Mastering Procedure and Rudder Turns-2011/08

54 MODEL AVIATION
IF YOU’VE EVER watched
proficient pilots fly (you can tell
by the mirror-image good
landings), you might have noticed
how their general flying appears
routine. They make flying look
easy. That’s because their control
of the airplanes has become mostly
automatic.
For instance, instead of reacting
to the model every time he or she
performs a turn, an expert pilot
simply repeats the turn control
inputs and the aircraft predictably
and consistently follows along.
Thus, if a novice flier focuses on
controlling the model and
repeating control inputs rather than
reacting to the airplane, he or she
can experience the same turn
success as a veteran flier.
Beginner pilots typically
attempt to turn by reacting to the
aircraft. By definition, reactors
need to see a mistake before it
occurs to them that they have
made one.
Reactors tend to start turns by
holding in aileron and watching
the wings bank. As the bank
steepens and the model starts to
drop, they become focused on
increasing the elevator and trying
to pull out of the dive—all the
while continuing to hold in
aileron.
The result is an ever-steepening
bank, an increasingly tighter
spiral, and confusion about why
the airplane is going down when
the pilot is pulling up. See Figure
1. Unless you intend to do
aerobatics, never hold in the
ailerons during a turn!
Procedure Turns (Aileron): The
term “procedure turn” is taken
from full-scale flying, and it refers
to a course-reversal turn that is
executed to such precise standards
that the results are the same
whether performed day or night, in
clouds or out. That’s precisely our
intention: to execute intentional
turn inputs that produce consistent
turn results whether high or low,
near or far.
The turn procedure that
proficient pilots use starts with a
smooth yet brief aileron input to
bank the wings. The aileron input
is neutralized to avoid entering a
downward spiral, and then up-
By Dave Scott
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 10:40 AM Page 54
56 MODEL AVIATION
Figure 3 left: A larger aileron input
produces a steeper bank and a tighter
turn, and it requires more up-elevator to
keep the turn level.
Figure 4 below: If you pull too much
elevator at the start of your first turn,
resulting in a climbing turn, repeat the
aileron input and bank next time, but pull
less up-elevator from neutral to effect a
more level turn.
elevator is applied to pull the nose
into a turn and keep the turn level.
Did you get that? Once the bank
has been established, elevator—
not aileron—turns the airplane.
See Figure 2.
The size of the aileron input
determines the degree of bank and
therefore the size of the turn, as
well as how much elevator will be
needed to keep the turn level. A
smaller aileron input produces a
shallower bank and therefore a
wider turn, whereas a larger
aileron input produces a steeper
bank and a tighter turn.
The objective is to find the
aileron input that consistently
produces the degree of bank (rate
of turn) you are comfortable with
and then determine the correct
amount of elevator to pull each
time to keep the turn level.
During a mild bank, most of the
wing’s lift is still opposing the pull
of gravity; thus very little upelevator
is needed to keep the turn
level. During a steeper bank,
there’s less upward component of
lift to oppose gravity; therefore,
20º
A
B
45º
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 10:59 AM Page 56
August 2011 57
Figure 5 left: Focus on your inputs when
initiating the turn, then adjust the amount
of elevator you’re holding in to keep the
turn level throughout.
Figure 6 below.
can be summed up by the motto
“Trust, then adjust.” That is,
proactively initiate turns trusting
your inputs and then adjust (finetune)
the amount of elevator
you’re holding, depending on what
you see to keep the turn level. See
Figure 5.
If you see the model start to
lose altitude during the turn, pull
more elevator. If the aircraft starts
to climb, lessen the amount of
elevator you hold in throughout
the remainder of the turn.
Keep in mind that, as a rule, it
is easier to add more input than it
is to recover after overcontrolling.
As a result, the best procedure is
to target a small amount of
elevator at the start of a turn and
then fine-tune the elevator, if
necessary, to maintain a level turn.
Restarting and Tightening Turns:
In the event that a turn needs to be
tightened or restarted, the correct
procedure is to smoothly apply a
small bump of aileron (in and out)
in the direction of the turn while
holding in elevator to steepen the
bank angle. See Figure 6.
For reasons I mentioned
earlier, the aileron bump needs to
be briefly applied in and out—not
held in!
Procedure Turn Correction: At
the point at which you want to exit
the turn, neutralize the elevator
and smoothly apply opposite
aileron to level the wings. See
Figure 7.
more up-elevator is required to
keep the turn level. See Figure 3.
Consistent Turns: The neutral
stick position provides a distinct
point from which to gauge the size
of each of your control inputs.
That makes correct amounts easier
to repeat and incorrect amounts
easier to modify correctly.
