Classic British Flight Sim

SkippyBing wrote:Jim, I'd assume having the constant force removes the null zone on the control column where nothing happens, which'd be a bit worrying in close formation. As the Hornet is fly-by-wire it may not have enough feedback in it's standard state for what the Blue Angels are doing, in the Hawk on the other hand the controls are directly connected to the flying surfaces so it's not a problem.

Additionally, you still want to start pitching manouevers quickly and accurately, getting to your G load as quickly as possible - whether you have fly-by-wire or conventional connections. Take a normal loop, you want it to be round, but it won't be if you can't pitch to your G load quickly enough. If the aircraft wants to naturally pitch up then you have a head start. Whether that has anything to do with Blue Angels I have no idea - but good aeros need the appropriate forces and level of responsiveness for the 3 control surfaces.

Cheers

Rich

Not according to their website, it's listed as a modification from the standard F/A-18. As I understand it with modern fly-by-wire there aren't trim forces to counteract, certainly not in the Typhoon or F-16, the F-16's stick didn't even move initially. The trim force is feedback from the aerodynamic surface to the controls, without a direct link between the two you won't have that you'll just be holding the stick away from the neutral position to maintain the desired flight profile as to the amount of force involved in that, it's entirely up to the design team.
Interestingly the Blue Angels method of resting their forearms on their legs so they're just using their wrists for close formation work is also the preferred method of flying a helicopter, which tends to involve close formation with the ground so it makes sense.

Rich, not sure about your point although there's probably some mileage in it. I think the Blue Angels are known for their close formation work which may have been the priority in setting the aircraft up, worth bearing in mind it was designed as an all weather carrier-borne strike fighter, whereas the Hawk was designed as a fast jet trainer so the latter is probably more suited to formation aerobatics in standard configuration.

SkippyBing wrote:Rich, not sure about your point although there's probably some mileage in it. I think the Blue Angels are known for their close formation work which may have been the priority in setting the aircraft up, worth bearing in mind it was designed as an all weather carrier-borne strike fighter, whereas the Hawk was designed as a fast jet trainer so the latter is probably more suited to formation aerobatics in standard configuration.

Absolutely - horses for courses and all that - how quickly the aicraft changes pitch is also affected by the distribution of weight in the fuselage and on the position of the Centre of Gravity with respect to the Mean Aerodynamic Chord of the wing. The Blue Angels requirements weren't at the front of the designers minds in that particular physics lesson as you say - so not surprising they subsequently 'tweak' the handling qualities based on their usage.

Cheers

Rich

BTW, a quick note on the G-Forces. All passengers go through a full flight physical prior to being allowed to fly. As such, if problems are detected, they will either not allow them to fly or fly a "tamer" profile to keep from being dangerous. As well, if they say "stop", they stop. Finally, the gum is to help your ears equalize. It works quite well actually and I've done it on occasion flying in an airliner when I've been having equalization issues (like when getting off a cold or having some allergy issues). When pulling "G" forces, it's 95% in the "down" direction, so someone passing out would tend to either spit out the gum or it would simply lodge in the bottom of their mouth, not have it move back and into the throat.

Thanks for the reply Chris, though personally I would grit my teeth together!!

Nigel.