[NSRCA-discussion] Weather Vane or Crab

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

george w. kennie wrote:

> The problem I have with the "unconcious control input" theory is, ....there 
> are hundreds of "Sport" flyers in all 3 of the local clubs that I belong to 
> that subscribe to the idea that the rudder is meant to be used only when the 
> plane is on the ground. One of the guys at my #1 field places his thumb 
> against the base of the throttle stick as soon as the plane is safely in the 
> air and the throttle and rudder control are never touched "til the wheels 
> are back on the ground. Despite the fact that these guys never even breathe 
> on the rudder, their planes exhibit the same fuselage rotation into a cross 
> wind on vertical uplines that my planes do.

The subconscious human input theory (watch out for that acronym!) would
have to be tested with a device that recorded stick inputs and that could
tell whether the plane is already crabbed into the wind through aileron
inputs that get it to fly a good ground track.

If the plane is crabbed before the upline is started, it will probably
still be crabbed in the vertical.

My theory is that the crab is established by the inputs that the
pilots use to get a good ground track.  If they didn't get the
plane crabbed, by hook or by crook, it would be blown in toward
the flight line or away from it.  That, I believe, is where the
magic happens.

					Marty