[TheForge] Safety -- Turning Things Off

[Andrew Vida]

Jerry Frost wrote:
> Aileron.
> 
> The rudder controls yaw, ailerons control roll and engine torque causes 
> roll.
> 
> Things were FAR harder in radial engine aricraft. They had so much 
> gyroscopic force from the engine all control actions were through 90*. 
> Pull back on the stick and turn left, push forward and turn right.
> 
> Killed a lot of pilots taking off, some just taxiing.

	Oh yeah, that was the other big torque hazard.  When throttling up, you 
have to go slow and easy.  Engine would otherwise flip the plane right 
over where it stood.

	Those radial engines were such works of art.  I used to have the master 
rod out of an old 9 cylinder Franklin.  The Franklin Institute in Philly 
has a Pratt & Whitney R3000 cutaway on a stand.  IIRC it was the 
largest, most powerful, and most complex radial engine ever made.  You 
should see it... the complexity of the mechanism will make your head 
hurt just trying to take it all in.  Thousands of parts... maybe 10 
thousand, I do not know.  It is mind numbing to think that each and 
every one of those bit were designed completely by hand, so to speak. 
Not a computer used in any of it.  I wonder if contemporary engineers 
could do the same?  The R3000 is a triple radial and each row of 
cylinders has several superchargers running off of PTO shafting geared 
to the crank.  If you're ever in Philly, I highly recommend the 
Franklin.  Go see the engine, but bring your aspirin - you'll probably 
need it. :)