Hand on the Throttle
 

What do you teach with respect to having a hand on the throttle during flight operations?

Well SEP when you don't have anything better to do with and your hand and not at what ever cruise power you want.

At work MSA is as good a point as any for me personally. But first stage of flap is used by others.

Always on T.O. to a safe height - i.e. Flap retraction height of at least 200' AGL, then recommended to put hands back on during climb, hands on during approach unless needed for other things such as flap.

its the definition of what's counted as climb and what's counted as approach which causes the controversy.

MSA on the way up and on the way down works for IFR for me but I am not upset if people don't. And then mention it after the 1st stage of flap.

Its the ppl side of things which the big debates start some say as soon as they join the circuit, others its acceptable to not have it on the down wind etc etc.

Put your hand on it when you need to use it.

True enough but, to ensure it is there without thought, delay or mistake at the more critical times, "Hand on Throttle" below 300' during Take Off and Landing for Students and below 200' for Licence Holders is a good Rule of Thumb.

why have a hand on your knee doing nothing when there is a primary control vacant to put it on?

If your that weak wristed that you need two on the stick to control the plane you should be up for assessment as a disabled pilot.

My wife's flight instructor put his hand on her knee.

that makes a change in my experience its usually the female students that are doing the touching and not in a sexual way.

A bit too general IMHO, that would be interpreted by many as, open the throttle for T.O. - hand can come off, how many pilots with a decent level of experience have not flown an aircraft where the throttle would vibrate closed if you did that?

Who said anything about having your hand on your knee or using two hands on the stick ?

One hand to fly, the other to operate any other controls, levers, switches etc. as required.

That's obvious.

Its the spare hand doing sod all I am on about. When there is a primary control to have it on.

Even if you don't actually move the thing.

TO / climb / Approach - required as there have been a fair number of cases of throttle springs failing or friction nuts not being tight enough, so full power isn't maintained. I normally have my hand there at rest when it isn't doing anything else. Provides a good reference point for me to move my hand without looking to other controls (all controls are nicely ergonomically different in the 'dog).

Hand on throttle for takeoff and climb out, otherwise only when required.

With some students the problem is keeping them away from the throttle during the cruise.

I agree with dobbin on this one.

What's wrong with two hands on the yoke if the throttle is set with friction and you are manoeuvring?

How many manoeuvres do you know that should never require any power adjustment?

I just tried to list them, started with shallow turns in the cruise, then ran out.

G

Depends on aircraft type, but they are likely outside the scope of this thread.

Hand on the Throttle
 

I know a few FAA manoeuvres where you don't alter the power setting, but we don't teach such things under EASA, as flying a rectangular pattern (adjusting for wind to maintain a rectangular track), turning around a point (maintaining an even radius and adjusting for wind) and flying S-turns along a road, aren't seen as necessary lessons and a good skill base to develop in pilots.

Much better sticking to the dated 1940s RAF Air Exercises, and giving students a headache learning a massive pre-landing checklist that includes checking for items not even fitted to their airframe as they pootle downwind.

What's wrong with two hands on the yoke if the throttle is set with friction and you are manoeuvring?

Just about everything!

If I had my way I'd take a hacksaw to the inner halves of the yoke on PA28s and 100 series Cessnas. If you need both hands to flare the a/c then you're not able to control the a/c properly as you should have one hand on the throttle. (Arrow 4's excepted, I suppose, yuk!)

TOO