Subscriber question:
"Do we need to move the rudder every time we move the ailerons to remain in coordinated flight?" - Johnny W.
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Wally:
“The answer here is definitely yes – you need to move the rudder every time you move the ailerons. The ailerons create adverse yaw and therefore to maintain coordinated flight you also need to make a corresponding rudder movement.
The mistake many pilots make is that they forget to remove the rudder when they remove the aileron.
When entering a turn, you apply a given amount of aileron. After you have established the desired bank, you neutralize the ailerons, that is the time you also neutralize the rudder. Now when it is time to roll out of the turn, the opposite happens. You again use aileron, so you also need rudder to counteract that adverse yaw.
In a properly rigged airplane, you should not need to be holding any rudder during a shallow or medium-banked turn. A steep turn does require a little top rudder to maintain coordination.
How can you tell if you are using the correct amount of rudder to offset the adverse yaw? Watch that nose. If it is not yawing back and forth when you are rolling into and out of turns, you are likely using the proper amount of rudder.”
If you found this tip by Wally helpful, you might want to look at our Airmanship Series.
