The Most Fundamental of all Flying Skills

Attitude control is the most fundamental all flying skills. I am sure this comes as a surprise so let me illustrate it in several very diverse regimes of flight.

60º Steep Turns
It may not be obvious but you are in a slight pitch up angle of attack. This is because
your airplane must lift 141% of its weight. This increased angle of attack causes Pfactor.
Just as you must compensate for P-factor in a climb, you must compensate for
P-factor in a steep turn. That is why you must push on the right rudder pedal. So there
you are: turning left even though you are keeping the rudder and aileron to the right of
neutral. Steep turns to the right are not exactly symmetric to steep turns to the left.

Pfactor persists. More times than not you will find that you are pushing on right rudder
pedal in a right turn even though your aileron control is slightly to the left of center.
Steep turns, like any other regime of flying, require that you move the controls to
adjust the airplane's attitude. You should not move your controls to some preconceived
position but only to change attitude.

The absolutely most useful lesson to learn from tight turns is to fly the airplane by
controlling its attitude not by moving its controls to some preconceived position. By
comparison, the facts that you eventually put the controls in a position opposite to the
direction of turn to maintain a steady bank and that an airplane is unstable in roll are
just curiosities.

Executing steep turns is an important and useful skill to master. It is also an essential
exercise when becoming familiar with an airplane. This is the one skill that makes the
difference between good pilots and so-so pilots. It applies to visual flying and
instrument flying, to gliders, land planes and seaplanes, to single engine planes and
multiengine planes, to jets and props. Often referred to as attitude flying, it is really
taking charge, deciding what you want to do and doing it.

Three Point Landings
You must hold the airplane in what ever attitude you choose. For example, the secret
to a three-point landing is to put the airplane in a three point landing attitude just
above the runway at the right airspeed and hold it in that attitude until it lands. Don't
put it in the three-point attitude then let the nose drop. Hold it in the attitude. Be in
command.

Crosswind Landings
The secret to a successful crosswind landing is to align your fuselage with the runway
using your rudder pedals, control your airspeed using your elevator controls, and keep
your airplane exactly over the center line of the runway using your aileron controls.
You cannot do this by letting your nose point where it will, by letting the airplane
drift around, or by letting the nose pitch up or down. You must be in command. You
must know exactly how you want your airplane oriented in space then you must put it
there.

As the airspeed changes and as the wind gusts, your control input must change
accordingly. Put that behind you. Don't even think about it. Just think about the
airplane's attitude compared with what it should be. When the airplane so much as
twitches out of place, put it back where it belongs. You must do whatever it takes to
keep the airplane in the attitude you need.

You cannot control an airplane's attitude if you are not continuously aware of its
attitude. Sounds straightforward, doesn't it? But this is the reason that some pilots
seem to be passengers rather than pilots. They have not developed that sense of
situational awareness that all good pilots have. How then to have situational
awareness?

Think about the airplane's attitude more than any other parameter. When flying
visually, spend most of your time mentally out of the airplane. Don't be a casual
observer. Don't say, "Oh, the horizon is slowing dropping. Isn't that interesting?"
Think of the world as staying still and of the airplane's attitude as changing. As soon
as the nose starts up, bring it back down. Tweak the trim so you don't need to
concentrate for certain, but put the pitch attitude where is should be. That is your task.
Be in charge.

Instrument Approaches
The same advice is valid for instrument flying. You can still be mentally out of the
airplane even if there is nothing to see when you look out the window. The attitude
indicator and every other flight instrument tell you something about your airplane's
attitude.

The secret to successful instrument approaches is to decide what heading, altitude or
rate of descent, and airspeed to fly then to take command and fly. Don't chase the
needle; don't let the heading wander; and don't drift off altitude; just take charge and
fly.

Whether in the clouds or blue sky, you must maintain a mental picture of your
airplane in space.
Know what your airplane's attitude should be; know what your airplane's attitude is;
and make them the same.

Private Pilot Training Online focuses on the little things that hold pilots back; dispels the myths that make learning and flying unnecessarily difficult; and makes the ‘hard’ subjects easy.

Douglas Daniel, long time flight instructor, invites you to visit at http://PrivatePilotTrainingOnline.org for more flying articles like this one. You may also feel free to contact Doug by visiting his website.