It’s jarring for me to fly the Cessna 172 because it has virtually no left turning tendencies. I fly the C172 in real life and from the moment I hit the throttle to the moment I land, I’m almost always on the right rudder (with of course a few exceptions). My leg is usually tired after an hour long real life flight from having to continually press on the right rudder. In the real world, if you go from idle to full throttle you MUST push hard on the right rudder to keep the airplane straight.
In the SIM, this is not at all present. I’ve tried going into the flight_model.cfg and changing parameters like p_factor_on_yaw and torque_on_roll with little effect.
Any tips on modifying the C172 to better simulate left turning tendencies ?
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If you needed right rudder during level cruise flight, then the aircraft should have gone into the shop. You should need no rudder at all during level flight. Right rudder on takeoff and climb, slight left rudder in glide, but no rudder in cruise if the rudder trim (or fixed metal tab) is properly adjusted.
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Ok, fine, I did say with some exceptions… I don’t cruise very much during an hour long flight. I’m usually in the pattern doing touch and goes or working on ground reference maneuvers . Even on takeoff and climb in MSFS there is zero left turning tendencies. When I’m taking off at full throttle the airplane just goes straight. That is /NOT/ at all accurate.
Assuming you have your realism settings for this turned all the way up, from which relative direction was the wind blowing?
There is plenty of left-turn tendency with a calm or left crosswind in the sim, but if it’s a right crosswind, the sim ground handling dynamics are all messed up and the weathervaning effect overcomes both left turning and wheel friction. You may actually find yourself needing left rudder on takeoff.
Definitely check your assistance settings. Every GA piston single engine aircraft has quite realistic left turning P-factor on takeoff and climb. Have you tried warbirds such as the Flying Iron Spitfire. BIG TIME left turning tendency on takeoff. Sounds like you have realism settings OFF.
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Isn’t that what rudder trim is for? I always have to set a bit of rudder trim in the Warriors I fly (technically, I check it, since I rent and it’s already set). If you always have some right rudder, why not set the trim appropriately (usually during your favorite cruise state)?
The 172 absolutely does not. All assistance settings are off, I even used the disable_assistances flag in flight_model.cfg according to the SDK to double ensure.
100% the C-172 does not have realistic p-factor by any stretch of the imagination.
The amount you need varies greatly on speed and throttle. Rudder trim has it’s place, but it’s not going to compensate for takeoff, or increasing throttle.
I never said it did. I said I set it for cruise, as I said. The rest I use rudder pressure as necessary.
You said you always have to use rudder…
I’m not talking about on the ground, I’m talking about in the air.
Respectfully, the 172 flies very much like those I’ve flown IRL. Do you have the same result with other aircraft regarding left turning P-factor on takeoff? Again you should need no right rudder trim in level flight if the aircraft is set up properly unless you have a wing tank imbalance or a load of bowling balls on one side of the plane.
Yeah, it flies fine for me in the air. Needs plenty of right rudder, especially at high power settings and low speeds.
I’ve gotta think it’s something in your settings
whoever is saying the 172 in MSFS is perfoming accurately has no idea about the left turning tendencies in real life, if you even a slight right crosswind the aircraft will try to turn right because of the air passing through the stabilator but this it not accurate at all because ground friction and p factor should be the main effects on the airplane behavior
Stabilator? Piper Cherokees had stabilators, not the C172 with a standard vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer and hinged elevator surfaces.
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vertical stabilizer, you get the point. they have partially fixed it now in sim update 12. does not perform perfectly but still much better than before.