Rudders, the most neglected of airplane controls, are necessary and life-saving when used properly. The author describes in a very personal way, how to know if the rudders are being used propoerly and exercises to improve rudder technique.
I still get embarrassed when I think of the time I was being checked out in a Cessna 182. We took off and reduced the power to cruise-climb. I was pretty excited about the constant speed prop and manifold pressure gauge - both firsts for me. My instructor was a kindly old gentleman with a deep resonant voice. He had high standards and never scolded. I was determined to meet those standards and earn his approval.
"Has a lot of power, doesn't it?" he rumbled.
"Sure does!"
"That power produces a lot of P-factor, doesn't it?"
"It must." I said, looking at the turn and ball. The ball was half its width out of the cage. What a fundamental blunder, I thought. Remembering what he had told me, I looked at both wings. Sure enough the right was lower than the left. We were climbing in a slip.
I leveled the wings and stopped the turn with my rudder pedals. I checked the ball. Sure enough, it was back in its cage where it belonged.
He smiled and said, "Good job! That gave us another 100 feet per minute climb.
"Now you know why Cessna 182's have rudder trim. Go ahead. Make life easy on yourself."
Since then, I always look at the wings of other airplanes after they take off. Have they stayed level or is the pilot climbing in a slip, too?
Perhaps it was because I admired that instructor so much. I don't know. But ever since then I have been quite sensitive about rudders.
I came to the opinion that any pilot who thinks that rudders are only for steering on the ground and for keeping the ball in its place during turns in the air is only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Probably the most important use of the rudder, a use that can save your life, is during landing. And that is when you use the rudder in the most un-natural way.
All landings are crosswind landings. Yesterday, I got email from a frustrated student who told me that the thing that was keeping him from soloing was the wind. He said that he could land well enough but he just couldn't do a crosswind landing. What was his instructor thinking? Doesn't he know what rudder pedals are for?
In every landing, use your rudder to keep the airplane aligned with the runway. By this, I mean keeping the airplane's fuselage pointed at the center of the far end of the runway.
What about a crosswind? Won't I be blown off the runway?
Sure will. That is why we have ailerons. Revert to your old driving habits. Use the wheel to drive back in the middle of the runway.
We both know that the moment you introduce a bank, the nose will try to turn toward the bank. Don't let it. Keep using your rudder pedals to point your nose down the runway.
Here is a fundamental truth. Airplanes land on their main wheels. The main gear is locked in place and cannot swivel. So you had better have your main gear pointed in the direction you want it to take the airplane before you land or unpleasant things will happen. You can't do it without using your rudder pedals. It is that simple.
If this is hard to do, I have a simple exercise for you: the Slow Dutch Roll (SDR). Take her up to your favorite practice area. Find a landmark on the horizon. Point the nose at that landmark. Change your angle of bank very slowly keeping the nose pointed exactly at that spot. Bank both ways. Do it at constant altitude, in glides, and at various airspeeds. While in a landing configuration, practice SDR's slower and slower until you stall. Then go back and practice some crosswind landings. They will be easier.
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