Early in every pilot’s training, his or her flight instructor will say, “Keep your heels on the floor,” or “Shift your feet low on the rudder pedals,” or some other variation of, “Watch your toes.” What possible importance could the placement of your feet have on the safety of flight? As it turns out, quite a bit.
As physical evidence of this, consider the airplane tire sitting on the desk of the flight school manager at University Air Center in Gainesville, Florida: round, supple, still sporting the little nubby pieces of rubber left over when the tire was released from the mold where it was formed. Even the center tread shows almost no wear. It’s nearly perfect—except for a flat spot about four inches wide with a gaping hole in its center. This is what happens when you land with the brakes locked.
Flight training is challenging. It can be stressful at times, too. Especially for a student pilot who is trying hard to make progress and possibly even impress the flight instructor. That stress can translate to physical tension. Maybe you feel it in your shoulders, or you tighten your grip on the yoke. The odds are good that you also exhibit signs of stress by inching your toes upward on the rudder pedals to get a better hold on those important flight controls.
That can be the first domino to fall in a chain that will not work out well.
The flight goes fine, but as you turn onto final your feet creep upward on the pedals. Taking care to coordinate the base to final turn, your attention is on the ball in the turn coordinator, not the balls of your feet.
Airspeed is good. Ground track is good. A little bank takes care of a slight drift caused by a crosswind. The flare is perfect. Power comes off, eyes shift to the far end of the runway, and you work the elevator control back perfectly to keep the nose coming up, reducing touchdown speed to a minimum. Touchdown.
Instead of a smooth rollout, the airplane lurches to one side. You press full rudder in the opposite direction. The nose strut compresses hard as the airplane pitches forward and slows at an alarming rate. There’s a bang and the airplane slews to one side. Finally, it stops moving. A burst of throttle and a touch of the rudder does not bring it back in line with the runway heading. Something is very wrong.
You have experienced a blow-out after landing with your brakes locked.
To prevent this expensive situation from becoming a notation in your logbook, keep the workings of the pedals under your feet in mind. In many aircraft, the lower portion of the pedals operate the rudder. Push left, go left. Push right, go right. The upper portion of that same pedal operates the brakes. Applying even a small amount of pressure will cause the brake to clamp down, impeding or preventing the wheel from turning.
Brakes are a great resource. A small jab of the pedal can help tighten a turn when taxiing, and brakes are essential when we reach the hold short line. At landing speeds, however, be on guard to keep your toes low on the pedals. Operate only the rudders, not the brakes. Your wallet—and your pride—will appreciate the extra attention to that pesky little detail.
Jamie Beckett is a Florida-based writer and an AOPA You Can Fly Ambassador.
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