John Wigney wrote:
>
> I plan to fit a Navaid autopilot to my Europa and understand that the
> conventional wisdom is to mount the servo in the cockpit to the side of
> the base of the control column with connection to CS02 for aileron
> control. I noted that people who have flown the Europa commented that
> the rudder control in the cruise without ailerons is perfectly adequate
> for normal directional control.
>
My brief experience with flying the Europa (or for that matter any other
aircraft) is totally opposite to what you are saying. Directional
control can be achieved by using the ailerons alone without rudder, but
using the rudder on its own will simply make the aircraft yaw (the
aircrafts heading will not change significantly - the nose will simply
point in a different direction).
Perhaps those with more experience in Europa driving could comment. I
distinctly remember Ivan saying to me during my demo flight that I
should take my feet off the rudder pedals (after takeoff) and fly the
aircraft usinge ailerons. Admittedly he said this partly because I have
long legs and this meant that I could stretch my legs better by placing
them over the rudder pedals and resting against the footwell base !!!
THe ailerons certainly gave all the directional control that one could
want without assistance from rudders. Ivan also mentioned that had I
been a Cessna pilot, I probably would not have known what the rudder
pedals did anyway !!!!
Carl Pattinson
G_LABS
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