Question On Rudder or Not?
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I’m just coming back into the game (haven’t played since the original Falcon 4.0 lol) and pulled out my old CH Fighterstick and Pro Rudder pedals. I just ordered the Pro Throttle and it comes in Tuesday. My question is this: do I really need the rudder pedals, or is there an easy way to simulate a rudder on the Fighterstick and/or Pro Throttle? I’m not really all that up on the details of programming my stick/throttle and plan on just using the one in the BMS folder from Kolbe. Is it already set up for no pedals? The reason I’m thinking about not using the pedals is I find them somewhat uncomfortable and distracting to have to always have my feet resting on. Thanks in advance!
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As always, it depends (first of all welcome to BMS :D)
While I don’t have “proper” rudder pedals, I’m using my steering wheel’s pedals (Thrustmaster T500RS) as a poor man’s rudder, but usually just on the ground for nose wheel steering (NWS) and maybe every once in a while for minor corrections during AAR. Naturally, this won’t provide differential braking but I’ve never had the need for this function, anyway.
While most people will tell you that the rudder is hardly ever used in-flight in the f-16 by real pilots, I’ve read accounts (Dan Hampton) of “hard kicking the rudder” during some low-level SEAD missions.
All the best,
Uwe
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While most people will tell you that the rudder is hardly ever used in-flight in the f-16 by real pilots, I’ve read accounts (Dan Hampton) of “hard kicking the rudder” during some low-level SEAD missions.
According to the Dash-1, it is suggested / advised to not use it in-flight. My best guess would be that’s because the (original?) vertical stabiliser wasn’t designed to withstand the forces of rudder input at high speeds, and might break?
I have heard other reliable accounts, however, that tests have shown there should not be a problem with rudder input. Not sure if that’s a general result, or only under certain conditions, but as prime example, they referred to aerial displays featuring e.g. knife edge, and hesitation or slow rolls manoeuvres in which human-commanded rudder deflection is (almost) always used to maintain level flight.
As for BMS, most of the rudder utility is on ground, but in BMS 4.33 U4 or earlier, I’m 100% sure you won’t break anything in-game when you go from zero to full rudder deflection in less than a second, even flying Mach 1+.
On ground, as said by hoover:
- NWS and (differential) braking are commanded by the rudder pedals. Maybe personal feeling, but I find it’s generally a lot easier to correct lineup and / or maintain centre line with small differential braking inputs than it is to correct with rudder / nose wheel corrections. Differential braking is also useful when you need to taxi off the runway when you’re bringing in a damaged jet and lost NWS capability, or need to make tight turns that the NWS just can’t manage.
In flight:
- Smaller corrections, e.g. during formation flights, AAR, unguided weapon alignment, … for which stick input might be too much and / or incorrect
- May help in ACM to get a snapshot off, create a quick change of drag, direction, …
- Reduce crab in crosswind landings to reduce gear tear and wear on touchdown (not a problem in BMS, though)
…
Since you already have the pedals available, I’d say: just try them. If you don’t like using them, or find you hardly ever use them at all, or they take up too much space, you can always take them away again. You also don’t need to have your feet on the pedals all the time. There’s usually some space to place your feet on flat surface. For example, even right now, my feet are between both pedals, where I usually have them in-flight as well, but I could also put my feet on the floor in front.
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Thanks guys, as always, a very helpful community. The problem I have is a physical limitation (a wood board) that runs under my desk, making it nearly impossible to use rudder pedals. I was hoping someone used a certain input on the stick or throttle that perhaps wasn’t spoken for.
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Thanks guys, as always, a very helpful community. The problem I have is a physical limitation (a wood board) that runs under my desk, making it nearly impossible to use rudder pedals. I was hoping someone used a certain input on the stick or throttle that perhaps wasn’t spoken for.
Similar issue here. I solved it by “tiptoeing” my pedals. If I need the pedals, I put my ball of my foot / toes in the middle and rotate the pedals. If I need the brakes, I need to “lift” my legs slightly to pivot up and forward.
It’s not ideal, but as you don’t really need the pedals that often, it works without risk of injury (for me, so far knocks on wood).If that doesn’t work for you: there’s a function in the Setup - Controller screen that allows you to use your stick as rudder on ground. (Enable Roll-Linked NWS)
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There is a Falcon feature called “Roll-linked NWS” that allows the bank axis to become the pedal axis when on the ground. It’s a checkbox in SETUP>CONTROLS>(ADVANCED).