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3 Answers

‘Skidding’ Recovery

Asked by: 4778 views Student Pilot

Hi,

 

I'm getting ready to sit the GFPT.

 

I was performing a Precautionary Search & Landing when I realised I was late in turning left from the upwind leg onto the crosswind leg. As a result I applied a little more rudder than I normally would to assist the roll & increase the turn rate (to the left). In doing so I skidded & found the Turn Indicator ball to be out to the left.

 

For such a scenario, my textbook states that: "if the ball is out to the left, more left rudder is needed" (to recover from the skid). Although this is what I did, my instructor said that I was cross-crontrolling (side-slipping) & that it is very unsafe, & hence I need to practice this more during a remedial lesson. 

 

My questions:

1. What is the best recovery method if I were to find myself in this situation again?

2. Seeing as this manouvre is to be carried at 80 KT (& 10 degrees of flap), much closer to stall speed than a normal MLT, I can understand that cross-controlling can be much more dangerous. So would it be fair to assume that cross-controlling is much more tolerable at higher speeds, i.e. MLT ~ 100 KT?

 

Cheers,

 

Ben

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3 Answers



  1. Ben Plowman on Jul 04, 2012

    When turning at lower airspeeds:
    ~ Opposite aileron is normally required to prevent the aircraft from overbanking.
    ~ More rudder is required (in the direction if the turn) to keep the aircraft coordinated (ball in the middle).
    As the airspeed decreases further, you will run out of rudder and aileron input (fully cross controlled).  Eventually the aircraft will enter a cross-controlled stall.  Careful not to assume that you are slide-slipping just because you are cross-controlled as the two  are not always coincident.
    For the reasons mentioned above, limit turns at low speed to shallow bank.  
    Typically it is not necessary to use opposite aileron unless the aircraft is in a steep turn, at high speeds.
    Hope this helps
     

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  2. Nathan Parker on Jul 04, 2012

    Your description doesn’t make sense.  If you made a skidding turn to the left, then the ball would be out to the right.  You said the ball was out to the left.
     
    In an actual skidding turn to the left, you’ve applied too much left rudder. The recovery is to just reduce the amount of rudder.  As to whether it’s safer at high speeds, well, sure, there’s nothing dangerous about skid unless you stall.
     
    You’re also conflating the terms “cross control” and “skid”.  They’re not the same.  A skid is a cross-control situation, but not all cross-control situations are a skid.  In a slip, the controls are also crossed, but it’s a pretty safe maneuver.

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  3. ss dash on Jun 11, 2013

    what would happen if the direction of spin of the gyro is reversed in a TSI? why is it beneficial to have it spinning away from the pilot?

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