Thread: Rudder Question

Originally Posted by Flint

Rudder is not used in the F-16 while in flight!

Doc is correct: Rudder only used for taxi and for cross-wind landings in the real jet!

Ever? If my gun cross is a hair left of the target why not use a tiny bit of right rudder to push it to the right? I'm not risking a departure or deep stall unless airspeed is critically low.

I realize the FLCS could help the pilot maintain coordinated flight but saying that rudder isn't used in flight except for crosswind landings seems a little absolute. What are you basing this on? I don't have access to a -1 ops manual and I haven't read the entire hard bound or PDF game manuals that I have so you could be right. I'm just curious as to the source of your statement.

In a real aircraft the rudder is used for varying purposes based on the aircraft configuration. In high power, high angle of attack flight in a single engine propeller driven aircraft the rudder is used to offset the left turning tendencies. That's not a factor in a turbine aircraft like an F-16. It's also used to offset adverse yaw created from aileron deflection. This should apply to the F-16 on some level but I can easily accept the FLCS system handles this case. The other case is simply using it to point the nose where you need it without changing pitch or roll attitudes. This primarily comes into play for crosswind landings where the pilot is using the rudder to keep the longitudinal axis of the aircraft parallel to the center of the runway and using the ailerons to align the aircraft with the centerline. My gun cross example above fits into this last category. Another example would be flying at 90 degrees roll where the rudder can be used as an elevator to raise the nose back up towards the horizon.

I'm not asking to be negative or to cast doubt on Doc or Flint. I simply would like to know what they're basing their statements on. The statements themselves seem a little too absolute. Then again I may be missing something important.