anybody else have problems with piper j3?

[Guest craig198]

I even flew the aerosoft??? piper and had no such problems like this. is there a groundloop factor in the aircraft.cfg lol

[thrakete 0]

I have re-flown it, and still think the model is good, but my real life experience flying the Cub was a long time ago.I think part of the problem is, as has been pointed out, tailwheel airplanes do not handle like "tricycle gear" (nosewheel) airplanes. However, another problem is the exaggeration of the effect of ground wind on the airplane that has always been a problem in flight sim. I still have a copy of the original Piper Service Manual, and just for information:On the original J3 the tailwheel and the brakes were optional extras. The standard model came with a tail skid and no brakes. Three point landings and grass runways were the norm, and use of the optional brakes to shorten the landing roll was discouraged. The brakes were mostly intended to aid in low speed turns and to keep from running into things (like a gas pump) :9 while taxiing.Regards,Thrakete

[thrakete 0]

I forgot to add the tips:For the closest to the real airplane (in my memory):1. Fly the FSX model J3 with the "Clear Skies" weather option selected. That does away with the unrealistic Flight Sim ground wind effect problem. It is so light that Flight Sim will not allow you to fly it with any significant crosswind. 2. Fly it from the Virtual Cockpit with about a .80 to .90 zoom. That will give you something close to the real outside visibility.3. I have never tried it with automatic rudder/aileron coordination, but don't think you can take off and land that way.Regards, Have fun.Thrakete

[thrakete 0]

After stating my opinion that the FSX J3 model was realistic, I did some more flying with it, and to my chagrin ground looped it several times in what should have been normal, uneventful landings.This led me to compare the FSX aircraft.cfg file "pilot" and "passenger" seats and gas tank locations to a copy of a 1938 factory drawing of the airplane. It appears that the FSX seats are mislocated longitudinally, and are too far back from the 1/4 chord reference point, and the gas tank is slightly off also. This would cause the peculiar behavior.I am currently trying the model out with new locations scaled from the factory drawing, and the handling seems much better. This is preliminary and I have had very little opportunity to test it though.If you know how to handle an aircraft.cfg file you might want to FIRST MAKE A BACK-UP COPY* of the original, then try these changes.1. Change the longitudinal locations of the two seats as follows:(Under weight and balance)1. Change the rear (Pilot) Seat longitudinal location from -3.25' to -1.875'.2. Change the front (passenger) seat longitudinal location from -.75 to .625 (no "-" sign in front)3. Change the baggage longitudinal location from -4.4' to -3.4'.4. Change the longitudinal location of the gas tank (This is under the fuel section) from 2.8' to 2.5'.If you try these, please comment on the results. I have tried it with and without a passenger, and it seems to work well both ways.Regards, please provide your feedback.Thrakete* I just copied the original values into the remarks portion of each parameter so I could return to them if necessary.

[thrakete 0]

After some more flights with crosswinds, the other critical thing in landing the J3 in FSX is to get the tail on the ground with the stick back in your lap as soon as you get the plane below flying speed, about 40 to 45 mph in this case. As noted, FSX exaggerates ground wind effects, especially with something as light as the J3.I didn't get much cross-wind experience when I was flying the real airplane, as we mostly used grass fields, and you just landed into the wind. Yep, it was a while ago.Regards,Thrakete

[Longers 0]

thrakete thanks for your tips - excellent adviceLongers