P38 Lightning question
I do not think that the unique F-102/F-106 control stick should be technically considered a yoke. It is a dual sided control stick, and the references such as technical manuals call it a stick. One side was for aircraft control, the other for radar, but they moved together in unison. Happy to be corrected, but I do not believe it was hinged at the bottom or center like a yoke for roll control. The stick moves the column like a stick. Still pretty neat, but I think it should be called a stick.
Mosquito fighters had a stick, Mosquito bombers had a yoke.
As an aside, the XS-1 also had a yoke.
Yoke configured aircraft with ejection seats, such as the U-2, the B-52 among others, had/have mechanisms to throw the column forward before the seat fires. Otherwise, yes the knees and legs would not appreciate it. The B-52 system is described here:
http://www.ejectionsite.com/b-52.htm
Yeah the 102/106 pilot interfaces are just yoke shaped, like what oxen wear.
Looking at ORAC's F-106 cockpit photo, it appears that it would fall into the category of an off-color yoke.
Looking at ORAC's F-106 cockpit photo, it appears that it would fall into the category of an off-color yoke.
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Sneaking up on the Runway and leaping out to grab it unawares
Age: 61
Posts: 684
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Horsham, England, UK. ---o--O--o---
Posts: 1,185
Received 4 Likes
on
2 Posts
That's what he alluded to; A rams-horn yoke.
Also used in the BAC 1-11
Also used in the BAC 1-11
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Sneaking up on the Runway and leaping out to grab it unawares
Age: 61
Posts: 684
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
He alluded to the Dominie control column being the same as that in the Jetstream.
The two were very different.
The two were very different.
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Erewhon
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The HS125 and Dominie had a 'ram's horns' control column.
Whereas the wretched Jetstream T1 had a yoke but with the angled sections from the boss sloping upwards, rather than the more normal downward style, surmounted by upright grips, rather than the more normal curved style. This added to the overall unpleasantness of the horrible apology for an aeroplane.
Of course the original de Havilland 89 Dominie had a normal yoke
Whereas the wretched Jetstream T1 had a yoke but with the angled sections from the boss sloping upwards, rather than the more normal downward style, surmounted by upright grips, rather than the more normal curved style. This added to the overall unpleasantness of the horrible apology for an aeroplane.
Of course the original de Havilland 89 Dominie had a normal yoke
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Age: 70
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
FWIW, the C-17 is a big airplane with no ejection seats and has control sticks. The C-17 control stick is a bit unconventional in that the stick pivots fore and aft below the floor for pitch control, but pivots left and right at the top of the stick/bottom of the grip for roll control. This allows large deflections of the control grip "above" the pilots' legs (versus between the legs) when the flight controls are in manual reversion mode.
The loop-top control column had been a traditional feature on many british fighters going back to WW1. Camel, Siskin, Gamecock, Bristol Bulldog and Hawker Fury (arguably the Spit's predecessor) all had them, so I suspect it was incorportaed into the Spit simply as being what pilots were "used to".
The actual column design is (IIRC) actually novel and innovative in having a fixed lower column with a hinged part above the knees. The whole column moved fore/afet for elevator input, but unly the upper part moved side-to-side for aileron input, thus allowing full aileron mevment unconstrained by the driver's knees/thighs etc. The upper colum pivit has a closed-loop chain drive to a sprocket on the base of the column which drives the aileron controls. Bothe the Bf109 and the Fw190 lacked this feature, making aileron control much more limited when pulling back-stick.
NALOPKT(&EFGAS),
PDR
The actual column design is (IIRC) actually novel and innovative in having a fixed lower column with a hinged part above the knees. The whole column moved fore/afet for elevator input, but unly the upper part moved side-to-side for aileron input, thus allowing full aileron mevment unconstrained by the driver's knees/thighs etc. The upper colum pivit has a closed-loop chain drive to a sprocket on the base of the column which drives the aileron controls. Bothe the Bf109 and the Fw190 lacked this feature, making aileron control much more limited when pulling back-stick.
NALOPKT(&EFGAS),
PDR
FWIW, the C-17 is a big airplane with no ejection seats and has control sticks. The C-17 control stick is a bit unconventional in that the stick pivots fore and aft below the floor for pitch control, but pivots left and right at the top of the stick/bottom of the grip for roll control....
Similar to the A-4 Skyhawk (and some others), with the roll "hinge" halfway down the column, but the C-17 cockpit is a bit roomier than the A-4 , so not sure why they went with a stick in the C-17...was a fighter pilot on the decision panel?
All Canberra's had a yoke!
PDR1 , I have seen it written that the Spitfire style "ring" on top of the column was so pilot could use two hands for addition purchase. Whether that is factually correct don't know.
megan,
Based on my one flight in a T IX, I would say you would definitely need two hands on the stick to roll at high speed. Even at 200 kts, I found the ailerons very heavy.
Based on my one flight in a T IX, I would say you would definitely need two hands on the stick to roll at high speed. Even at 200 kts, I found the ailerons very heavy.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Age: 70
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The predecessor for the C-17 was the YC-15. It originally had two yokes, but during testing they put a stick on one side. It proved to be better than the yoke for making the required precision landings, and the C-17 had two sticks from day one.
Does this actually present an issue, or is it something that comes pretty naturally?