Hey all,

 

This aircraft is a blast to fly.  The only issue im having is directional control on takeoff is sometimes very hard to manage with crosswinds.  Im using ASN for weather and CH pedals with sensitivity maxed out.  When the steering shuts off around 30-40 knots I have to go full right / left on the pedals respectively to keep the plane from going off the runway.  Can someone let me know if this is operator error or is there some kind of limitation?

 

Thanks!

As in the real aircraft the NWS disengages at 45 knots. At this point there is enough airflow over the rudder to maintain lateral control. Perhaps the sensitivity of your pedals needs to be dialed back. As our Lear is the first product I know of that incorporates this, it does take some getting used too.

Hi HighFlyer310!

Do you know the direction and speed of the wind at that moment? Like all planes the Learjet 35A has a crosswind limitation. As stated in the flight manual, the demonstrated crosswind limitation is 24.7 kts at 20 foot height.

 

Cheers

Unfortunately as well, FSX is poor at simulating friction so yeah, it is hard to keep tracking. I'd look at what Pat said first and foremost. If you find (as I do) that tracking is still a problem, you could up the rudder effectiveness in the aircraft.cfg, but unless you are very familiar with doing that type of adjustment, I'd be inclined to leave it alone. This is a long standing issue with FSX though and it's very hard for the developers to get around it without messing up the rest of the flight dynamics.

 

You can also just tap the opposite brake (if you are heading left, then tap just the right brake) but this WILL increase your takeoff run. Works ok on a long runway if all else fails, but it's certainly not the best solution out there.

 

With respect to Matt, I too have the CH rudders, etc., and I wouldn't bring the sensitivity back any on those. That will likely make the problem more difficult to handle as you'll have less (or slower) effect on straightening the plane out. No question, this is a pain in the backside, but it's not a problem with the developer in this case.

Thanks for the replies.  The last takeoff I had issues with was with winds 190 @ 11 kts departing on a 140 heading.  So thats not anything crazy but I nearly went off the edge of the runway before it finally started reacting to my rudder input; kind of frustrating.

So the wind was not the problem! Glenn gives us the answer :wink:

One other thing to watch for though is make sure you leave your steering lock turned on (seems to me the lock would be in the "OFF" position when in the up position as you now can control the steering with the nosewheel, but ok) for takeoff. That will give you more control up until 45 kts. However, be prepared as when it kicks off, you suddenly have greatly reduced steering control so inputs will be way different for the same result. I haven't changed my rudder effectiveness setting at this point, by the by.

 

The other thing I meant to mention is to roll your ailerons so you are "banking" into the wind. So if the wind is from the left, move the ailerons as though you are banking for a left turn. This is correct crosswind technique. However, as you get close to rotation, take some of that aileron input out or you'll scrape a tip tank on takeoff (generally considered a bad thing as it leads to unwanted issues, like a crash!). As soon as you're in a positive rate of climb crab into the wind a bit to track the runway outbound until your first turn.

 

Hope that helps

The aircraft will track well in a crosswind takeoff use standard crosswind technique but I do notice the sim rudder is not as as effective on takeoff. I have my controller rudder sensitivity dialed down but may adjust the setting to see if it makes a difference.The aircraft is very good in crosswind landings using a wind correction angle on final and in the flare transitioning to opposite rudder and a very shallow maybe two degrees or so bank as aircraft touches down.Once down increasing aileron input into the crosswind as you decelerate. On dry runways it will handle the demonstrated cross wind limit with no problems. I would not land with the yaw damper engaged I always found it would interfere with rudder input in a strong crosswind landing.

I have a copy of a Lear 35 POH that I found on the web, but have no idea how to share it with everyone. The only difference between the manual and our aircraft is the manual references the original, older FC-200 autopilot rather than the FC-530 we have incorporated.

Hi Matt!

Very simple. You can use Dropbox. First create a free account, then upload your file and share with the link! That's all