Introduction and a Taxiing Question

R

Rsxshadow

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Feb 11, 2012
Messages
3
Display Name
Display name:
Jeyan
Hi everyone,
I've been lurking for the past few months and thought now would be a good time to introduce myself. My name is Jeyan and I am a graduate student currently living in Chicago. I've recently taken my first official lesson with Skill out of KUGN after years of wanting to do it. I'm not exactly sure yet how I plan to pay for it :dunno: but this is the point in my career where I would have the most time to undertake flying. Anyway back to my lesson, I flew an evektor sportstar last friday for about an hour but the conditions were not ideal. It was really windy and turbulent so it was hard for me to really focus on learning. I got a chance to talk to the tower and learned extensively about preflighting and using checklists. The takeoff took me by surprise since everything happend so fast that I quickly got behind the airplane. Once at cruise I found it hard to keep a steady altitude with the amount of turbulence, but I got a feel for the controls and how little pressure you need compared to microsoft flight simulator lol. The landing was handled by my CFI due to the strong winds.
One of the biggest questions I had for you guys was how do you position your feet on the rudder pedals? The sportstar has the nose wheel connected to the rudder pedals and I wasn't sure if I should control the rudder with my heel and the brakes with my toes, or operate them separately. I think by having my feet positioned like the former would lead me to ride the brakes inadvertently, but operating them separately feels awkward as well. During our taxi I was approaching the hold short line and the taxiway curved into it. I found it very awkward at that point trying to work the rudder pedal to maintain the curve and then to operate the brakes to slow down. I thought I could pull the power to idle to slow down, but we were taxiing under idle power. I know this is probably second nature to many of you and it probably sounds like a dumb question, but I want to make sure I learn all of these small things the right way so I don't pick up any bad habits. I'm sure i'll have a bunch more questions as I continue training, and I know i'll learn more from all of you as I have the past few months. Thanks in advance for your help.

Jeyan
 
Rsxshadow said:
One of the biggest questions I had for you guys was how do you position your feet on the rudder pedals? The sportstar has the nose wheel connected to the rudder pedals and I wasn't sure if I should control the rudder with my heel and the brakes with my toes, or operate them separately.
Click to expand...
I have no time in type, and the answer to the above question really is pretty type specific. So the best answer would come from your flight instructor.

For the most part, I teach students to slide their feet down to where they can't depress the brakes without sliding their feet up. This stops them from riding the brakes all over the place because in many light aircraft you don't have a need for brakes most of the time.

Once you get into some higher performance aircraft it can be quite difficult to apply enough right rudder on takeoff if your toes are high enough to be over the brakes. Sliding down generally fixes that issue as well.

Once again. Exceptions to everything. Ask your instructor.
 
First welcome to Pilots of America! And congrats on your decision to being flight training. So to answer your question, I'd say it depends. First understand that I'm not familar with the rudder pedals in an evektor. Most rudder pedals are not very different but some are, soooo assuming that they are pretty much like the ones on most aircraft, I position my feet on the full pedal when taxiing so that I can apply the breaks quickly if necessary, this is especially true on planes with free castoring nose wheels that require differential breaking to steer . I find that I do not ride the break at all that way. Now when I'm starting my takeoff roll my heels go to the floor and the balls of my feet are on the rudder pedal but NOT the break portion
 
I agree with Jesse, particularly where light sport airplanes are concerned.

BTW, welcome to POA!

(I beat Tracey AND Ben!)
 
Heels on the floor also keeps you from landing with the brakes locked. Not good.

Heels on the floor and move your feet for rudder work, push top of rudder pedal forward for brakes with balls or toes of foot.

Also, this is for most aircraft, I have no experience in your airplane.

Welcome to the group!
 
I'm not at all familiar with the Evektor, but this blog entry and the posts following it may provide some insight:

http://geekswithblogs.net/paulp/archive/2007/05/24/112716.aspx

It sounds like, unlike Cessna pedals which are attached to the nose wheel via springs, Evektor pedals are directly attached, making steering much more sensitive than those of us who learned in the Cessna machines.

Also, note the feedback with the heading " Evektor SportStar Checkout 1/2/2009 11:54 AM Paul Tanzar" - should answer your question, or if he is still at Skill, you can ask him or your CFI when you go for your next lesson!
 
TMetzinger said:
BTW, welcome to POA!

(I beat Tracey AND Ben!)
Click to expand...

Yes! Welcome! Always nice to have a new face!

(And Tim, Ben and I didn't tell you but the person that finds the #1 poster first owes the others in the welcoming committee M&M's. So pay up). :yesnod:
 
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and advice! Thanks Jim for the link, it has some great info to prepare me for my next flight and to prepare some questions for my CFI.
 
Rsxshadow said:
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and advice! Thanks Jim for the link, it has some great info to prepare me for my next flight and to prepare some questions for my CFI.
Click to expand...
Keep the questions coming here, too--- everyone here knows everything. :lol:

(I say that teasingly, I've gotten great advice and help here and I am very grateful for it).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top