B52's
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B52's
Having just watched the sight of one of the formidable B52's landing at Fairford on the news, just wondered if someone could answer a question for me.
Is the whole lot of it's main gear steerable/castoring, as the one that landed, rolled out down the r/w with the nose pointing about 10-15 degrees off the centreline?
Ta.
Is the whole lot of it's main gear steerable/castoring, as the one that landed, rolled out down the r/w with the nose pointing about 10-15 degrees off the centreline?
Ta.
Join Date: Mar 2000
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I'm not sure of the exact figure but the crab angle can be set in the flight deck
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To make the plane less vulnerable, the B52 uses fully manual controls. (no hydraulic with all the lines that can be shot at)
To limit rudder forces to the pilots capability, the depth of the rudder is just about 10% chord, much to small to handle a crosswind landing without castoring the wheels and touching down crabbed.
The elevator also has some technically very interesting feature, an internal force compensation inside the horizontal tail using the pressure difference between elevator upper and lower surface at the hinge line. The elevators nose is protuding far into the stabilizer and is sealed against it. So the forces on the control surface aft of the hinge are compensated by forces on front of it inside the stabilizer.
Cold war led to some amazing technical achivements in aviation.
To limit rudder forces to the pilots capability, the depth of the rudder is just about 10% chord, much to small to handle a crosswind landing without castoring the wheels and touching down crabbed.
The elevator also has some technically very interesting feature, an internal force compensation inside the horizontal tail using the pressure difference between elevator upper and lower surface at the hinge line. The elevators nose is protuding far into the stabilizer and is sealed against it. So the forces on the control surface aft of the hinge are compensated by forces on front of it inside the stabilizer.
Cold war led to some amazing technical achivements in aviation.
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Somebody did tell me once (but I'm not sure if it's true, and I'd like to have it confirmed) that the wheel castoring could be fed from the navigator's Doppler drift, making it fully automatic.
Anyone know if that's correct?
Anyone know if that's correct?
Join Date: Mar 2000
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As far as I remember the offset is manual only on the B52.
The C5 Galaxy has a similar system which can be tied into the Doppler drift system. A great idea, but I believe it was deactivated after a couple of Doppler drift runaways in the flare leading to a large number of tyre changes at the same time!!!
I'm sure there is someone out there who can confirm or modify this information as it is from some time ago!!!
The C5 Galaxy has a similar system which can be tied into the Doppler drift system. A great idea, but I believe it was deactivated after a couple of Doppler drift runaways in the flare leading to a large number of tyre changes at the same time!!!
I'm sure there is someone out there who can confirm or modify this information as it is from some time ago!!!
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If the offset is manual how do the crews gauge what to set it at?
Do they have a gauge on the knob that sets it? If they get it wrong (say 15 degrees instead of 20) do the wheels sort themselves out?
Do they have a gauge on the knob that sets it? If they get it wrong (say 15 degrees instead of 20) do the wheels sort themselves out?
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The nav can read the doppler drift out over the intercomm at, say, 200 feet, and the pilot can set it manually. That way, the nav can check that the doppler's locked on at the time. If it isn't, he still has the ATC surface wind and his CRP5 (or the USAF equivalent).
These days, it's probably available off the INS anyway, because the B52 has had several mid-life updates of the nav and weapons systems. And INS doesn't unlock.
These days, it's probably available off the INS anyway, because the B52 has had several mid-life updates of the nav and weapons systems. And INS doesn't unlock.
