rtrnewboy

I am doing HPPL and am on 12 hrs and getting top of the class ratings for everything except keeping the dumb chopper straight. So you will agree problems right there !! - I have from the start worn expensive training shoes - after trying second lesson in thick soled Catepillar type shoes - and to date my instructors just laugh when I ask about shoes. I seem to push too hard against the other foot and I need some advice quickly from you guys - should I try leather soles or flat rubber soles (less sticky)- must you point your toes against the sole - I am scared to ask them, they think I am trying to kill them anyway. This is a serious post and I would like some answers or advice - I am managing and got hovering right after 2 hrs but I am not responding pre-emptively with my feet, could just be my brain but in transitions things have been a bit hairy (1 lesson) and if it carries on I am asta la vista while I can still post. Its an R22. I am scared to try new footwear in case teh pedals slip.

Whirlygig

The mostly likely cause, well it is with me and others anyway, is brain! However, shoes are important and I know some instructors do not recommend training shoes as the soles are too soft and you need to be able to feel the pedals. Leather soles will be too slippery especially around the hangar.

I wear rubber-soled leather jodphur boots and they seem ideal for the purpose of flying. Therefore, I know that the heavy left foot is down to me and not my footwear (much as I would like to try and blame something else!).

Cheers

Whirls

TiPwEiGhT

Heavy left foot, you're probably not sitting correctly.

When your sitting in the aircraft, make sure your balls of your feet are on the pedals and you knees reasonably close together, back nice and straight. I have seen several students sitting with their right leg out close to the door. This means their feet aren't equal on the pedals and there is more pressure on the left pedal.

Do you keeping needing to correct balance with right pedal in the cruise? If so, that's your problem I bet.

Shoes do help, I wear boots, but thats because I spend my day ankle deep in mud, snow or sh*t.

TiP

rtrnewboy

Thanks - I am too little left foot because I think my right is stopping it and my right foot is stronger. Is that why Russian chopper rotor blades turn clockwise - I tell you I would be a lot better if the right needed to be pressed against the left. Nobody said it was going to be easy ...

rotorcraig

I did my first couple of lessons in caterpillar boots, and found that hard work.

At my instructor's suggestion, I swapped to a pair of "work shoes" with smoother and thinner (albeit not leather) soles, and got on much better.

Once I'd found a pair of shoes that I felt comfortable in, I stuck with them obsessively!!! It's only recently (a couple of hundred hours later) that I've started to relax on footwear a bit and am happy to wear either my "flying shoes" or trainers.

Your instructor won't think you're mad, it's a sensible point - ask away!!

RC

VeeAny

Without flying with you its difficult to say, but shoes which give you some feedback about the amount of force you are putting the pedals are good for training purposes. Trainers tend to absorb some of the feeling and make things more difficult initially.



When you have some experience you can fly in almost anything, but initially shoes with a thin sole (not too flexible) are a help.

The other thing which can help with overcontrolling pedals is to fly with just your left foot (assuming an R22), you can't push against it if your right foot is on the floor. But I am sure that if your instructor considered this appropriate he or she would suggest 5 minutes of it, and please don't try it when solo just coz some bloke on PPrune thought it was a good idea.

A lot of people find themselves applying force to both pedals at once during initial training. I know I did.

V.

rtrnewboy

thanks to all of you - I am not sure how I am going to ask my guy if I can try with one foot - I reckon I will be solo straight after that as he will climb out. He is about 6ft 5 and his one knee hangs out the door which he takes off most of the time and the other is on my lap so no wonder I dont try his posture - my knees are close together and back reasonably straight - I will try that and if you guys are managing in boots and whatever I will stick to what I am using for now and try and sort the brain out. I will ask about the one foot experiment.

Gomer Pylot

I've flown for years wearing boat shoes, because they give me better traction when preflighting a wet aircraft and on slippery wet decks offshore. I know several pilots who have had serious injuries from falls from aircraft, and even from wet stairs. Almost any shoe/boot can work, it's just a matter of practice, and I think you should wear whatever is most practical considering the non-flying conditions. In the aircraft it's not a big issue, other than comfort on long trips.

Johe02

Thin soles are the key when you are learning with the pedals just in front of the balls of your feet and a little pressure so your heels can slide over the floor. Ballet dance on them.

Some thing you might try to 'wake your feet up' is left foot braking when you are driving your car. Make sure nobody is behind and you have your seatbelt on the first time you try!

manitoubrian

I had a similar problem when learning to land the R22. The excitment made me "fishtail" when close to touchdown. My instructor made me do what Veeany suggested. Keeping my right foot flat on the floor and after numerous pickup's and set down's my brain seemed to click.

Heliport

Flying boots.

helimutt

Heliport, I don't really think that's gonna help him much. LMAO

On a more serious note, I was advised to wear a comfortable shoe with a flat sole when I was training and very low hours. Whirlygig's instructor had the idea.

Now these are really good:-
http://www.chippewaboot.com/order/27422.htm


super comfortable!!!!

rtrnewboy

Tipweight In the cruise I am fine - upper air work great and I balance turns and changes in altitude - just 2 to 6 ft off the ground lots of problems. My brain reacts to all the hand inputs ok but not feet. Here's the laugh - feet on their own I am 100% - even when they have tried to shake me down - kept it dead straight. Oh yes and soon as they say something to me - goodbye 90 degrees and I have asked them to tell the ATC to shut the .... but it wasnt well received. Hope they dont read this ... regards and I will post if my next transition lesson goes better or I resign.

Whirlygig

Sounds like co-ordination difficulties in the hover - don't be at all disheartened; you've only 12 hours in your log book and it's not unusual not to be able to hover in only that short a time - jeez, I took a lot longer!! It shouldn't take you long to work out where my personal title came from i.e. the days when I couldn't hover and talk.

At some point, something clicks and you'll wonder why you ever had trouble with it.

You will get there I promise and no lesson is ever wasted. If you're having difficulties hovering, then your instructor can interperse the lessons with some nav otherwise you could get bored and tired!

Cheers

Whirls

psyan

There has been a lot of good advice offered, most of which is valid if irrelevant. However, I feel footwear choice is of no importance. It is simply a case of your ability to pre-empt based upon known factors and the speed with which you are able to process the information. It takes time and the period is simply based upon your ability to forge new neuron pathways and reinforce them.

Practise makes perfect and whether it does or not is conjecture but the former is a pre requisite for any degree.

Best Wishes

You're Dangerous

These ones are excellant for landing in a tail wind

http://www.rutherfordshoes.com/

mrwellington

For something different....try Japanese wooden clogs

Whirlygig

psyan, true but why make your life difficult with "equipment" that isn't fit for purpose!!

Cheers

Whirls

Hughesy

Left shoe = Left foot etc etc Might Help

But seriously, there are some good replys here.
I used a flat, thin soled boot. Which was pretty flexible/supple. Helps to "feel" the pedals.
Like Tipweight, I also wear boots due to snow, mud. No **** though And have no worry's about thickness of boots, just comes to time in the saddle.

I also remember being really heavy on the pedals. So try to relax a tad, and be nice and soft footed on it. Also try some hovering exercises with your instructor, like hover taxi along with differant power changes (not too high) and work on keeping nose in right direction. Hover Patterns and turns around a spot and keep nose pointing at the spot.
Like Whirls said, you only have 12 hrs. I bet there will be a huge differance by 20 hrs and so on if you keep practising hard.

It will happen man! Keep up the good work.

Hughesy

Johe02

Next time one of my students is having difficulty I'll just quote the above then. . .

. . and leg-it