Rudder Hell...

[Tricky Woo]

Dear Marge,

Last weekend I finally got myself back into the air after a year's absence. I spent three glorious days hacking around the Headcorn circuit in the front seat of a nice yellow thing with the wheel at t'other end.

All in all I did 'ok', I suppose, although it'll take more than a long weekend to knock twelve months of rust off my flying skills.

The thing that drove me nuts is that I seem to have lost what paltry rudder coordination skills that I did have before the lay-off. The sodding ball moved around so much that I thought Wimbledon had come early: Quick glance at the T&S (Way, way off), rudder input (Back to the centre), look outside, scan of the other instruments, back to the T&S (Bugger, gone again). This used to be (reasonably) automatic!

What's happened to me? Any ideas on how I can get myself back into balance?

Signed:

Worried, of Zürich.

[Simon W]

Don't know if this will help but it's worth a try. Get your instructor to look after all other controls other than the rudder. Then try and fly the plane level and tracking to a visible object just using the peddles. Do this down the centre line of the runway etc. I had big problems with keeping the ball in the middle and this method just seemed to hammer the point home of not just using the rudder when there is nothing else to do in the plane.

Regards,

Simon

[Ivchenko]

Just relax, dear boy.

If the ball's out, bit of gentle pressure on the appropriate side, wait a while to see what happens. Make sure the trim is set properly and wings are level so you don't need to waggle the stick about.

It will all come back soon enough.

Have fun

[skua]

Simple.

Ask the instructor what speed the aircraft is trimmed (laterally) for.

Don't fly at any other speed, and you can leave your feet off the pedals!

[Pielander]

I've just done my bi-annual after a break of about a year, and my instructor told me to do 60 degree 'S' turns in one direction then straight away in the other direction (whilw keeping a good lookout!). That helped my co-ordination in the turn, and it was lots of fun too. Also try to get used to correcting by the seat of your pants so you don't end up staring at the t&s all the time.

Pie

[Mr moto]

Take a ride in the Tiger.
The trick is to keep the wind off your face. You want the same foot as that cheek which is coldest, if you get my drift and pardon the pun.
This also allows you to keep your eyes outside the cockpit, which keeps your mind off the ball which seems to be stressing you out. Result, you relax.

Regards to the Club.

[chicken6]

If you keep the wings level and the nose pointing at one point on the horizon with no yaw and the wings perfectly level and the nose hasn't moved off that reference point and the wings are still perfectly level, and the reference point is still where you left it, that is in balance.

Absolutely all of this exercise can be done looking outside, with a brief check inside about every five or ten seconds to look at speed/power combination, balance and height, then back outside again. But don't move your head too much until you have the reference point burning an afterimage on the windscreen (with the appropriate lookout for traffic etc.)

[Tricky Woo]

Thanks for the pointers.

It's true that my wobbly rudder syndrome rather unsettled me last week, although there were a few other things that have to be put right. Like everything else, it's hard to get things right unless relaxed. One thing I was not, last weekend, is relaxed!

I've another slot or six booked this weekend, so we'll see if a week of 'finking about it' has done me any good. We'll see.

No matter how crap I am, it's still a pleasure to be flying a beautiful, yellow Supercub over a beautiful tract of countryside. I could get to quite like this flying lark...

Will report progress, or lack of, next week.

TW

[Strobin' Purple]

Why not try practicing with a broom. Put one foot on each end of the brush and you've got the handle as your stick.

Stick left rudder left, it becomes purely automatic.

This may not work but you'll look a right tit trying to practice while watching TV this evening.

Above all remember stick right cows go left, stick left cows go right, stick forward get bigger, stick back cows get smaller (stick too far back cows rotate nad get much bigger)

[Tricky Woo]

Thanks for the advice, Mr Purple. Unfortuately, a childhood spent doing just as you suggest (Whilst watching Blue Peter) ill-prepared me for the realities of flying a Supercub: Although, as one would expect, left turns are initiated with left rudder, and right turns with the right, both left and right turns need balancing with right rudder. Bizarre, but true.

I'm thinking of taking a vengeful contract out on the descendants of Messiers Piper and Taylor.

Right! I promised some feedback on this weekend's activities, so here we go: Great improvement overall: Ball seems to be at least within an half inch of the centre; Overall flying safe as houses; Landings are reasonably together; A couple of hours of solo time. All that plus a CofE entry on my licence. Blow me, I seem to be a tailwheel pilot again. Phew.

However, I've finally twigged that learning to elegantly fly an older tailwheeler, like the SuperCub, is going to take yonks and yonks. Fair enough, more excuses to fly.

Stay safe.

TW

[Kermit 180]

Having flown a C180 again recently, I know what you mean. Your feet become lazy in tricycle ac and your skills quickly deteriorate. I've seen some instructors use string on the windscreen to indicate yaw. If the string goes left you apply left rudder. Ths keeps your eyes up and outside, very important. After a while you'll get the feel for it and all will be well again. On the ground it usually only takes a sense for self preservation to keep the thing straight. If you relax on the ground when you're moving it'll try to bite you. Have fun with it.

[juswonnafly]

Kermit........

Did you not mean....if the string goes left use RIGHT rudder?

The string works well and is often used in gliders, but, it functions in the opposite way to the balance ball which can be a tad confusing!

Me? Pedantic? Never!

JWF :)

[Kermit 180]

JWF - Thanks for that. Seems I was so keen on typing I forgot to put 'right' in with 'string left'. Anyway, you get the idea. Just a suggestion.

Kermie