A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

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KPWoodsong
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A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by KPWoodsong »

I recently bought the A2A C172 and have encountered a serious problem. After rotation the left wing drops and induces a sharp left turn. It takes a lot, and I do mean a lot, of right stick to level the wings. I fly the A2A Piper Cub and the A2A Comanche from the same airports and weather conditions without a problem. If I switch to the Comanche during flight the Comanche performs without a problem. I have tried different airports, balancing the load and recalibrating the joystick and rudder pedals.

All realism setting are set as per page 26 of the documentation.

I am running FSX Steam on Windows 10 Pro.
Cessna C172
Piper Comanche 250
Piper J3 Cub
T6 Texan

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Oracle427
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Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by Oracle427 »

Have you tried applying any right rudder? Using right skein at low speed to correct left turning tendencies will exacerbate the problem.
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Lewis - A2A
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Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by Lewis - A2A »

Hello and welcome to the forums,

Just from a pure technical pov I just wanted to check you have run the latest Accu-sim updater;
http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 23&t=57819

And also that during the pre-flight all is ok and no issues occur that require attention.maintenance?

thanks,
Lewis - A2A
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alan CXA651
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Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by alan CXA651 »

Hi.
A few questions .
1/. Is the aircraft set in shift + 3 as new or used.
2/. what was the state of the aircraft in the hangar , was anything needing repair
3/. did the preflight checks reveal anything to keep an eye on
4/. what was your trim settings
regards alan. 8)
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KPWoodsong
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Joined: 11 Mar 2018, 18:20

Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by KPWoodsong »

I installed the latest update, 10_12_2017, when I installed the aircraft and then downloaded and reinstalled when I noticed I had a problem. I also made sure the default flight is the trike at Friday Harbor. I have also done a complete overhaul, several times actually. I can fly the plane fairly straight using the rudder but it takes constant attention and adjustment. I already have some right rudder during takeoff and it needs a lot more after rotation to level the wings and is very twitchy needing constant attention. I believe I shouldn't need much rudder after take off unless I have a cross wind, which I don't, or making a turn.

The "Used Button" is greyed in the shift - 3 window. I am only aware of one trim setting, nose up and nose down, it is set for takeoff. In the hanger everything is fine and the airframe has 3665 .5 hours. During preflight everything is fine.

I tried engaging the autopilot shortly after rotation to keep the wings level. At altitude I turn off the autopilot and establish straight and level flight. If at that point if I let the stick go the aircraft quickly banks left more than 30 degrees the nose goes up then down and the bank angle increases and unless I am able to recover the plane crashes.

Thanks
Cessna C172
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Oracle427
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Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by Oracle427 »

If you are flying slow and at a high angle of attack with high power, I.e takeoff, then you need a lot of right rudder. The only time you need more right rudder is during slow flight exercises out when turning on the ground or when touching down in a very stiff crosswind.

From your description, I suspect you are rotating too early out rotating too steeply and as a result getting near the critical AoA and on some cases entering a stall. Do you hear the stall horn going off or chirping at all?

What is the airspeed you are rotating and climbing out at?
Flight Simmer since 1983. PP ASEL IR Tailwheel
N28021 1979 Super Viking 17-30A

KPWoodsong
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Joined: 11 Mar 2018, 18:20

Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by KPWoodsong »

Checking out what Oracle suggested I set the trim for a bit more nose down than indicated on the wheel, and didn't allow the aircraft to rotate to 60 KIA. Things went a lot better. I am ready to chalk this up to pilot error and thank Alan, Lewis and Oracle for their help.

Thanks guys

KP
Cessna C172
Piper Comanche 250
Piper J3 Cub
T6 Texan

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Oracle427
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Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by Oracle427 »

Ok, that's good progress!

60 (Vx) is about as slow as you want to go on climbout as any slower will lead to a quickly diminishing climb rate. About 70 KIAS is Vy.

Rotation around 55 is normal, but rotation on a Skyhawk amounts to tightening your grip on the yoke. Very little pressure is required as the plane will pretty much fly right off the ground by itself at that speed. Normally the sight picture for Vy puts the forward edge of the cowl a little bit above the horizon at sea level in typical weather.

In really hot weather you may need to lower the nose a tiny bit to maintain airspeed in the thinner air.

Practice flying slow flight with the airplane flying in the landing configuration at the bottom of the white arc. Set up with the airspeed stable and so that you are neither climbing nor descending. You will need lots of right rudder to maintain level flight and a stable heading. The stall horn should be going off the entire time if you are doing this correctly.

Try some gentle turns while maintaining altitude and then try transiting back to normal flight by adding power and gradually cleaning up the flaps ask the while maintaining heading and altitude.

You may find that the airplane texts much like it was during your takeoffs, and it's adjust great practice for herring to know an airplane at the minimum controllable airspeed.
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Lewis - A2A
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Re: A2A C172 after rotation the left wing drops dramatically

Post by Lewis - A2A »

Good to hear you are sorted, if you ever have any issues please do post, its why we have our open forums for all support ad also a great community for all things fs and aviation etc in general.

thanks,
Lewis -A2A
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