Last night I spent 8 consecutive sorties in the C-Hog, and noticed what seemed to be a Trim or possibly a CG problem in the F4U. This is really my first time I flew dedicated Hog time, so it may be nothing new.
My impression was that this aircraft, is exceptionally "nose heavy", in all fuel states from 75% + Centerline Drop Tank, down to pure empty.
It also seemed to be very sensitive to trim settings in the pitch vector. With the nose constantly wanting to "hunt or bob" with very little to no change in speed. Then if you tried to trim it out, one click in either direction would overcorrect the problem. FYI this is not the typical nose bounce, and its not control movement related.
Another strange effect is that in every other aircraft, if I am making a high speed BnZ pass, I have to input at least 2-3 clicks of nose down trim, or the increased dive speed will give me increased lift and bring the nose up. In the Hog, I had to do the opposite. I had to put in a couple of "nose up" trim adjustments.
One indicator I also noticed is that the elevator trim, even after using auto trim settings, is almost always in the top 1/3 or higher of the vertical gauge.
This is another test. Take it up, and put it into auto-level trim. Take your hands off the controls, and then turn off the autotrim. On my machine at least, the nose of the Hog will immediately drop down. This doesn't happen to any other planes I fly.
Now I admitt I am not a full time F4U driver, most of my time is in the P51,N1K2, and the La5 in that order. But its seems unstable to me in the pitch vector, especially when compared to the other aircraft I fly.
I talked to quite a few other pilots about this last night on private, all extremely experienced pilots in WB's who are familiar with trim and its effects, and they seemed to have the same impression I did.
I am going to be outta town for the next 4 days, so I won't be here to comment on this thread.
But I was wondering if anyone else here has experienced this?
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Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure,
Dicta Verm: "Never give the suckers an even break!" or translated "Never engage without an advantage"
