Dear Rod:
I’ve heard several different opinions on the issue of how to manipulate the elevator control on takeoff (in a tricycle-gear airplane). Should I apply forward pressure to keep the angle of attack low as I accelerate, then lift off at the proper speed? Or should I apply slight back-pressure to raise the nose slightly during the acceleration and let the airplane lift off as soon as it can fly?
Please, no name.
Greetings Mr. No Name:
Wow, I wish you had given me a third choice that read, “None of the above.” The best way to lift an airplane off the runway is to set the elevator trim for the takeoff setting, apply takeoff power, and let the elevator control move where it wants to move while holding onto it. Your objective is to sense when the elevator becomes effective, which you do by making a few very small movements and evaluating how the nose responds during acceleration. Once the elevator is effective, rotate the nose into climb attitude. Pushing the elevator forward on takeoff places excessive stress on your nosegear, and pulling aft during acceleration might cause you to become airborne prematurely. Neither is good.
Dear Rod:
I’m a newbie private pilot and just had a chance to fly with a friend (also a relatively new private pilot). I sat in the right seat and my friend asked me to handle the radios for the flight. I hate to say it, but I think I might have messed up in establishing communication before entering Class C airspace. Both of us filed NASA reports. What is your policy on two pilots flying together and sharing the workload?
Gobar
Greetings Gobar:
If you and the pilot elect to share flying responsibilities without having training in that area, then my suggestion is that you get a handy pop-up dispenser containing blank NASA forms. You’ll certainly need more of them.
Some of the goofiest mistakes pilots make (experienced as well as inexperienced) occur when they trust another pilot to help them fly. I know one fellow who put another pilot in charge of lowering his gear before landing. You can guess what happened, right? He landed gear-up because the other pilot simply forgot to lower the gear.
Unless you and/or the person you’re flying with have training in how to use an additional crew member (or participate as an additional crew member), the pilot in command should fly his or her own airplane while assuming all responsibilities associated with that act.
There’s nothing wrong with having the right-seat pilot help the PIC scan for traffic, fetch charts, or participate in beverage service. However, it’s probably not wise to have another person work the radios or copy a clearance, much less be responsible for fuel computations and so on, unless both the pilot and co-pilot have had sufficient training to do so competently.
Dear Rod:
Two instructors at our school were having a rather heated discussion about how to make small heading changes when trying to center the localizer CDI while flying an ILS approach. One fellow suggested that you simply apply rudder to change a heading one or two degrees. The other indicated that you bank the airplane to make a small heading change. Do you have an opinion on this issue?
Lise
Dear Lise:
Trying to change heading by use of rudder alone, without the use of ailerons, is always sloppy flying—regardless of the amount of heading change involved. The best way to change headings when flying a localizer (or when close to a VOR station) is to look at the attitude indicator, immediately roll into—and then out of—a five-degree bank through the coordinated use of aileron and rudder. That will change your heading one or two degrees, depending on the rate of roll. For slightly larger heading changes, roll into and out of a 10-degree bank. This is an excellent way to stop a wandering CDI while keeping your passengers from thinking that your legs have fallen off or gone to sleep.
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