Coordination for beginning student

berge7f9

Well-Known Member
What techniques or methods are there for teaching a beginning student how to fly coordinated using outside visual references?
 
Coordinate turns you mean?
Show them a demo of adverse yaw. Once they're comfortable with abrupt movements under your control, show them how the nose swings the opposite way of the bank.

I always explained how the stewa...excuse me...flight attendants could serve drinks while the airplane was turning. Have them imagine sitting in a chair and someone tipping one side of it up (bank) and going around a sharp curve in a Corvette (yaw). Then put the two together to explain a coordinated turn and how you "can't feel it".

Being at Riddle, see if MX can stick a yaw string somewhere on the bottom of the windscreen or along the top side of the cowling. They were always willing to put one on the Seminoles for us if they didn't have them already.
 
I think the biggest problem is that since we are sitting so close to the cg we (and especially as new student) really don't feel yaw that well. So I try to teach seeing it. On the first lesson, after explaining adverse aileron yaw, I'll demonstrate a rudderless turn and one with rudder, asking the new student to watch the nose of the airplane.

They can usually detect that movement, so learning coordination becomes (at least I try to make it) part of the basics of visual flying. (I think it helps that I like to cover the isnstruments to force the view outside)
 
What techniques or methods are there for teaching a beginning student how to fly coordinated using outside visual references?

Cover up the TC and with you at the controlls make some gentle uncoordinated turns. Have them pay attention to where the nose is moving in both a slip, a skid, and in a coodinated turn. Then after they know what each looks like, make some more turns both coodinated and uncoodinated and have them tell you if you need more rudder, less rudder, or if you are coordinated. Then give them the controlls and have them make some coodinated turns. Same technique works pretty well for maintaining altitude in a turn. Cover the instruments and demosrate some level, descending, and climbing turns. Have them tell you if you are climbing, descending, level, slipping, skidding, or coordinated. Then give them the controls and let them try.
 
I prefer teaching them to "feel" it rather than see it. With strong winds aloft, it can screw up the perception, especially in the pattern where flying uncoordinated can end up badly.
 
Often I feel the student cannot see what I'm talking about when I do the no rudder turn demo, especially in the first few hours. Have them stick a finger on the dash pointed straight out, then have them look down it just like shooting a gun. They can easily see how the nose is moving the opposite direction. Now use rudder and show how the nose "sticks" in place when coordinated. Seems to work for me.
 
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