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Old 02-25-2008, 09:28 PM
  #11  
khodges
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: newton, NC
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Default RE: Practice techniques for rudder


ORIGINAL: CrateCruncher

Your Kadet MkII in standard form has a great deal of dihedral in the wing and banks nicely to rudder inputs ......You might try making some turns with only the rudder and elevator.
This is a good way especially with the Mk II (it was my 1st plane). Get to a good altitude (3 or 4 mistakes high) and just use the rudder to make your turns. You will quickly notice that the plane will dive as it turns (called pitch coupling). Counter this with just enough elevator to maintain altitude. Focus on using the left stick, and only use the right one to make corrections. As a new pilot, I got used to not messing with the throttle much and also forgot about the rudder as a result. Make yourself more conscious of your left hand (another natural tendency of predominately right-handed people is to use the dominant hand more). Make more throttle changes and just see-saw on the rudder too. You can get to the point where you can trim your elevator so you can take off, fly the pattern and land without even using the right stick (wouldn't try it just yet) Throttle = up/down, rudder = right/left. just use the right stick to bail yourself out of trouble.

I gotta build another Mk II, it was a fun plane. Mine got eaten by a G-26 and 18" prop on a 1/4 scale J-3.