MD80 CREW REPORTS RUDDER OSCILLATIONS ON DEPARTURE; DECLARES EMERGENCY AND RETURNS FOR UNEVENTFUL LNDG; USING MANUAL RUDDER CTL.

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ON INITIAL CLBOUT ZZZ; FELT MUCH YAWING MOTION; RETURNED TO ZZZ; DECLARED EMER TO GET PRIORITY HANDLING. AT FIRST ZZZ WANTED RWY OF THEIR CHOICE FOR CONVENIENCE; THEN TOLD US ANY RWY WE WANTED WAS APPROVED. WE ACCEPTED RWY 9R. WE PERFORMED QRH ABNORMAL 'AIRPLANE OSCILLATING OR DISPLACED IN YAW' AND FOUND ACFT HANDLED BETTER WITH RUDDER IN MANUAL MODE. TOLD FLT ATTENDANTS THAT WE WOULD LAND WITHIN 12 MINS; AND DID NOT PLAN TO EVAC. ANNOUNCED TO PAX WE HAD PROB WITH 'RUDDER ASSIST' AND WOULD RETURN TO ZZZ FOR PRECAUTIONARY LNDG SHORTLY AND TO FOLLOW FLT ATTENDANT INSTRUCTIONS. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT 128500 LBS; CLRED RWY; AND TOLD ATC THAT EQUIP WAS NOT NEEDED. WE THEN HAD TO WAIT FOR A GATE WHICH WAS MORE STRESSFUL TO THE PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THE PREVIOUS PORTION OF THE EVENT. WE HAD NUMEROUS RPTS FROM FLT ATTENDANTS WHILE WAITING THAT WHILE PAX HAD COOPERATED DURING FLT PART OF EMER; THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY AN ACFT WITH A PROB NOW RECEIVED NO PRIORITY AND ATTN. I RAN OUT OF EXPLANATIONS.