Safe Maneuvering Flight (Low Level) Techniques

[Yenn]

With some aircraft you will need to initiate a turn with rudder and use aileron to balance it. Rudder on its own is no better or worse that aileron on its own. Best to keep co ordinated and use side slips, or if you prefer it forward slips to increase rate od descent.

 

The old Kookaburra would not turn with aileron alone, it used to yaw in the opposite direction. It was probably one of the best aircraft to demonstrate the further effects of the controls.

 

 

[facthunter]

Lack of pressure on controls is normal as speed washes off. This is (or should be) taught early. This also means the controls are not as effective and have less authority. Depending on the way your plane is built you may need a bit of rudder to counteract adverse yaw which is drag induced and acts opposite to the way you want it to. Nev

 

 

[dutchroll]

I think (hope!) the discussion about steering with rudder is referring to small heading corrections when you are on final and travelling in an essentially straight line, not for turns e.g. base to final.

Some of the discussion didn't come across that way to me, but anyway.

One of the issues that I have with this sort of thing is that correctly executed, sideslipping and rudder-only use is not an issue (though I totally agree if you can use balanced turns and balanced flight generally, you should). But it's really easy for the inexperienced to incorrectly execute it. That's a simple fact when you're talking about crossing your hands and feet up into a situation which doesn't "feel" normal. And then.......well you know the rest.

 

With all this eagerness to espouse whiz-bang advanced flying techniques which are outside the realm of basic flying training anywhere in the world, I'm not entirely convinced this point is sinking in.

 

 

[aro]

Really appreciate info. Must admit, when i did stall training I probably didn't take it all in, very steep learning curve at that stage. Good idea to do more trainng. Funny how you never think of questions when the instructor is there, it's always at a later stage when you do something or read something and then you try to remember what and why.

Everyone finds there is too much to take in at times, thinking about it in between flights and coming up with questions definitely helps understanding.

 

I am guessing that you are at the stage of doing circuits (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Sometimes I think at that stage things can get a bit too focused on the one thing, and it can be good to take a lesson away from the circuit and revise some other stuff*. Do some more stalls now you have had more time to think about them. Practice the stuff you need to do in the circuit, without the pressure of having to make an actual landing e.g. descending turns in the landing configuration. It gives you a chance to concentrate on one thing at a time.

 

* Just my opinions based on memories of my own training - I am not an instructor myself.

 

 

[aro]

Some of the discussion didn't come across that way to me, but anyway.

I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt to those more experienced than me, but yes that's probably true.

 

 

[Contact Flying]

Coordinated turns or balanced turn are correct for turning, but overemphasis by us (instructors) about always being balanced is harmful to the beginning student as well as to the old pro. I am talking about normal airplanes with normal controls. Yes, we want a coordinated turn from base to final. Using good energy management, we want to let the nose go down as the aircraft designer designed it to do. Now if we get unbalanced, with the nose down, we will not likely stall. Once established on the centerline extended, we need to, regardless of crosswind or not, manage any drift or just wings level with aileron and manage dynamically and proactively to stay on the centerline extended and keep the longitudinal axis (called nose but always between our legs) pointed just left, just right, etc. to stay ahead of the airplane and keep the nose going down the centerline.

 

It is not rocket science, of which I know nothing. It is not the student's or old pro's fault if they balance controls to dynamically and proactively turn left, right, left, etc. all the way down the final approach. They were taught that way. It is a common problem among instructors as well as students. My objective is to bring it to the attention of those who are open minded enough to try using our finest trim control, the rudder, to make landing less of a problem.

 

Critical for tailwheel pilots and crop dusters keeping the wing (level not down in a turn) out of the wires going into a paddock. Not necessary for those who fly nose wheel airplanes or just don't mind snaking around and wagging the wings a bit on final.

