This thing is bugged. Climbs like it has a jet engine when it's trimmed to neutral with no wind.

 

Took another flight in the Maule tonight. In order to keep the wings level on approach, I had the left rudder trim set at 34%. That doesn't seem right to me.....Then I flew the RV-6 and had zero problems with trim or holding a heading, so the problem is definitely in the flight model for the Maule, not my joysitck.

 

Yeah at first I thought it was another busted joystick till I flew the Rv...they need to fix it.

This thing is bugged. Climbs like it has a jet engine when it's trimmed to neutral with no wind.

 

 

 

Yeah at first I thought it was another busted joystick till I flew the Rv...they need to fix it.

 

 

I didn't fly it much prior to the update, so I don't know if this was there before or since the update. But it is really tedious to fly a long approach with it, spending 1/2 the time fiddling with the rudder trim. The worst part about it, is when you are about to land, you are in a crab because the rudder is deflected to one side from all the trim.

I didn't fly it much prior to the update, so I don't know if this was there before or since the update. But it is really tedious to fly a long approach with it, spending 1/2 the time fiddling with the rudder trim. The worst part about it, is when you are about to land, you are in a crab because the rudder is deflected to one side from all the trim.

 

So weird because this is exactly the problem I was having before the update... was fixed by dumping fuel. It seems, however, that they've made it so that it acts 'heavier' than it used to be. I could never get the rudder trim right... from another post it says that the rudder trim in the Maule is not really a rudder trim but more of an aileron/rudder coordinator system.

 

Yesterday I was having a similar problem with the RV6... could not get it to fly straight... I eventually went and turned off propeller effects and it was fine afterwards. For now I'm going to leave it off because it makes flying very difficult when the plane is always turning to one side (to the left for the RV6 if I remember correctly)!

I like that it's harder to handle overweighted Maule now, some jobs are almost important now and it makes me wait and hope for new stronger airplanes)

I like that it's harder to handle overweighted Maule now, some jobs are almost important now and it makes me wait and hope for new stronger airplanes)

 

Even empty it is acting strange.

 

 

I didn't fly it much prior to the update, so I don't know if this was there before or since the update. But it is really tedious to fly a long approach with it, spending 1/2 the time fiddling with the rudder trim. The worst part about it, is when you are about to land, you are in a crab because the rudder is deflected to one side from all the trim.

 

That doesn't happen at all to me. I haven't needed to touch the rudder trim since the Title Update.

I've been flying the Maule a lot lately and I can't see much difference from the previous version. These are the only things that are obvious:

 

1. The prop takes longer to spin up. Probably takes longer to slow down, too.

 

2. If you pull the prop control back quickly, you get a sudden burst of speed. Perhaps it's conceptually modelling inertia in the prop. Doesn't seem right though. After the burst of speed, the speed settles down to what it should have been. Pushing the prop control forward does not seem to have a slowing effect the same way. Did they raise the prop inertia by an order of magnitude or two?

 

I've been flying way overweight lately, which I hadn't done much of before. As far as I can tell, the plane acts the same way overloaded as it did previously.

 

Hook

I've been flying the Maule a lot lately and I can't see much difference from the previous version. These are the only things that are obvious:

 

1. The prop takes longer to spin up. Probably takes longer to slow down, too.

 

2. If you pull the prop control back quickly, you get a sudden burst of speed. Perhaps it's conceptually modelling inertia in the prop. Doesn't seem right though. After the burst of speed, the speed settles down to what it should have been. Pushing the prop control forward does not seem to have a slowing effect the same way. Did they raise the prop inertia by an order of magnitude or two?

 

I concur on those two, and would add that I'm seeing a more pronounced left-turning tendency in high power/high angle-of-attack situations, which I never really noticed much at all before. I don't know if they've actually tweaked anything with that, or if it's just a result of load-weight increases forcing me nose-higher and slower on climb-out.

 

I've been flying way overweight lately, which I hadn't done much of before. As far as I can tell, the plane acts the same way overloaded as it did previously.

 

I've pretty much always flown the Maule around max gross weight, and never noticed any real difference between the empty weight and overloaded. With the Title Update, it's become very sluggish on climb-out when overloaded. It used to climb like a rocket no matter what you had in back.