If your initial turn is too tight,
reducing the size of aileron input
from neutral the next time will
result in a shallower bank and
wider turn. Or if you initially pull
too much elevator and effect a
climbing turn, repeat that aileron
input next time but pull less
elevator from neutral, and the turn
will be more level. See Figure 4.
Performing a procedure turn
Less Elevator
More Elevator
Bump
In-out
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 11:09 AM Page 57
58 MODEL AVIATION
Figure 8: Smoothly apply rudder to bank
the wings, and then neutralize the rudder
to avoid overbanking and entering a
downward spiral. Maintain up-elevator to
keep the turn level throughout.
Figure 7: Ailerons bank the wings. Pulling up-elevator turns the airplane. To exit the
turn, neutralize the elevator and apply opposite aileron to level the wings.
The key to applying aileron in
the proper direction is reminding
yourself which way you’re turning
and anticipating opposite aileron
before it’s time to correct. The
temptation to look at the wings to
determine which way to apply
aileron produces hesitation and
confusion whenever the position of
the wings is unclear.
Ultimately, correctly applying
aileron hinges on how well you start
and maintain level turns because the
less demanding the turn is in general,
the easier it is to remember which
way to apply the aileron to level the
wings.
In fact, when a turn is kept level,
a person can actually get away with
correcting the wrong direction, catch
the mistake, and level the wings
correctly with minimal altitude loss.
It can spell the end of an airplane if
the pilot corrects the wrong way
during a diving turn.
Rudder Turns: A rudder turn is
performed using the rudder to yaw
the nose of the aircraft in the direction
you want to turn. When the rudder is
deflected, the wing on the outside of
the turn also travels faster, causing it
to generate more lift and therefore
bank in the direction in which rudder
is applied. See Figure 8.
There are basically two
techniques required to turn a model
without ailerons using the rudder.
Airplanes that exhibit a great deal of
upright stability, such as high-wing
powered gliders, typically resist
banking, so you are required to
continue holding in rudder to keep
turning.
These aircraft typically require a
larger rudder input to start the turn.
But once started, the rudder has to be
reduced to keep the turn from
becoming too tight.
The inherent skid and subsequent
speed loss that occurs when applying
rudder will most likely require you to
combine up-elevator with the rudder
at the start of the turn to keep it from
dropping. See Figure 9.
Other rudder models require a
technique that is similar to an aileron
“Right turn,
be ready
with Left.”
Aileron Turn
Correction
Rudder Turn
Yaw Skid
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 11:20 AM Page 58
August 2011 59
wings before the point at which you
want the turn to stop and then
continue holding in rudder until the
wings are level. See Figure 10.
Prolonged rudder deflections
tend to scrub off airspeed. So you’ll
probably need to hold in slight upelevator
while leveling the wings to
keep the aircraft from dropping.
Proficient pilots don’t endeavor to
improve on making corrections. As
does the good driver, the expert flier
applies good control inputs that
reduce the need for corrections
altogether.
When your turn inputs are made
correctly, the need for additional
corrections might not even exist. And
that is when you will be free to think
ahead of the model, as a pro does.
Happy flying. MA
Dave Scott
[email protected]
and will tend to lag behind your
inputs if applied too quickly. To
achieve results that more closely
match your intentions, you must
apply all rudder inputs
extraordinarily smoothly to give the
airplane a chance to keep up with
your inputs.
Once the turn is started, you’ll
need to adjust
elevator to keep
the turn level and
then level the
wings with
opposite rudder
to exit the turn.
Returning the
wings to level
usually takes
longer with
rudder than it
does with aileron,
so you’ll have to
start leveling the
turn, where the rudder is applied only
long enough to bank the wings. Then
it is neutralized to avoid overbanking
and entering a downward spiral. The
degree of bank and the size of the
turn are dictated by the size of the
rudder control input.
Keep in mind that rudder banks
are less precise than aileron banks
Figure 9 above.
Figure 10 right: Prolonged rudder
deflections tend to scrub off airspeed.
Therefore, you will likely have to hold in
up-elevator while leveling the wings to
keep the model from dropping.
Dave Scott is a winning full-scale aerobatic
competitor, founder of 1st U.S. R/C Flight
School, and author of several RC flight
training manuals. His books and articles
feature the accelerated training techniques that
he developed instructing more than 1,300
pilots during his school’s four- and five-day
courses.
Dave is best known for teaching pilots to
control what the airplane does instead of
reacting to it and presenting each lesson in a
logical, “crawl, walk, run” format that makes
learning easier and more fun.
