Rudder Pedals on Arbus
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Rudder Pedals on Arbus
What is the correct way to position your foot on the rudder pedal on a airbus aircraft during take off & approach? Should it be heel on the floor & the top part of your foot on the pedal, or should you position your whole foot on the pedal with the top part of your foot resting on the brakes pedal?
On Boeing, it is indicated in the FCTM that heel should be on the floor during take off & approach. However, I can't find it anywhere in airbus manuals. And if you were to look closely at the rudder pedal, it's design for you to rest your whole foot on it. The space in between the pedal & the floor is actually quite high if compare to Boeing aircraft, therefore, unless you have a big foot, it's really not so comfortable to put your heel on the floor.
Would really appreciate if anyone could share his expertise.
Thank you.
On Boeing, it is indicated in the FCTM that heel should be on the floor during take off & approach. However, I can't find it anywhere in airbus manuals. And if you were to look closely at the rudder pedal, it's design for you to rest your whole foot on it. The space in between the pedal & the floor is actually quite high if compare to Boeing aircraft, therefore, unless you have a big foot, it's really not so comfortable to put your heel on the floor.
Would really appreciate if anyone could share his expertise.
Thank you.
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At any point when youre controlling the rudder pedals, your entire foot should be resting on the pedal. The upper portion of the pedal is used for apply brakes, and the lower portion for making rudder deflections. So during TO, your heels should be applying pressure on the pedals, so that youre not applying the brakes while trying to accelerate.
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The airbus rudder pedals are designed with a pad to rest your heels. So, when you put your feet on the rudder pedals and slide them down, they will rest on the bottom of the rudder pedal as opposed on the floor. I was told by airbus guys in Toulouse, that the reason for this is, that the Airbus should be flown with the feet resting on the rudder pedals only and not on the floor. But If you end up with some ex Boeing instructors they will be forcing you to fly with the feet on the floor, because that how a Boeing is supposed to be flown (I am not sure 100%, because I have not flown a Boeing, but that what a guy told me). But flying Airbus with the feet up is comfortable and especially during landing with contaminated rwy in a little bit of a crosswind you don't have to slide your feet up to start braking, which could make you loose directional control for a short period of time. Also, on an Airbus, if you make a mistake, and apply full brakes before landing (which I never heard about, that somebody would do it), the antiskid will kick in and teoretically you would not even blow the tires (if they are in a good shape), not that I would like to try it.
But during the take off, I was told to keep my feet on the floor in order not to kick out the max autobrake during rejected take off.
I am not saying, that the above mentioned way is the only way, but that it is the way I was thought and it seems to work for me.
But during the take off, I was told to keep my feet on the floor in order not to kick out the max autobrake during rejected take off.
I am not saying, that the above mentioned way is the only way, but that it is the way I was thought and it seems to work for me.
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"But during the take off, I was told to keep my feet on the floor in order not to kick out the max autobrake during rejected take off."
How do you tackle an engine failure in such a case? You would definitely need a lot of rudder to counter the yaw, but with half your foot resting on the ground, that seems to be quite a cumbersome task. Or do you lift your feet off the ground and then rest them entirely on the pedals? That would seem to be wasting precious milliseconds.
How do you tackle an engine failure in such a case? You would definitely need a lot of rudder to counter the yaw, but with half your foot resting on the ground, that seems to be quite a cumbersome task. Or do you lift your feet off the ground and then rest them entirely on the pedals? That would seem to be wasting precious milliseconds.
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simple....
for take off heel on the floor.
for landing feet on pedals.
thats what i do and it has worked so far.
suppose you land with a crosswind and your heels are on the floor.
how do you keep applying rudder and try to brake at the same time?
it should be noted tho the metal strips on the floor infront of the pedals are for you heels to rest on.
for take off heel on the floor.
for landing feet on pedals.
thats what i do and it has worked so far.
suppose you land with a crosswind and your heels are on the floor.
how do you keep applying rudder and try to brake at the same time?
it should be noted tho the metal strips on the floor infront of the pedals are for you heels to rest on.
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Feet up on the pedals, foot flexed back away from the top(brakes) portion of the pedals. Rudder inputs with heels, toes rotate forward when brakes are needed.
30 yrs of using that technique, I'm not changing now. Technique is the operative word...
30 yrs of using that technique, I'm not changing now. Technique is the operative word...
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I always flew feet on the floor. Until I started flying airbus. They are designed to be flown (taxi/takeoff/landing) feet up. Feels weird at first but works really well. If you have not flown a 'bus it is difficult to understand.
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Landing in a crosswind, one thing you do not need is rudder applied. On touchdown, the aeroplane swings. For a moment, you can let go- it's swinging itself.
HORSES FOR COURSES. (Try not to get your horses confused)
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It's seems that are two different camps here. With one either has never flown an airbus or came from a Boeing background, and one with airbus background.
But I truly believe the rudder pedals on airbus is designed for you to put your whole feet on it. It's just different from Boeing. And I flew both type of aircrafts before.
But I truly believe the rudder pedals on airbus is designed for you to put your whole feet on it. It's just different from Boeing. And I flew both type of aircrafts before.
Whether it's Airbus or Boeing we are discussing apart from anything else I fail to see how you can have nearly the control and precision using your heels to operate the rudder rather than your toes.
Seems very clumsy
Seems very clumsy
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I'm surprised that nobody has pointed out that the rudder pedals on the 330/340 aircraft are different from those on the 320 series - they are much like most other transport aircraft and allow you to keep your heels on the floor. I never heard a reason for the re-design, just assumed that pilot feedback was not in favour of the rather unique 320 setup.
Having said that I hope my memory serves well, been retired for over seven years now.
FWIW the rudder pedals were one feature of the 320 that I did not appreciate in an otherwise spectacular airplane. At my firm there was no rigid protocol for the placment of your feet - I kept my heels on the floor which made for some interesting footwork when it came time to apply the brakes in a strong crosswind. The 330/340 was much better.
Having said that I hope my memory serves well, been retired for over seven years now.
FWIW the rudder pedals were one feature of the 320 that I did not appreciate in an otherwise spectacular airplane. At my firm there was no rigid protocol for the placment of your feet - I kept my heels on the floor which made for some interesting footwork when it came time to apply the brakes in a strong crosswind. The 330/340 was much better.
Dog Tired
Well, I've only flown Airbuses (320 and 330) for sixteen years. I always put my feet on the pedals, not heels on the floor. Guess what?
Never inadvertently disconnected AB; never inadvertently applied footbrake, never killed anyone during landing and never kacked my pants.
Just lucky, I guess.
Never inadvertently disconnected AB; never inadvertently applied footbrake, never killed anyone during landing and never kacked my pants.
Just lucky, I guess.
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ok there is nothing in airbus manuals about this, but this is a good example when you have to use your common sense, during t/o below 72knots on a320 at least we have no auto brake so, if we are taking off and we need to stop for any reason wee will neeed to use manual brakes and in order to apply we need to use the top of the pedals ,so we need to mantain our feet on the pedals durign t/o.