One thing I noticed that helped me achieve "Zero Side Slip" was the use of yaw string. Apparently it is a common practice in the multi training in Comair Aviation Academy. You keep the string alligned with the longitudinal axis and your longitudinal axis is allingned with the relative wind hence giving you the so called zero side slip.
Watford I dont agree with you that bank angle has nothing to do with Vmc. In the book Aerodynamics for Naval Aviator it says that for each degree of bank angle towards the good engine your Vmc reduces by approximately 3 kts.
Now considering this the manufacturer could bank as much as they want so that they can publish lower Vmc, because of this reason FAA came out with certain conditions that manufacturers has to follow to establish Vmc. In my school I was taught that with an acronym MULTICGBREST
Max take off power
Max gross weight
Unfavorable Center of Gravity
Landing gear retracted
Take off configuration (cowl flaps open and trimmed for take off)
Inoperative engine wind-milling
Critical engine inoperative
Ground effect (out of ground effect)
Bank 5 degrees toward good engine (for standardisation purposes)
Rudder pressure not to exceed 150 lbs. (for standardisation purposes)
Exceptional pilot skills
Standard day (for standardisation purposes)
Twenty degree recovery. (for standardisation purposes)
I may be wrong here, but right after introducing asymmetric performance to students, we demonstrate Vyse (drag) demo and I make the students write down the different performance under different drag settings and its a real eye opener for a student to see that you get the best performance with flaps up, gear up, props feathered and upto 5 degrees of bank angle towards the good engine.
CAA says when the performance is not required you could maintain wings level. Yes I agree in the ideal world that would be great, but I personally any day will take more performance by banking into good engine and reduce the power hence further reducing my Vmca.
But than again I guess its the matter of your personal opinion, after all when engine quits on you, you are the Pilot in Command.
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My mascot is a bumblebee. Because of its tiny wings and heavy body, aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly. But the bumblebee doesn't know that, so it flies anyway.
[This message has been edited by DesiPilot (edited 21 July 2000).]