More information about his books and
flight school can be found at www.rcflight
school.com. MA
Reduce
Rudder
Bank
Neutralize
Opposite
Time
Hold Left Rudder
Pull
Rudder Turn
Correction Right Turn
Glider Rudder Turn Inputs
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 11:29 AM Page 59

54 MODEL AVIATION
IF YOU’VE EVER watched
proficient pilots fly (you can tell
by the mirror-image good
landings), you might have noticed
how their general flying appears
routine. They make flying look
easy. That’s because their control
of the airplanes has become mostly
automatic.
For instance, instead of reacting
to the model every time he or she
performs a turn, an expert pilot
simply repeats the turn control
inputs and the aircraft predictably
and consistently follows along.
Thus, if a novice flier focuses on
controlling the model and
repeating control inputs rather than
reacting to the airplane, he or she
can experience the same turn
success as a veteran flier.
Beginner pilots typically
attempt to turn by reacting to the
aircraft. By definition, reactors
need to see a mistake before it
occurs to them that they have
made one.
Reactors tend to start turns by
holding in aileron and watching
the wings bank. As the bank
steepens and the model starts to
drop, they become focused on
increasing the elevator and trying
to pull out of the dive—all the
while continuing to hold in
aileron.
The result is an ever-steepening
bank, an increasingly tighter
spiral, and confusion about why
the airplane is going down when
the pilot is pulling up. See Figure
1. Unless you intend to do
aerobatics, never hold in the
ailerons during a turn!
Procedure Turns (Aileron): The
term “procedure turn” is taken
from full-scale flying, and it refers
to a course-reversal turn that is
executed to such precise standards
that the results are the same
whether performed day or night, in
clouds or out. That’s precisely our
intention: to execute intentional
turn inputs that produce consistent
turn results whether high or low,
near or far.
The turn procedure that
proficient pilots use starts with a
smooth yet brief aileron input to
bank the wings. The aileron input
is neutralized to avoid entering a
downward spiral, and then up-
By Dave Scott
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 10:40 AM Page 54
56 MODEL AVIATION
Figure 3 left: A larger aileron input
produces a steeper bank and a tighter
turn, and it requires more up-elevator to
keep the turn level.
Figure 4 below: If you pull too much
elevator at the start of your first turn,
resulting in a climbing turn, repeat the
aileron input and bank next time, but pull
less up-elevator from neutral to effect a
more level turn.
elevator is applied to pull the nose
into a turn and keep the turn level.
Did you get that? Once the bank
has been established, elevator—
not aileron—turns the airplane.
See Figure 2.
The size of the aileron input
determines the degree of bank and
therefore the size of the turn, as
well as how much elevator will be
needed to keep the turn level. A
smaller aileron input produces a
shallower bank and therefore a
wider turn, whereas a larger
aileron input produces a steeper
bank and a tighter turn.
The objective is to find the
aileron input that consistently
produces the degree of bank (rate
of turn) you are comfortable with
and then determine the correct
amount of elevator to pull each
time to keep the turn level.
During a mild bank, most of the
wing’s lift is still opposing the pull
of gravity; thus very little upelevator
is needed to keep the turn
level. During a steeper bank,
there’s less upward component of
lift to oppose gravity; therefore,
20º
A
B
45º
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 10:59 AM Page 56
August 2011 57
Figure 5 left: Focus on your inputs when
initiating the turn, then adjust the amount
of elevator you’re holding in to keep the
turn level throughout.
Figure 6 below.
can be summed up by the motto
“Trust, then adjust.” That is,
proactively initiate turns trusting
your inputs and then adjust (finetune)
the amount of elevator
you’re holding, depending on what
you see to keep the turn level. See
Figure 5.
If you see the model start to
lose altitude during the turn, pull
more elevator. If the aircraft starts
to climb, lessen the amount of
elevator you hold in throughout
the remainder of the turn.
Keep in mind that, as a rule, it
is easier to add more input than it
is to recover after overcontrolling.
As a result, the best procedure is
to target a small amount of
elevator at the start of a turn and
then fine-tune the elevator, if
necessary, to maintain a level turn.
Restarting and Tightening Turns:
In the event that a turn needs to be
tightened or restarted, the correct
procedure is to smoothly apply a
small bump of aileron (in and out)
in the direction of the turn while
holding in elevator to steepen the
bank angle. See Figure 6.
For reasons I mentioned
earlier, the aileron bump needs to
be briefly applied in and out—not
held in!
Procedure Turn Correction: At
the point at which you want to exit
the turn, neutralize the elevator
and smoothly apply opposite
aileron to level the wings. See
Figure 7.
more up-elevator is required to
keep the turn level. See Figure 3.
Consistent Turns: The neutral
stick position provides a distinct
point from which to gauge the size
of each of your control inputs.
That makes correct amounts easier
to repeat and incorrect amounts
easier to modify correctly.
