CFI constantly keeping hands and feet on controls
I have about 13 hours of PPL training now. The training has gone well and my CFI and I are already starting to talk about the first solo...it's coming. Point being, I am a competent pre-solo *student*.
My CFI constantly keeps his hands on his yoke and his feet on the rudder pedals. This is during ALL phases of flight, yes even, believe it or not, including cruise through smooth air. I have politely asked him several times at this point to please come off the controls so that I can not only be certain that I am controlling the aircraft properly without his input but also because I basically have to drag his feet through rudder movement. Often I will feel a very un-natural resistance in both the pedals and the yoke. The few times he has come off the controls at my request, the pedals feel a LOT better, I mean a ton, and the yoke feels even better still.
I understand that it would be uncomfortable for him to not rest his feet on the rudder pedals but at the same time, I am not confident that every control input is mine and without that confidence, I am worrying about solo.
He swears that he is not inputting anything but, for example, during cruise through turbulent air, I feel like I am basically fighting his inputs with my own, as no two brains work exactly alike...he and I are not two coupled auto-pilots.
I understand that during short final he should be at-the-ready on the controls but during the "easy" phases of flight it it getting to be, quite honestly, very annoying. The last time I asked him nicely to please not rest on the controls he got a bit huffy.
At this point in my training, I really want him to be there for verbal commands / syllabus work, suggestions, feedback, and for situations that I am not prepared to handle, which are solely limited to strong crosswind landings at this point (which we generally avoid anyway). Obviously I also would need him in an emergency as well.
How does a student handle a situation like this? I have mentioned it so many times at this point that it's getting really old to him. I am really afraid that when I solo things will be so different without his constant resistance felt on the controls that I will be in for a nasty surprise. How do I know that I am "good" or "acceptable" rather at flying the aircraft and not him?
Has anybody else experienced this? Again I understand that the yoke is a nice hand rest and the pedals are the most comfortable place to rest the feet but I am not paying him to allow me to drag his hands and feet through the sky. The cost of each flight is astronomical, especially after the artificial/corrupt jack in insurance rates post 9/11.
I guess this really boils down to a safety issue ultimately: I just can't be CERTAIN that I, by myself, can fly properly.
This has really started to frustrate me.