Planes are constantly drifting to the left, it’s driving me insane.
Happens during the flight.
Happens with both my Extreme 3D Pro stick and xbox controller.
I’ve messed around with the in-sim deadzone settings for both peripherals with no success.
Any ideas?
This is a real-life effect, modelled correctly in the sim, I could write it all out but the answer in the thread below lays it out perfectly:
From the thread:
Propeller powered aircraft with a prop that rotates clockwise will drift left during the takeoff roll if not corrected. This is caused by a left turning tendency due to four distinct effects: P-factor, torque, spiral slipstream and gyroscopic precession. Of these effects, torque and spiral slipstream cause the most left turning tendency during a takeoff roll.
Engine torque creates additional loads on the left main landing gear which, in turn, increases the force of friction on the left main wheel(s). Consequently, this creates a yawing moment to the left during a high speed taxi or takeoff ground roll.
Spiral slipstream or ‘corkscrewing effect’ is a result of propwash rotating in a clockwise spiral along the airplane’s long axis. This impinges on the left side of the vertical fin and tail boom, creating a yawing moment to the left as well.
This combined yawing moment should be counteracted with right nosewheel steering and/or differential braking and right rudder as the speeds increase and aerodynamic control surfaces become more effective.
On tailwheel airplanes doing three point takeoffs, P-Factor will enter in to the left turning tendency, but only as speed increases and a nose high attitude maintained. P-Factor’s effect will largely depend on the airspeed and angle between the propeller shaft and the relative wind.
If the airplane is equipped with an engine and propeller that rotates counterclockwise, these effects are reversed and a right turning tendency happens during the takeoff roll. One famous example were the Supermarine Spitfire and Seafire variants powered by the Rolls Royce Griffon engines, which could be temperamental during the takeoff roll for this reason.
Twin engine airplanes equipped with counter rotating propellers and single engine airplanes equipped with contra rotating propellers can largely negate much of this left turning tendency as such systems counteract the torque produced on the airframe, eliminate P-Factor and gyroscopic precession effects, and reduce the spiral slipstream effect to a greater degree. The downside is that these systems increase the weight, complexity, and costs of the propeller and power plants used, and this generally deters their integration into light airplanes by the manufacturers.