Airbus aircraft have auto rudder in all but name in normal law. This will compensate for most things, including thrust asymmetry. The 777 has a thrust asymmetry compensation system, which automatically drives the rudder in case of an engine failure. Any CAT 3 autoland capable autopilot requires a rudder controller for rollout guidance.So yes, auto rudder is a reality in many airliners.However the auto rudder included in FSX isn't realistic for normal use and is best left off, leave any auto rudder modelling to the addon designer, unless they miss it out, in which case using autorudder could be justified.

ki9cAAb.jpg

To answer the OP's question, yes, you'll want to fly with Autorudder OFF to get more realistic behavior from most FSX airplanes regardless of a Yaw Damper, FBW or what not.But just for kicks, I thought I'd mention not to forget about the real world venerable Ercoupe. It actually had no rudder petals. It used a linkage between the aileron's and rudder that essentially acted as an "autorudder". It worked very well too. It really only failed in the "court of public opinion", but flying characteristic wise, it was a success.

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Dave Creed

  • Commercial Member
A modern yaw damper is also a turn coordinator, which means no rudder input is needed in turns. Fly by wire Airbus aircraft have auto rudder in all but name in normal law. This will compensate for most things, including thrust asymmetry. The 777 has a thrust asymmetry compensation system, which automatically drives the rudder in case of an engine failure. Any CAT 3 autoland capable autopilot requires a rudder controller for rollout guidance.So yes, auto rudder is a reality in many airliners.However the auto rudder included in FSX isn't realistic for normal use and is best left off, leave any auto rudder modelling to the addon designer, unless they miss it out, in which case using autorudder could be justified.
Just to clarify - the A3xx does not have auto rudder. The rudder is not FBW. Like Boeings the only time you touch the rudder is during the decrab and during an engine out. You still have to put in a rudder input and trim out the force before engaging the AP.777 does have TAC which will partially assist in an engine however you still need to feed in rudder yourself.Regards

Rob Prest

 

Just to clarify - the A3xx does not have auto rudder. The rudder is not FBW. Like Boeings the only time you touch the rudder is during the decrab and during an engine out. You still have to put in a rudder input and trim out the force before engaging the AP.777 does have TAC which will partially assist in an engine however you still need to feed in rudder yourself.Regards
Rob,I didn't say FBW rudder control was involved, I mentioned FBW to differentiate from earlier Airbus models. However some A340s and all A380s do have a FBW rudder. In the A320 the functions I mention are driven through the FAC. It certainly has auto rudder trim which functions in asymmetry condiitons, however I must correct what I said as this only happens during autopilot operation. In manual flight the FAC computes the rudder trim required and displays this as a target on the PFD. It's up to the pilot to apply the rudder or input rudder trim.Re the 777, the TAC takes care of most of the rudder required. It's true the pilot has to apply some rudder to fully trim, IIRC a deliberate design choice so they are kept in the loop. If the pilot does not do so the FBW will compensate to a certain extent with roll inputs to maintain wings level.

ki9cAAb.jpg

  • Commercial Member

Correct, you get a Beta target on the PFD but nothing will happen unless you apply the input and then trim out the force.

Rob Prest

 

Correct, you get a Beta target on the PFD but nothing will happen unless you apply the input and then trim out the force.
Are you the Robert Prest of 'F4 Phantom - A Pilots Story' fame by any chance?

Glenn

Ryzen 3700X, X570 Pro Wifi, 32GB 3600mhz RAM, Nvidia Titan Xp "Galactic Empire", RM750x PSU, H700 case, 2x NVMe M2 SSD, 1x SATA SSD

  • Commercial Member

No that's my father, feel free to send me a PMKind regards

Rob Prest

 

If you fly the PMDG planes (aside from the 737NGX) with auto rudder turned off then you don't experience turns that are in balance. You observe the balance bar move out to the side as you roll in. I don't think having it off is more realistic.

Daniel Talbot

www.danieltalbot.co.nz

And i just tought the autorudder was there in MSFS for people with joysticks without pedals :(:(

  • 3 weeks later...
If you fly the PMDG planes (aside from the 737NGX) with auto rudder turned off then you don't experience turns that are in balance. You observe the balance bar move out to the side as you roll in. I don't think having it off is more realistic.
Adverse yaw...

Sam

  • 2 years later...

Is there any particular reason that corordinated turns are not automatic as in the flight sim? Is there an advantage to having independant control? I thought that using a rudder to make a turn is pointless without the yoke? And itsn't true that too much rudder on a turn can cause a spin? Also I watched this amature land a 737 and I noticed he had one hand on the yoke and another on the throttle. He even said flying a plane is like driving a car with 7 gears in diferent places. Would it not then make sense to have "both hand on the wheeel" so to speak and put the throttle on the floor where the rudders are more like a vechicle? So like left rudder increases thrust, right rudder decreases thrust. I know it's probably simplistic but with the advent of much more sophisticated onboard flight systems it must be possible.

Ethan,

To be fully in control of the aircraft, you need a separate rudder control. It is used independently in some maneuvers, ie. spin recovery. Having aileron input in a spin could just aggravate the situation, especially during the initial stages of it. And then there are times where you actually want the aileron and rudder to be used in opposite directions, ie. slips. And as for both hands on the yoke, just my personal belief, I feel like 1 hand on the yoke is actually better and allows for better control, but like I said, that's just me. So yeah, I see how you would think your ideas would make flying easier. But an independent rudder control I believe is a necessity

 

 

 

 

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