User Guide

Learning To Fly with Rod Machado
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3. Give the airplane a little right and left rudder and watch what happens.
4. The airplane yaws to the right and left respectively, while the wings remain fairly level.
5. Neutralize the rudder (take the pressure off both rudder pedals).
6. Press P to resume the simulation.
Look at the instrument called the turn coordinator, which is found at the
bottom left of the six main flight instruments (Figure 10). Notice the black
ball located in the curved glass tube. This combination is called the
inclinometer. When the ball is in the bottom center of the tube, the
airplane’s nose is perfectly pointed in the direction of turn. If the ball is
deflected to the right of center, add a little right rudder to center it. If it’s
deflected to the left of center, add a little left rudder to center it. Moving the
ball to the center of the glass tube is known as making a coordinated turn.
The inclinometer is one way pilots tell if the airplane’s nose is pointed
precisely in the direction of turn.
Okay, you’re ready for more practice.
7. Press P to resume the simulation. Have fun!
8. Make a few shallow turns.
Watch the inclinometer and apply enough rudder pressure to keep the ball centered.
Remember, adverse yaw affects the airplane as it rolls into or out of a bank. Therefore, more rudder
pressure is needed when rolling into or out of a bank. Once you’re established in a turn, you can
neutralize the rudder and the nose should remain pointed in the direction you’re headed. (Later, you’ll
learn about situations where it’s necessary to keep a little rudder pressure applied in a turn.)
Practice, Practice, Practice
There’s a joke you’ve probably heard about a tourist in New York City who asks a native, “How do I
get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer is, “Practice, practice, practice.” Well, that’s good advice if you
want to be good at anything, so now I’d like you to spend some quality time in the first online lesson.
On the Flights menu, click Lessons, then choose Private Pilot Lesson 1.
When you’re done, come back to the book, and we’ll talk about the ups and downs of flying.
Figure 10