How do I take off in the Grumman Duck?

G

gavinc

SOH-CM-2022
I seem to have this problem with several aircraft but it is most noticeable with the freeware Grumman Duck.
When I accelerate down the runway I reach a point just before take off when the aircraft becomes uncontrollable and veers off the runway - seemingly totally oblivious to my rudder inputs.
Other aircraft (for Instance the lovely freeware Dove) behave fine.
I have a basic rig with just a Thrustmaster HOTAS, no separate pedals.

Does anyone else have this issue or am I just a lousy pilot (OK I know I am a lousy pilot but not usually this bad).

Thanks
Gavin
 
I don't remember having this problem with the Duck.

Are you only experiencing this issue with taildraggers? If so, it could be that you're not locking the tailwheel before takeoff (though, to be honest, I can't remember right now if the Duck has a tailwheel lock or not). Just a thought.

Another thought off the top of my head is the weather. Are you flying with real-world weather, and is there a crosswind? If so, try taking off with calm winds and see if you experience the same problem.

You could check your rudder trim, too. Probably not the issue, but no harm in checking.

Whatever the issue, I hope you get it sorted. The freeware Duck is great fun to fly.
 
gavinc said:
I seem to have this problem with several aircraft but it is most noticeable with the freeware Grumman Duck.
When I accelerate down the runway I reach a point just before take off when the aircraft becomes uncontrollable and veers off the runway - seemingly totally oblivious to my rudder inputs.
Other aircraft (for Instance the lovely freeware Dove) behave fine.
I have a basic rig with just a Thrustmaster HOTAS, no separate pedals.

Does anyone else have this issue or am I just a lousy pilot (OK I know I am a lousy pilot but not usually this bad).

Thanks
Gavin
Click to expand...
might be that you are trying to take off without the prop lever full forward...you need maximum RPM for takeoff - the Dove has a fixed pitch wooden prop if memory serves me so it wouldn't have this problem
 
Under Assistance Options, Piloting, do you have Auto-rudder set to On? I find that's useful for take offs with taildraggers with no foot pedals.

I just did a couple of quick take offs with the Duck (Auto-rudder on). and no particular problems.
 
Thanks Folks,
All good tips. I had already made sure about the tail wheel lock (yes the Duck does have it) and the prop lever.

Will try the other suggestions.
 
curious to know if this has been solved. I've had no problems with the Duck and am hoping for a solution that makes it flyable for you
 
I already had auto-rudder on so that wasn't the issue.
Stopping the tail wheel from lifting pre-maturely definitely helps. Now I can get her in the air (at which point she immediately pulls hard left and I have to fight her back onto a level flight). I don't think it is the rudder trim as once I get her level she flies fine.
Once she is airborne there is some lovely flying to be done.

I have been testing other tail draggers and none of them show anything like the level of instability on take off. Just finished flying the freeware Auster and it behaved impeccably on take off. The default tail draggers are a bit more of a handful on takeoff than the Auster but still manageable.

Gavin
 
one other culprit might be 'real weather" and wind speed and direction.
As a rule whenever I'm taking the first few flights in a new plane, I switch off real weather and select dead calm - just so I can see what the airplane does without either an assist or a challenge from the prevailing winds.
It's the only way to be sure your getting the flight model assessed for take off (and landing) performance...
 
I tried the Duck without any weather and it was a bit better.

The trick seems to be keeping the stick pulled back longer. I can now get her off smoothly most of the time even with real world weather enabled so I must have just been too impatient.

Thanks everyone for your help
 
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