Author Topic: Landing the F4U? (Read 1958 times)

opus · « **on:** March 15, 2004, 11:38:35 AM »

When I try to land the F4U, it fishtails and flips around as soon as I touch the wheel break. I've tried land very slow with full flaps and even turning off the engine to eliminate any torque effect. But it still fishtails and I wind up rolling down the runway backwards. I guess it still counts as a landing, but it sure aint pretty. Whats causing this?

Soulyss · « **Reply #1 on:** March 15, 2004, 11:55:44 AM »

The F4U is just a nasty plane on take offs and and landings. What are you using for rudder input? I used to have major problems with that bird, which after practice I've managed to reduce to minor issues and only the occasional groundloop.

One thing I found was easy to do is end up contributing to the problem, the plane would start to veer one way so i'd stomp (so to speak) on the rudder to and end up over correcting and pretty soon the plane would fishtail and become uncontrolable. About the only advice I can give ya, since I'm really not much of a Hog jockey is to watch the rudder inputs and be as gentle as possible, physically having a good controller for this would help. That and practice, practice, practice. Pretty soon you'll get used to the F4u's little quirks and it should become a littler easier to deal with since you'll be able to anticipate what it's going to do.

zmeg · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2004, 12:01:40 PM »

Keep your tail high and use right(v) & left (c) wheel brakes to steer, use only very small rudder movements.

RTR · « **Reply #3 on:** March 15, 2004, 12:27:22 PM »

Here's what I do, and it works 100% of the time.

Touch down at no more than 100- 110 mph.
as soon as you are planted (3 wheels on te ground) tap the left brake a couple of times. Don't hold it just tap it. Then alternate between left and right brakes (depending on which way you are veering) until you are slow enough to apply full braking.

hope this helps.
cheers,
RTR

YUCCA · « **Reply #4 on:** March 15, 2004, 12:36:28 PM »

what rtr said... nice n' slow

opus · « **Reply #5 on:** March 15, 2004, 01:07:20 PM »

Thanks all, the left and right brake did the trick.

Just two questions..

If the engine is off, what is making the nose swing violently to the right?

And if planes had rudder pedals, where are the left and right brakes on a real f4u?

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2004, 01:53:01 PM »

The autotrim trims the plane taking into effect the torque from the engine. You turn off the engine, but the autotrim is still trying to account for it.

RTR · « **Reply #7 on:** March 15, 2004, 05:36:11 PM »

F4U I believe had toe braking. IE. the rudder pedals were used as brake pedals (pretty common set up). You pushed on the top of the pedals to actuate.

Cheers,
RTR

Kubwak · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2004, 10:38:20 AM »

got no rudder pedals here but i wish i had them though, so i dweeb it when i land the f4u. as soon as my two wheels touch the ground, i just press X

maddog · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2004, 10:59:20 AM »

use rudders to keep it straight (left rudder) use brakes same time..

Ghosth · « **Reply #10 on:** March 16, 2004, 01:09:15 PM »

F4u loses rudder authority as speed drops off.

Try "Burying" the tail as soon as its slow enough to not lift off the runway again.

Pull back hard on the stick, STICK that tailwheel on the ground and hold it there. Voila, you have steering control again.

Soda · « **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2004, 02:30:40 PM »

The problem is typically that people land the F4U at too high a speed and it "ground-loops" when you brake. Ghosth is correct, you need to get the tail-wheel down so either pull back on the stick (and hope you aren't so fast as you take off again) OR don't set down until you are much slower. My technique is to fly as long as I can while only 5ft or so above the runway, slowly increasing back-pressure until the aircraft just settles onto the runway. That gives a nice slow touch-down speed and it's easy to keep the tail down and apply the brakes at the lower speed.

Differential braking, or heavy rudder use, can be used but you have to be quick on the controls or it can quickly exceed what you can control and will ground-loop uncontrollably.

MOSQ · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2004, 09:39:30 PM »

I was ground looping both the F4U and F6F pretty consistently until I read the tailwheel plant suggestion in another thread a few weeks ago. Since then no problem other than twice I've inadvertantly taken off again.
The tail wheel plant is especially useful on planes with heavy noses, such as the IL-2. I used to have bad nose bouncing when trying to slow that plane, even damaging the prop several times. Now I slow down to just under take off speed, pull back hard on the stick and slam on the brakes. That's the fastest way to stop. An IL-2 will still ding the prop if you brake too hard, but it makes a big difference.

FTJR · « **Reply #13 on:** March 17, 2004, 04:18:27 AM »

When you touch down. Just release the back pressure on the stick.. That worked for me

REVGST · « **Reply #14 on:** March 17, 2004, 09:11:07 AM »

Yes, slowing way down lets ya land easy, as well as using differential breaking. When I was first learning with the corsair, I would kill the engine right before I touched down to help cancell the effects of engine torque.