SkyHog
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 18,431
- Location
- Castle Rock, CO
- Display Name
Display name:
Everything Offends Me
I totally forgot to post this last week. When I went to do my PPL Checkride Part 2, I mentioned to the instructor that I always had a bit of difficulty with Steep Turns.
Her response baffled me. "I'll show you the best secret you've ever heard when we get up there."
I figured it'd be another of those crap tricks that don't really work - like the Old Man's Secret to Hot Starts or whatever. This one worked!
She likened the secret to aiming a gun at a target (being a hunter, this appealed to me a lot). Her secret was to establish straight and level like normal. Then, find a bug on the windscreen that lines up with the horizon. Then, start the turn. Keep the bug lined up with the horizon, much like keeping the gunsight centered when shooting.
I've never pulled a steep turn that accurately. I was probably within 10 feet or less the entire time. And since I was looking outside the entire time, I didn't fall to my normal mistake of staring at the Instrument Panel trying to cheat. And I also rolled out on my exact heading, without using the DG.
I like this trick a lot.
Her response baffled me. "I'll show you the best secret you've ever heard when we get up there."
I figured it'd be another of those crap tricks that don't really work - like the Old Man's Secret to Hot Starts or whatever. This one worked!
She likened the secret to aiming a gun at a target (being a hunter, this appealed to me a lot). Her secret was to establish straight and level like normal. Then, find a bug on the windscreen that lines up with the horizon. Then, start the turn. Keep the bug lined up with the horizon, much like keeping the gunsight centered when shooting.
I've never pulled a steep turn that accurately. I was probably within 10 feet or less the entire time. And since I was looking outside the entire time, I didn't fall to my normal mistake of staring at the Instrument Panel trying to cheat. And I also rolled out on my exact heading, without using the DG.
I like this trick a lot.