If your initial turn is too tight,
reducing the size of aileron input
from neutral the next time will
result in a shallower bank and
wider turn. Or if you initially pull
too much elevator and effect a
climbing turn, repeat that aileron
input next time but pull less
elevator from neutral, and the turn
will be more level. See Figure 4.
Performing a procedure turn
Less Elevator
More Elevator
Bump
In-out
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 11:09 AM Page 57
58 MODEL AVIATION
Figure 8: Smoothly apply rudder to bank
the wings, and then neutralize the rudder
to avoid overbanking and entering a
downward spiral. Maintain up-elevator to
keep the turn level throughout.
Figure 7: Ailerons bank the wings. Pulling up-elevator turns the airplane. To exit the
turn, neutralize the elevator and apply opposite aileron to level the wings.
The key to applying aileron in
the proper direction is reminding
yourself which way you’re turning
and anticipating opposite aileron
before it’s time to correct. The
temptation to look at the wings to
determine which way to apply
aileron produces hesitation and
confusion whenever the position of
the wings is unclear.
Ultimately, correctly applying
aileron hinges on how well you start
and maintain level turns because the
less demanding the turn is in general,
the easier it is to remember which
way to apply the aileron to level the
wings.
In fact, when a turn is kept level,
a person can actually get away with
correcting the wrong direction, catch
the mistake, and level the wings
correctly with minimal altitude loss.
It can spell the end of an airplane if
the pilot corrects the wrong way
during a diving turn.
Rudder Turns: A rudder turn is
performed using the rudder to yaw
the nose of the aircraft in the direction
you want to turn. When the rudder is
deflected, the wing on the outside of
the turn also travels faster, causing it
to generate more lift and therefore
bank in the direction in which rudder
is applied. See Figure 8.
There are basically two
techniques required to turn a model
without ailerons using the rudder.
Airplanes that exhibit a great deal of
upright stability, such as high-wing
powered gliders, typically resist
banking, so you are required to
continue holding in rudder to keep
turning.
These aircraft typically require a
larger rudder input to start the turn.
But once started, the rudder has to be
reduced to keep the turn from
becoming too tight.
The inherent skid and subsequent
speed loss that occurs when applying
rudder will most likely require you to
combine up-elevator with the rudder
at the start of the turn to keep it from
dropping. See Figure 9.
Other rudder models require a
technique that is similar to an aileron
“Right turn,
be ready
with Left.”
Aileron Turn
Correction
Rudder Turn
Yaw Skid
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 11:20 AM Page 58
August 2011 59
wings before the point at which you
want the turn to stop and then
continue holding in rudder until the
wings are level. See Figure 10.
Prolonged rudder deflections
tend to scrub off airspeed. So you’ll
probably need to hold in slight upelevator
while leveling the wings to
keep the aircraft from dropping.
Proficient pilots don’t endeavor to
improve on making corrections. As
does the good driver, the expert flier
applies good control inputs that
reduce the need for corrections
altogether.
When your turn inputs are made
correctly, the need for additional
corrections might not even exist. And
that is when you will be free to think
ahead of the model, as a pro does.
Happy flying. MA
Dave Scott
[email protected]
and will tend to lag behind your
inputs if applied too quickly. To
achieve results that more closely
match your intentions, you must
apply all rudder inputs
extraordinarily smoothly to give the
airplane a chance to keep up with
your inputs.
Once the turn is started, you’ll
need to adjust
elevator to keep
the turn level and
then level the
wings with
opposite rudder
to exit the turn.
Returning the
wings to level
usually takes
longer with
rudder than it
does with aileron,
so you’ll have to
start leveling the
turn, where the rudder is applied only
long enough to bank the wings. Then
it is neutralized to avoid overbanking
and entering a downward spiral. The
degree of bank and the size of the
turn are dictated by the size of the
rudder control input.
Keep in mind that rudder banks
are less precise than aileron banks
Figure 9 above.
Figure 10 right: Prolonged rudder
deflections tend to scrub off airspeed.
Therefore, you will likely have to hold in
up-elevator while leveling the wings to
keep the model from dropping.
Dave Scott is a winning full-scale aerobatic
competitor, founder of 1st U.S. R/C Flight
School, and author of several RC flight
training manuals. His books and articles
feature the accelerated training techniques that
he developed instructing more than 1,300
pilots during his school’s four- and five-day
courses.
Dave is best known for teaching pilots to
control what the airplane does instead of
reacting to it and presenting each lesson in a
logical, “crawl, walk, run” format that makes
learning easier and more fun.
More information about his books and
flight school can be found at www.rcflight
school.com. MA
Reduce
Rudder
Bank
Neutralize
Opposite
Time
Hold Left Rudder
Pull
Rudder Turn
Correction Right Turn
Glider Rudder Turn Inputs
08sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 6/23/11 11:29 AM Page 59