What has made you a better pilot?

[cscotthendry]

My point is that power pilots usually only ever treat the rudder as any sort of tool in the takeoff and landing phase..the rest of the time they dont seem to care about it. When you are gliding your feet are always correcting because if you dont you are not squeezing every bit of efficency out of the airframe...otherwise you go down rather than up. I know I am always using the rudder it just seems to be automatic everytime I move the ailerons.I have been up with quite a few many houred plots including aluminium tube ones as well and noted how much they use rudder. and it is not very much at all...just a observation that I am very aware of. looks like a few might not agree with me...well thats fine...I am no expert but until you have done a Silver C in a ragbag then you may know what I am talking about

The amount of rudder required varies with the design of the airplane. In my Nynja, I needed to use the rudder a fair bit to coordinate the turns as it had straight hinged ailerons which gave a bit of adverse yaw. In the Legend, I don't need rudder to coordinate the turns as much because it has friese ailerons which mostly counter the adverse yaw. In fact, when I first got the Legend, I overused the rudder at first and in turbulence, I would get a swimming type action because of rudder overuse.

Having said all that, on long flights in smooth air, I fly with only the rudder. Once the airplane is trimmed properly, I just use the pedals to keep on track.

 

But back on topic, the thing that has made me a better pilot is cross country flying, and I don't mean 100NM jaunts to nearby airfields. 5-6hour flights to the outback give you time to understand your airplane, time to get confidence in your machine and yourself as a pilot. It requires you to flesh out your understanding of the weather, and study its effects over longer distances and larger areas. You start to think more about survival in remote areas and ways to minimise the time you'll be on the ground if you have to put down in a paddock or a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. My most memorable flying and which I learned the most from, was flying out to Ayers Rock, particularly flying over 245nm of the Simpson Desert.

 

 

[ben87r]

You are lucky, trust me being a pilot for a living isn't fun as most would think, far better to fly for fun than $$$

Just need the right job Wally!! ;)

 

 

[IBob]

Just need the right job Wally!! ;)

Sh!

 

 

[facthunter]

Few and far between. One time it was airlines. Not so much is it the best today. In the right circumstances for the right person instructing is a satisfying job. It rarely pays enough to live on, and even pilots have to eat and live somewhere .Nev