[MISSING TRACK FILE] Viper left steering issue

Hello all,

I don’t know if someone has reported this before, but it seems to me a common issue, speaking with other fellow flight mates.

So hopefully ED will look into it and correct what seems to be a little but most distressing bug, that is making take offs a quite hazardous affair

I refer to the fact that on the ground the Viper nose always drifts to the left (it's not the wind or the load out, it happens even if the wind blows in the other direction in clean config).

If I'm taxiing slowly, the nose wan't stay stright on the yellow line. It always moves a bit, and over 20 kts G/S I need to apply rudder or differential braking to hold it straight.

As said the real problem comes at the take off.

The faster the jet, the faster the pull, making it difficult to stay on the runway. Without applying first a firm correction of wheel steering and, after NVG disengagement, from half to full (depending on weight) rudder, and even short differential braking, I always risk to end out of the left side of the runway. And with all that rudder correction sometimes the jet risks kipping on one side.

In good days I’ll do a drunkard take off run, in bad ones, well you can imagine...

And to do a two ship departure in this conditions is not the case

On landing it's quite the same story, but till I’m aerobraking nose high, I can counteract with a firm differential braking (meaning a have most of the time to brake only right brake to stay straight and needing more runway to slow down) and even applying stick, if need be, and once the nose drops I need to be slow enough to go soon to NWS on, and avoid departing runway.

As initially I though it depended from my flight controllers, I tried anything in clean and heavy configuration, from external calibrations, to putting dead zones and curves in DCS on the 3 rudder axis, and at last even unplugging my pedals at all and trying to steer with the keyboard... same result.

I don’t know from what that depends but the feeling is like if the left main gear is slightly braked all the time. Or maybe the engine thrust is slightly de centered to the right.

I’d like you guys to report if you encountered a similar issue and how you deal with it

If it really is a bug as I suspect, the more speak up the sooner ED will become aware of this and help us to have back safe departures and landings.

Thanks in advance for any reply.

Just to underscore DRAKO's post - I'm having the same issues. Right before rotating is the most dangerous part - it really feels like a race to get airborne before becoming one with terra firma.

It seems you have something overcontroled;i mean that you have more than one bind to one action.

Check out your configuration joystick and erase all double binds.The viper works fine ,no issue detected rolling or take off and landing.

I could upload a video as a sample,to show that stuff.If you need.

see you next

I'll throw my name in as well, the drift to the left only occurs on the Viper. The drift occurs NWS engaged or not and also in the air, though it is much more subtle in the air.

it's not the wind or the load out, it happens even if the wind blows in the other direction in clean config

At slower speeds the wind is going to hit your vert stab and cause opposite yaw. I don't personally experience any odd left/right pull in the Viper that I don't also experience in all other modules in the same weather conditions.

Here is a track file - 10 knot crosswind from the left.

NWS to steer below 60 knots, as soon as NWS is disengaged it feels like the nose wheel is forced to center rather then caster. Wobbling starts and is irrecoverable.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ukkhhg3d8vaq0z/10kt_crosswind_crash_on_takeoff.zip?dl=0

You´ll have to fast forward through the taxiing. The mission was set to takeoff from runway yet it dumped me in the ramp O.o

Also - noticed some sporradic wing vortex on bumpy taxiways - strange.

NWS to steer below 60 knots, as soon as NWS is disengaged it feels like the nose wheel is forced to center rather then caster.

It's correct that the nosewheel centers with the NWS disengaged. It works that way on most aircraft.

Just to clarify the scenario - NWS is already in a slight turn and you disengage the NWS, it's as if there's a mechanical force that drives the NWS to center - seems off.

Think about if you were pusning a shopping cart along with some sort of power steering, then as soon as you disengage the steering, the wheels re-center no matter what the path of the cart is. That's the point I'm trying to get at.

NWS is already in a slight turn and you disengage the NWS, it's as if there's a mechanical force that drives the NWS to center - seems off.

It might seem off to you, but it's correct.

Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

I was not able to upload a file but there were some more tests and I report what I myself and several other guys are experiencing.

With no wind in the mission you have no issues. That means that the wind is the probable cause of the left drift (sometimes it is to the right for other guys)

BUT

with a 5 knots wind you have serious problems to hold the jet straight as described above.

Consider what follows (pasting from the net):

“ These designations were standardized nationally in 2008, whereas "light wind" can refer to 0 to 12 or 0 to 15 knots and "moderate wind" 12 to 19 or 16 to 19 knots, depending on regional custom, definition or practice”

So we have that in a ‘light’ wind the Viper becomes almost difficult to control on take offs. You can never risk a formation take off like that.

My question is: is that normal in your opinion?

I have never driven a real F-16, but common sense tells me that General Dynamics would not have sold one of those jets if they were so hazardous in a light wind... not speaking of a strong one.

Therefore in my humble opinion there must be some little bug in the way Eagle Dynamics’s F-16 takes cross wind into account.

Would not even be the first module to show this problem

They fixed it before. We pray consider fixing it for the F-16 module, too as soon as possible.

Thanks a lot

It might seem off to you, but it's correct.

Be that as it may - there's the track file FWIW.

Be interesting to see what ED testers come up with in cross wind conditions.

Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

I was not able to upload a file but there were some more tests and I report what I myself and several other guys are experiencing.

 

With no wind in the mission you have no issues. That means that the wind is the probable cause of the left drift (sometimes it is to the right for other guys)

BUT

with a 5 knots wind you have serious problems to hold the jet straight as described above.

 

Consider what follows (pasting from the net):

 

“ These designations were standardized nationally in 2008, whereas "light wind" can refer to 0 to 12 or 0 to 15 knots and "moderate wind" 12 to 19 or 16 to 19 knots, depending on regional custom, definition or practice”

 

So we have that in a ‘light’ wind the Viper becomes almost difficult to control on take offs. You can never risk a formation take off like that.

 

My question is: is that normal in your opinion?

I have never driven a real F-16, but common sense tells me that General Dynamics would not have sold one of those jets if they were so hazardous in a light wind... not speaking of a strong one.

 

Therefore in my humble opinion there must be some little bug in the way Eagle Dynamics’s F-16 takes cross wind into account.

 

Would not even be the first module to show this problem

They fixed it before. We pray consider fixing it for the F-16 module, too as soon as possible.

Thanks a lot

Indeed. According to AFI11-2F16V3 the max crosswind component for formation takeoff's is 15 knots. I'd be interested in seeing a trackfile of a fmn takeoff in those conditions now :-)