Re: Lazy 8\'s
All the previous posts offer good advice. Most folks try to (incorrectly) rush the maneuver.
The other thing I typically see is that students think too much during the maneuver. This gets in the way of flying the airplane by feel and looking outside. Once you understand the 45, 90, 135 degree concepts, you need to forget about them and...
Cover up the flight instruments. This is a commercial maneuver. You should be looking outside. You can uncover the instruments later, but not right now.
Think about what a Lazy 8 is supposed to look like, and pick two outside reference points: one in front of you and one behind you. Then fly it smoothly with coordination (after clearing turns of course) and keep your attention outside. Don't worry about the 45, 90, 135 blah blah degree points. Those are just explained so you get the concepts, but must be discarded to do the maneuver correctly. Just go by your two reference points. Don't worry about altitude or airspeed. You're a commercial pilot, so you're not going to stall or overspeed the airplane if you're flying by feel. In short, become a bird and have fun.
After trying this 2-3 times, I think you'll be amazed at the results. Remember, this is a Laaaazy 8... not a wing-over. You're trying for smoothness and finesse. When I demonstrate them, I say laaaaazy 8 really slowly out loud and it slows the maneuver down to the right tempo.
You can uncover the flight instruments now, but after seeing the difference you may never look at them again
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