galdri,
I was following the same line of thought as you did and was planning an attempt at an explanation why the turning characteristics are different in a right-hand turn versus a left-hand turn. From your post:
The key to understanding what happens next, is to realize that European aero engines turn GENERALLY in the opposite way to American engines.
That would be true if you limited the statement to British engines. The Centaurus, the Griffon and the Sabre are left-hand tractors, seen from the rear but the Merlin is a right-hand tractor. (There were engines rotating in the opposite direction but those were intended for twin engined installations.)
Both the BMW 801 and the Jumo 213 are right-hand tractors and if I’m not wrong, the Pratt&Whitney R-2800 is also a right-hand tractor.
To counteract torque on a European engine, you would have to correct by applying LEFT rudder, while to counteract the torque on an American engine, you would have to apply RIGHT rudder.
Isn’t it “slipstream” you are discussing here? The spiralling airflow around the fuselage yaws the aircraft, a right-hand tractor to the left and a left-hand tractor to the right. This effect is counteracted with rudder deflection and more of it the higher the power setting and lower the speed.
Isn’t the torque counteracted by an aileron input in the direction of propeller rotation? The aircraft torque-rolls against the rotation of the propeller. Some aircraft have different pressures in the landing gear oleos to prevent the torque-roll from compressing the left (or right) oleo completely during take-off.
Slipstream and torque work in the same direction, to the left on a right-hand tractor and to the right on a left-hand tractor, which is why the turning characteristics are different in a right-hand turn versus a left-hand turn.
Christer
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