 

 

[Pearo]

If you stall while uncoordinated, one wing is likely to stall more than the other causing the aircraft to roll. If you have rudder against the turn most aircraft will roll towards level. If you have rudder into the turn, the aircraft is likely to roll further and drop the nose into an incipient spin with much greater height loss.The classic trap is that people fear too much bank on the turn to final, and instead of banking they attempt to hurry the turn with rudder and elevator. This sets up a potential stall-spin.

 

It is better to add more bank, stay coordinated, and allow the nose to drop to maintain speed if you need to tighten the turn. You do need to use rudder more when slow, but it should be to maintain coordination with the ailerons, not as a primary control.

 

I would recommend asking your instructor to show you some stalls in a turn at a safe height, coordinated and with inside and outside rudder to see the difference.

This was the point I was trying to make earlier. Being a typical engineer sometimes I lack the ability to convey my point.

 

Some of the discussion didn't come across that way to me, but anyway.One of the issues that I have with this sort of thing is that correctly executed, sideslipping and rudder-only use is not an issue (though I totally agree if you can use balanced turns and balanced flight generally, you should). But it's really easy for the inexperienced to incorrectly execute it. That's a simple fact when you're talking about crossing your hands and feet up into a situation which doesn't "feel" normal. And then.......well you know the rest.

 

With all this eagerness to espouse whiz-bang advanced flying techniques which are outside the realm of basic flying training anywhere in the world, I'm not entirely convinced this point is sinking in.

Thankyou.

 

 

[Contact Flying]

It is safer to allow the nose to go down naturally, not pull back on the stick, in all turns as I teach with the energy management turn. Around the airport and in other low level work, it is essential for safety. Why are we teaching climbing turns in the pattern at near stall pitch attitude? Because that's the way it has always been done. Not good enough. We could just as easily stay in ground effect long enough to gain zoom reserve for a safe climb, or we could fly level a bit. Many, many more pilots are killed on takeoff than in an unbalanced stall/spin turning base to final. At least the school solution is to make base to final a descending turn, so the pitch attitude does not favor a stall/spin as facthunter has pointed out.

 

No! Safe maneuvering flight techniques are not advanced techniques for only crop dusters and others in low level work. No! These techniques are not rocket science, advanced, hard, complicated. I have taught this stuff to many zero timers who have soloed in tailwheel airplanes in less than ten hours.

 

Many, many iterations of less efficient, less proficient techniques can be employed without a serious accident. Like facthunter said somewhere, panic is usually necessary to cause great harm. If we use good, efficient techniques as a normal practice, we are well prepared for the occasional situation that might otherwise panic us.

 

 

[Contact Flying]

Jabba jenny,

 

I left a very important word out of my explanation in answer to your question about using unbalanced rudder or rudder only on landing: rudder. Sorry about that.

 

Throughout your flying career, in normally controlled airplanes, you will find landings much easier and less troublesome if you learn to aim the longitudinal axis or nose (look between your legs) down the centerline extended and the centerline when lower and the centerline when on the ground with rudder only. The only useful purpose of the aileron, once established on final (on the centerline extended) is to manage drift by banking into any crosswind or just to keep the wing level. You don't even have to know or worry about if there is a crosswind. Just counter any drift with the wing. Use the aileron to react to any drift by banking.

 

The rudder, our finest longitudinal axis trim device, is a different matter. Just as we walk the rudder pedals dynamically and proactively on the runway to push the nose just left, just right, etc. to bracket the centerline, we do the same thing on final to bracket the centerline extended. We are already directing our course to the numbers with throttle to control glide angle and elevator to control apparent rate of closure (airspeed if you are tied to it.) Now we control drift with wing and longitudinal axis with rudder.

 

This can be practiced cheaply without an airplane. Riding a bike is good practice of dynamic, proactive control with body shift and pedal movement. You will find yourself leaning one way while pushing down on the opposite pedal. Also rubbing you tummy while patting your head. In primary helicopter school we talked about walking and chewing bubble gum at the same time. There are more things related, in life, than not if we think about it.

 

Have fun and do what you must to get along. We instructors are a hard headed lot. I'm just trying to help. I'm not trying to ruffle feathers.

 

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