Flying Without a Rudder

Aircraft typically use a vertical tail to keep the craft from rolling or yawing. Birds, on the other hand, maneuver their wings and tail feathers to counter unwanted motions. Researchers found that the list of necessary adjustments is quite small: just 4 for the tail and 2 for the wings. Implementing those 6 controllable degrees of freedom on their bird-inspired PigeonBot II allowed the biorobot to fly steadily, even in turbulent conditions, without a rudder. Adapting such flight control to the less flexible surfaces of a typical aircraft will take time and creativity, but the savings in mass and drag could be worth it. (Image credit: E. Chang/Lentink Lab; research credit: E. Chang et al.; via Physics Today)

#biology #biorobotics #birdFlight #birds #flightControl #fluidDynamics #physics #science #turbulence

Skydiving Salamanders

The wandering salamander can spend its entire 20-year lifespan in the canopy of a coast redwood. When predators come calling, they have a special skill that helps them get away: skydiving. These little amphibians have no webbed appendages and no wings, but they’re some of the most skillful skydivers out there. By carefully repositioning its tail and feet, a wandering salamander controls its pitch, yaw, and roll. It’s not only able to orient itself as it falls; it can actually steer itself to a safe landing! Other salamander species, as seen in the video above, do not share this skill. Check out the full Deep Look video to see these incredible gliders in action. (Video and image credit: Deep Look; see also C. Brown)

#biology #flightControl #fluidDynamics #gliding #physics #salamander #science #skydiving

I need some ideas for finding a rudder pedal to use in dcs. It should cost around 100€ while less is better.

Right now I do use the z axis as a rudder control on my T.16000M, but this thing got some real jitter and is far from precise.

It needs to be shipped to Europe.

Any ideas or recommendations?

#DCS #FlightControl #FlightSim #Help