Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Not necessarily. Boost does not mean better roll, it means less effort for the same aileron deflection. If the pilot was strong enough to get full deflection anyway, it won't roll any faster; it will just take less effort.
Though comparative testing would have to be established to confirm it, it is probable that boosted ailerons would roll at least somewhat faster. With only a handful ever completed, we will probably never know for sure.
Not necessarily. Boost does not mean better roll, it means less effort for the same aileron deflection. If the pilot was strong enough to get full deflection anyway, it won't roll any faster; it will just take less effort.QUOTE]
Greg,
Actually boosted ailerons mean the plane will roll quicker "initially", just not sustained. What's important in a fight is to have a quick roll rate to avoid lead poisoning (a quick roll and pull to get out of the way), with rolls usually being 180 degrees or less. The boost didn't help with sustained rolls, but it would help in a twisting turning fight. Obviously this is my opine and an extrapolation from current to past!
Cheers,
Biff
Using boosted ailerons to achieve large or maximum aileron movement at high speeds might also have unanticipated consequences for the wing as a whole. It is not neccessarily a simple solution to the inability of the pilot to apply enough force to the control input.
Cheers
Steve
Hi Biff,
I don't categorically disagree, but if the pilot is strong enough to be able to apply full deflection rather rapidly, then I doubt boost will improve anything much. If the pilot is NOT strong enough to apply full deflection, as in a Bf 109 at high speed attempting a roll then yes, boost will increase the initial roll rate as well as the sustained roll rate.
If the boost helps him apply full deflection noticeably quicker but he can get to fuill deflection, then yes, it will improve initial roll rate but not the sustained roll rate.
In WWII we probably had many planes that could have used boost and never got it. We all know the P-38J-25 and later Lightnings got aileron boost and it improved their roll rate because few people were strong enough to 350+ mph to get rapid fuill deflection.
I wish we had test results of the purported Fw 190D-13 boost test bed.
The Me 262 did not feature any boosted flying controls.
Cheers
Steve