Originally Posted by
Weheka
Apologies to Bobby G for doubting his experience in the DC3 aircraft. Still don't understand why the characteristics are not very similar to other tail dragger aircraft but my experience is only in the single engine types. For example in a loaded 185 I would set trim so tail will come up virtually on its own, once six inches or so off the ground, slight back pressure and you are airborne. For you DC3 experienced guys, where is the elevator trim set for take off with a reasonable load?
Sent you PM Bobby but your inbox full?
Thanks Weheka. I'm new here and don't know why my mailbox shows full with 0 messages.
The trim is set for liftoff speed/weight. But really, that's about the same setting for all weights. The heavier and bigger the airplane, the more out of trim it will be in the early takeoff roll until 60-70 kts, that's just the way it is. In some DC-3s we could "fly the tail" during runup when empty, in others there was no way you could. All of the DC-3s handled different, have their own character. Any of the multi-engine airplanes I sent you pictures of would surprise you the first time you fly it. A few years back I started flying the B-25 and although from a distance it looks like a nimble airplane, it flies the same way as the lumpy C-46. It takes muscle. My point with this is that not every DC-3 takeoff is the same. Bluebonnet Belle was loaded for Oshkosh. I wasn't there but the airplane was likely loaded with a lot of fuel and extra gear, different from the usual load. The takeoff would've been much more challenging than normal. As a former CAF pilot I can tell you that it's difficult to maintain proficiency in those airplanes and through a combination of several factors directional control was lost and the airplane yanked off the ground. It is slow to react to control forces at low speeds and heavy weights. But I cannot see aileron movement which is very suspect in my opinion and is the main reason why I reacted to this thread, nobody mentioned the all important ailerons.