Originally Posted by Jwscud
AirRabbit - in the 737, the control wheel position *should* be the only reference you need for flight crew inputs as use of the rudder in turns in a normal configuration is strongly advised against by Mr. Boeing as the Yaw Damper keeps the aircraft co-ordinated.
There is no way for flight crew to see or feel the Yaw Damper inputs, though I imagine it is recorded on the QAR and FDR somewhere.
I think you may have been just slightly misinformed ... while I agree that there should be no need to use rudder (or very much rudder) during turns … but that is due to the effectiveness of the roll-control spoilers, not the yaw damper. The yaw damper is there to positively damp combined lateral-directional oscillations ... meaning that if a "Dutch Roll" occurs, the aircraft will gradually stop oscillating. It is not required for dispatch and is there primarily for passenger comfort. The yaw damper moves the rudder a maximum of 2 to 3 degrees - depending on the airplane series and whether the flaps are up or down. You are correct that yaw damper inputs are not fed back into the rudder pedals, but prior to 2010 a yaw damper indicator was installed and available for crew reference, and I know crew members who were and some who were not able to "feel" the yaw damper when it was involved - and I don't mean through the rudder pedals.