Remove Pitot Tube Remove Rudder Remove Runway
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Examining over 100 years of flight automation and the history of the autopilot

Aerotime

His system would provide an aircraft with automatic stability and control mechanism, through the control of the ailerons, stabilizer, and tail rudder through the use of a set of simple gyroscopes. Sperrys innovation was presented at the competition installed in a Curtiss C-2 single-engine airplane with a hull-shaped lower fuselage.

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Flight Review: Van’s RV-12 LSA—Singular Success

Plane and Pilot

In fact, the unusual pitot-tube location—it peeks out from the center of the prop spinner—was chosen to reduce fuselage-to-wing connections. Like most homebuilts and many SLSAs, the RV-12 steers on the ground via differential braking, but the good-sized rudder does contribute if you have a bit of wind. A nuance, perhaps.

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Getting Back in the Air

Plane and Pilot

The 172 has a steerable nosewheel, much heavier than the rudders on my RV-9A with a castering nosewheel. There was a nice crosswind, and I demonstrated landing on a concrete expansion joint, offset from the runway centerline. Then off to the other runway for a full stop. I could tell that this had the CFI’s full attention.

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Flight Review: Van’s RV-12 LSA—Singular Success

Plane and Pilot

In fact, the unusual pitot-tube location—it peeks out from the center of the prop spinner—was chosen to reduce fuselage-to-wing connections. Like most homebuilts and many SLSAs, the RV-12 steers on the ground via differential braking, but the good-sized rudder does contribute if you have a bit of wind. A nuance, perhaps.