3 ms·
The 1903 Flyer did have one defect - it was unstable in pitch. It required an active hand on the pitch control.
by WalterBright 2y ago
The 1903 Flyer did have one defect - it was unstable in pitch. It required an active hand on the pitch control.
- seabass-labrax 2y agoI am forgiving of this defect for the reason that my attempts at aircraft in Kerbal Space Program have mostly had the same issues! There is a very, very small difference in design between an unstable plane and one with practically no pitch control at all, and the ideal configuration is found just between the two.
- jshmrsn 2y agoThis is true again for the most advanced fighter aircraft, except the active hand is now a computer.
- dmoy 2y agoRockets too Can't do that in Kerbal Space Program (at least not without mods), but it works fine in meatspace
- kwertyoowiyop 2y agoMy understanding is that this was intentional. They thought instability was needed for their desired maneuverability. Today we see this as the wrong answer to the question of whether an airplane should be stable or unstable, but it shows how far ahead they were that nobody else even knew enough to ask that question.
- WalterBright 2y agoThe Flyer didn't have a dihedral, either. A dihedral gives it roll stability.