Originally Posted by
Uplinker
My use of Airbus sidestick on an ILS approach (based on 11 years experience, for what it's worth):
DO hold it properly in a pistol grip, (you will need full control force on gusty days, so a proper grip is a good habit to adopt).
BUT normally if a correction on an ILS is needed, just nudge the stick for less than a second then allow the spring to return it to neutral. Nudge, return to neutral, nudge, return to neutral..........etc.
Each nudge will move the FBW attitude datum slightly, and the aircraft will then stay at that new datum. So if your VS is 500'/min, a nudge or two down (releasing to neutral between each) will make it 600'/min and it will hold that for you. Another nudge/s down will give you 700'/min.
A common mistake is to hold the stick out of neutral for too long, and then the aircraft moves a long way and you get into a PIO.
I think of it like this: a FBW Airbus effectively always has the autopilot in. When you "disconnect" the AP, you are just disconnecting where the AP gets its attitude commands from, the FMGC or you. It will hold the last datum it was given (and trim for you) until you make another input.
On an ILS, disconnect the AP at least 5 miles out to get used to the wind conditions that day, and so that by the time you are at 1000' feet, you have "calibrated" your inputs to the aircraft, and are completely in the groove and stable.
(On gusty days, the nudge release technique will not be enough, and on extreme days you may need to hold the stick full over at some points, but this will come with experience).
Good luck.
Thanks Uplinker, great advice. Yes I think i maybe need to remember that it will hold the pitch with no input and to apply small movements and return to neutral when changes are needed. Most importantly i need to look out of the window more and trust my eyes to detect trends away from the GS rather than focus to much of my scan on the V/S.