User Guide

We’ll start with “C” for “CONTROLS.” Roll the yoke all the way
to the left; while holding it all the way over, pull it all the way
back; while holding it back, roll it all the way to the right; while
holding it to the right, push it all the way forward. You can con-
firm the control surface movement by switching to an external
camera. This is also called “boxing” the controls. What you’ve
done here has simultaneously proved that the ailerons and ele-
vator move through their entire range, and that they don’t inter-
fere with one another (for example, by the mysterious workings
of the yoke snagging a hanging wire somewhere behind the
panel) anywhere in that range. Note that merely rolling the yoke
from side to side at one particular elevator deflection, or pulling
the yoke all the way back and forth with the ailerons neutral,
doesn’t necessarily eliminate any possible interference; you need
to “box” the controls as just described. Finish by moving the rud-
der pedals all the way back and forth.
“I” stands for “INSTRUMENTS.” Take a general look across the
panel and verify that everything is reading about what it should be;
in particular, the engine instruments should show correct oil pres-
sure, with both oil and cylinder head temperatures starting to come
up; the ammeter should show a slight charge. Now check the flight
instruments. The airspeed indicator should be at zero, the artificial
horizon should show wings level and either neutral pitch attitude or
barely above the horizon (depending mostly on how much air you
have in the nosewheel strut!). The altimeter should show field ele-
vation above sea level. If it doesn’t, use the knob at its 7 o’clock posi-
tion to adjust it. The turn coordinator should show a wings-level
indication, with its ball centered.
The directional gyro should agree with the “whiskey compass”
atop the instrument panel; it, too, has an adjustment knob at 7
o’clock. Finally, the vertical speed indicator should indicate zero
- its needle should point to the 9 o’clock position.
84
85
Tapping the brakes will slow
you down. For some active rudder
pedals, the top of each pedal actu-
ates the wheel brake on that side
only, so you have to squeeze them
equally. You can use individual
brakes to tighten up your turn
radius on the ground.
Finish up your taxiing by lin-
ing the airplane up with the center-
line of the runway, retarding the
throttle to idle, and braking to a stop.
BEFORE TAKEOFF
Every airplane has its own pre-takeoff checklist, and the one
for the 172R is reproduced in the appendix. However, you can
cover just about any airplane using simple mnemonics. Different
mnemonics are used in different countries and for different air-
planes (for example, RAF fighter pilots say “TAFFIOHHH”), but the
one we’ll use here is simple: CIGARS.
I
C
Flight Instruction
Flight Instruction
SimTip
If you don’t have rudder
pedals or a three-axis
stick, use the bottom
two keys (0 and .) on the
numerical keypad for
rudder control. Keypad
5 centers the rudder.