That doesn't happen at all to me. I haven't needed to touch the rudder trim since the Title Update.

 

Well this morning, I got up and was thinking that I hadn't rebooted my new PC in days. I rebooted it, took the Maule up and slow flew it all over the place at 55 knots with full flaps, and shot a landing approach with the rudder trim set at neutral, and it was fine. Go figure.....

I'm seeing a more pronounced left-turning tendency in high power/high angle-of-attack situations, which I never really noticed much at all before.

 

One thing I noticed about the Maule early on was this left turning tendency in high angle of attack situations. I was so used to adding right rudder that I didn't realize I was doing it. Interesting note: I took off with the pilot door open yesterday without noticing it. It wasn't until I closed the door that I realized I was holding considerable right rudder. It becomes instinctive.

 

I've pretty much always flown the Maule around max gross weight, and never noticed any real difference between the empty weight and overloaded. With the Title Update, it's become very sluggish on climb-out when overloaded. It used to climb like a rocket no matter what you had in back

 

It may be climbing slower at low altitudes, I don't really remember. I did notice that the rate of climb is around 1100 feet per minute at pretty much any loading and altitude now, which reflects one of the outside articles someone posted earlier ("Luxury Bush Baby").

 

I've gotten used to flying 350 pounds overloaded (2850 lbs). I need to do some flights with under 2500 pounds load to see what it's like. :)

 

One thing I've noticed more lately is that it takes a long time for the Maule to stabilize at a given speed or climb rate. It was always a bit unstable in this regard though. If people don't wait for the plane to stabilize, they may get the impression that things have changed dramatically when they haven't.

 

Hook

This one?

 

"Directional control during takeoff consists of just a little rudder pressure one way or the other to keep the nose from moving. If there's no crosswind, it tracks amazingly straight and gyroscopic forces turn it left only if the tail is yanked into the air in a hurry. If there's a strong crosswind, however, especially a left one, expect it to try to weather vane.

 

I have to admit to being disappointed initially with the airplane's climb performance. We were two guys in a high powered airplane and I'd expected more than the 1,100 fpm the VSI showed. Of course, I'd forgotten the temperatures were putting us at a density altitude of around 5,000 feet and we always carried full fuel so we were at gross. Then, we flew up to Payson (5,000 feet MSL, 7,500 feet density altitude) and shot a bunch of touch and goes. We showed 1,100 fpm on takeoff. Then we loaded Frank's wife Janice and The Arizona Red Head in the back and took off for Sedona, 4,700 feet MSL. We showed 1,100 fpm coming out of there too. In the course of flying the airplane in virtually every possible operating environment, it didn't seem to care how much it was carrying, how high we were or how hot it was. It always climbed at 1,100 fpm which ain't bad!"

 

Maybe I'm just imagining things.

 

My favorite line: "It goes without saying that those using the airplane seriously in the bush have a rather loose attitude towards the established limits."

That's the article.

 

I can get a brief zoom climb of a lot more than 1100 feet per minute, but for sustained performance it's pretty much pegged at around 1150. After I get some altitude it will reduce to around 500 or so.

 

Hook

Loki just posted an addendum for the patch notes on Steam Forum:

 

Aircraft:

- Added propeller inertia effects. Fixes propeller negative thrust on rapid deceleration.

- Added propeller wave drag effects. Reduces propeller over speed on steep powered dives.

- Added propeller torque effect. Requires roll trim now.

- Improved rigid body dynamics. Fixes unrealistic precession effects.

 

 

Yeah, we were right... stuff did change with prop effects.

And it was the moments, the torque and thus the gear ratio, and most probably prop mass as well... I had pointed that out on a previous thread.... Don't I know it from the good'old fs9 fsx times :-)

Great article, Ray..thanks for sharing that..It's like a how-to for the Maule. Just what I've been looking for

 

"The pilots operating handbook (POH) doesn't have a single performance chart of any kind in it"

 

Love it! Here's our airplane; go fly it.

 

It seems to go way too fast now, as well..I have no trouble getting it right up into the orange arc, In level flight, even with around 18" and 22-2300rpm..is this right? I have no aids on..