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Re: OpenPlane Physics

To: <realbasic-games at lists dot realsoftware dot com>
Subject: Re: OpenPlane Physics
From: Thomas Cunningham <mauitom at maui dot net>
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 16:35:06 -1000
Delivered-to: realbasic-games at lists dot realsoftware dot com
> The effects of the elevator and rudder are currently cheap hacks.  I
> would welcome a better way to model it.

I've been looking at this, but nothing yet. I've also been casually looking
at other open source code to try and get some insight, but sheesh, they are
huge.

> Hmm.  I notice that on a real plane (or at least, the Hellcat), the
> wings tilt upward away from horizontal (when looking at a front view
> of the plane).

That's called dihedral. Sweeping a wing back has the same effect.
When an aircraft with dihedral is yawing to the left, the dihedral causes
the left wing to experience a greater angle of attack, which increases lift.
This increased lift tends to cause the aircraft to then return to level
flight.
<http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/dynamics/q0055.shtml>

> But I'm really grasping at straws here -- my knowledge of aeronautics
> is very thin.  For all I know, a plane that's tilted and has its
> control surfaces in neutral positions stays rotated (just as
> OpenPlane currently does).

Nope, not a statically stable plane. A stunt plane perhaps but not a
Hellcat.

Thomas C.

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