Posted: August 29th, 2022

Left Turning Tendencies

We know the four basic forces that act on an aircraft that make it fly. There are however a combination of physical and aerodynamic forces that contribute to a left-turning tendency in propeller driven airplanes. The forces of P-factor, torque, slipstream, and gyroscopic precession all work to create a left-turning tendency during high-power, low-airspeed flight. P-Factor is a force from the propeller. It is also known as Asymmetrical Thrust.
When you are flying an airplane at high angles of attack, the descending blade (right side) of the propeller takes a greater ”bite” of air than the ascending blade(left side). This then causes the airplane to yaw to the left about the vertical axis. P-Factor is most pronounced when the engine is operating at a high power setting, and when the airplane is flown at a high angle of attack. In level flight, P-Factor is not apparent, since both the ascending and descending blades have almost the same AoA and are approximately creating the same thrust.
Torque is greatest at low airspeeds, high power settings, and high angels of attack. Torque is better remembered by knowing Newton’s third law of motion. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reacion. ” Most single engine aircraft where the motor is mounted on the front, the propeller rotates clockwise when viewed form the cockpit. When the engine puts a force on the propeller turning it to the right, the airplane reacts and rolls in the opposite direction about the longitudinal axis.

As the propeller creates thrust and produces a backwards flow of air, or slipstream, the air “wraps” around the airplane. Since there is a clockwise rotation of the propeller, the resultant slipstream flows over the top of the fuselage back around and underneath, then comes around to strike the left side of the vertical stabilizer. Which then yaws the aircraft to the left. As airspeed is increased, the slipstream tends to “stretch” out and the left turning force is less apparent. The propeller on an airplane can be compared to a gyroscope – rigidity in space and precession.
The characteristic that produces a left-turning tendency is precession. Gyroscopic Precession can be defined as the resultant reaction when a force is applied to a rotating disc. When a force is applied to say the top of the disc, the reaction then is moved in the direction of rotation and approximately 90 degrees ahead of the point where the force is applied. Clockwise turning propellers, when this force is in effect, will yaw the airplane to the left. The effects will be experienced when the aircrafts attitude is changed.
This force is not so apparent on tricycle landing gear aircraft, but on tail wheel airplanes, when on takeoff roll as the tail is raised the precession is greatest. Remember that these four left-turning tendencies in propeller driven aircraft, torque, gyroscopic precession, asymmetrical thrust (p-factor), and spiraling slipstream, have their greatest effect during high power, low-airspeed flight conditions. A good and thorough understanding of the effects can help you anticipate and correct for their effects. ———————– [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic]

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