Is the only time you use the rudder, is when you taxi or what. Is it something you need to turn, even though you have ailerons?

The rudder is your buddy. Make a friend of it and it will be very friendly to you.

Serously, are you serious? The rudder is a primary flight control for a reason. True, you can fly around with just alierons, but landing-takeoff-aerobatics-crosswind events- and that's just a trike! When you get a taildragger you'll REALLY need the rudder.....

I personally don't have any rudder mixed into any of my airplanes... I input manually. Sometimes you need a little opposite rudder to keep the nose up in a steeply banked turn, sometimes a little rudder to help kick the tail around, and flying the Twist..... rudder everywhere! So to answer your question, yes the rudder is used for more than taxxing.


Andy

once you advance from flying around in simple circles you will need the rudder. Rudder is used for keeping the airplane on a straight course when flying straight up, it is used in 4 point rolls, and lots of other stuff. Fly straight and level and wiggle the rudder and watch the aircraft yaw. Try to make a circle using the rudder instead of the aileron, or add a little rudder into an aileron turn, to get used to using it.


peter

In at least two instances I have had a student pilot up and the ailerons stopped working. I was forced to make all of the turns with the rudder. It is amazing how difficult it is. I had never used the rudder to make turns in the air. Now I practice rudder turns with everything I fly, just in case. I have a few planes, my canard in particular, that will not roll with the rudders. However, I think if I play with the rudders, elevator, and throttle, I may be able to make a turn.

I agree with birdnest. For flying in basic circles, you probalbly won't use the rudder much. However, try doing a stall turn or hammerhead without the rudder. More importantly, the rudder is ESSENTIAL when landing with a crosswind to keep the plane tracking straight. Alot of aerobatic manuevers need to have rudder. I just soloed last fall and really didn't use my rudder a lot until I had to land in a cross wind (without my instuctor there) I ended up getting my plane on the ground but I missed the runway by about 10 feet and landed in tall grass. My landing gear got bent up pretty good. From that point on, I always spend at least a couple of minutes each flight doing turns by using the rudder. It's an essential skill in my opinion.

All really good pilots use rudder. All crappy pilots ignore it. If you want to be a good pilot, learn to use the rudder for takeoff, landing, coordinated turns, controlling direction, aerobatics, and a whole lot of other things you haven't done yet. If your instructor isn't using or training you with the rudder, look around for another instructor until you find one who can show you what it's for and how to use it. It's there for a reason! good luck!

Rudder is good for scale flying ... try turning say LEFT with your rudder, of course you will use the ELEVATOR to compensate for the loss in altitude, now try to use a little OPPOSITE AILERONS ... this will make your plane turn to the left but the wings are level.

RUDDER is for YAW ... means the NOSE of the plane turns unlike ailerons where the plane rolls a bit (wing drops) and you use the ELEVATOR to make the plane change its direction.

I learnt to use rudder more recently and like stated above you need it for Knife Edge, 4 point rolls, slow rolls, rolling circles, hammer heads/stall turns and even to correct flight on a vertical. I know now how important it is to use the rudder especially when you land in a cross wind!

Only Q500 pylon racers do not need rudder ... hehehe ... they are a confused lot ... always flying in circles only!!!

My instructor emphasized using rudder from the beginning, and I've never flown more than a few seconds without using it.

Practice using rudder and you'll never regret it.
Dennis-

simply boring holes in the sky... no rudder needed
flying with a purpose.... RUDDER RUDDER RUDDER

As you get more flight time in , you'll start noticing .
You'll make slight heading adjustment with the rudder
when atttempting to make a straight path over the landing strip or
make your truns purdier.
Your instructor is probably just breaking you in a little bit at a time
to keep it simple at first.

As one someone had mentioned stall truns or hammer heads is
a simple trunaround manuver you can practice to bring the left thumb
back to life, by using throttle and rudder.