Editorial: Stick and Rudder

By Ed Downs

Does that title sound familiar? For many, the book, Stick and Rudder, written by Wolfgang Langewiesche, appears on nearly every bookshelf of aviators around the world. First published in 1944, this book became the quintessential word on the “art of flying,” stressing the need to develop well-understood skills to be used in controlling the aircraft. Those of us who teach Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRC’s) are hearing the term “stick and rudder” again, but not in reference to this classic book. This time it comes from the FAA, having added mandated content to approve FIRC curriculums that addresses the subject of “stick and rudder” skills, or more accurately, the lack of such skills. But let me take a step back and explain the issue at hand.

Every CFI must undergo classroom (or today, web-based) training once every 24 calendar months. The course undertaken is approved by the FAA and must contain a specific amount of FAA mandated content. Companies that conduct such courses maintain an FAA approved status, as do their instructors, like this writer. The program (class or web) MUST contain a minimum of 16 hours of actual training, and significant paperwork is involved. Failure to attend a FIRC every two years and pass two written exams means the CFI loses the privilege to instruct. Once a FIRC is missed, the CFI must attend a FIRC and take an FAA check ride to reinstate CFI privileges. Stop and think about it, how many other licensed professions (medical, legal?) have such requirements? 

FAA required subject matter has changed throughout the years to stress areas of knowledge highlighted by accident statistics. The last 10 years or so have seen the curriculums stress flying skills less and less as issues dealing with psychology (Aeronautical Decision Making, ADM) and Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) have taken the forefront. Basically, we teach how to “talk” about safety and flying, not how to actually do it. The same can be said of the skill requirements contained in the Practical Test Standard (PTS), as Private Pilot maneuvers, such as deep stalls, accelerate stalls, 720 steep turns, descending steep spirals, and spin demonstrations have been removed over the years. In their place, are requirements to explain difficult maneuvers, not actually fly them. This trend to require less in the way of demonstrated flying skills (for all certificates and ratings) has been coupled with the introduction of TAA’s, with pilots being taught to “manage” the plane, not fly it.

Most attendees of classes conducted by this writer strongly disagree with this trend as mandated class material looks increasingly like it belongs in a college psychology class, not in a room full of pilots. To be sure, statistics point out the 78 percent of all general aviation accidents are related to decision making, an act of the mind, but these bad decisions most often lead to an event that could have been avoided if the pilot had better flying skills. But teaching actual flying skills, that is how to teach maneuvers, which might help pilots gain and maintain “stick and rudder” abilities, has fallen into the background. But that is changing.

While FIRC curriculums are normally updated every two years or so, the FAA quite suddenly required all presenters so insert a “new” topic, titled “Loss of Control.” In other words, the FAA has now acknowledged that basic stick and rudder flying skills seem to be on the downslide. No kidding (insert word of your choice). Sherlock, what gave you the clue! Is it the increase in accidents involving Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA), both big and small, wherein pilots seem to be losing control of perfectly good airplanes. 

Certainly the air carrier world has seen an increase in such accidents, ranging from landing short of runways, an inability to handle crosswinds, inability to recognize and recover from a stall and in-flight upsets. The GA world sees similar accident statistics that relate to a failure to simply fly the plane. In fact, Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents have long helped the lead in accident fatalities for years but no longer.  Loss of Control (LOC), the feds LOVE acronyms, accidents have now jumped into the lead. Finally, we can talk about flying airplanes in our FIRC’s, but there is an interesting twist. Take a look at the recently created FAA definition for “Loss of Control:”

“An Aircraft experiences Loss of Control (LOC) when it fails to properly respond to a pilots control inputs”

Maybe this writer is just too picky, but does that definition sound like it was written by a shrink who has never flown a plane? The committee that pulled that definition together is basically saying, “The pilot is making control inputs, but that darned ole airplane is just not responding, it’s the airplane’s fault!” Remember the Air France Airbus that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with a tragic loss of life? It entering the water in a steep, nose- down attitude while one of the pilots was holding full back stick. Had that pilot been trained by Wolfgang, he would have known that “Pull back and the nose goes up. Pull further back, and the nose goes down. We call that a stall.”  According to the new definition, the aircraft failed to respond to the pilot’s expectations. Perhaps this is just a continuation of today’s popular notion that nobody is really responsible for their own actions, it is always “somebody else’s fault.” 

Fortunately, FIRC instructors and the pros that attend those classes know better, and this “new” topic permits enthusiastic discussions to prevail where we share flying and instructing skills. Part of that discussion always asks the question, “What can we CFI’s do about this if the FAA Practical Test Standard (PTS) does not require certain maneuvers?” Opinions abound, as this discussion continues, but for many attending CFI’s, it is simple. No matter what the PTS requires, let’s use our good judgment and knowledge and teach more in the way of basic flying skills, perhaps re-implementing maneuvers removed from the PTS. We discuss the process of Flight Reviews and how we can beef them up, but we also discuss the fact that many young CFI’s may never have flown some of the maneuvers we old duffers are highly proficient at. We do not have an answer for that. It is troubling.

But what can the average pilot do to improve their basic stick and rudder skills on their own? To be sure, sign up with a qualified and current CFI and get some duel, but that might be easier said than done. A good, qualified CFI may not be readily available. What can you do on your own? Let this old CFI toss out a few ideas, remembering that these are the opinions of just one guy. 

1. Pick up a copy of the new “Airplane Flying Handbook” a well-written book about the flying of a plane. It is a good read and full of suggestions regarding flying skills. You must already have “Stick and Rudder” on your shelf. Read it again.  Don’t have it? Google the title and pick up a copy. 
2. Spend some time in your POH. Can you immediately spew forth numbers like Vso, Vs, Vx, Vy and Va? What are the recommended approach speeds? What about maneuvering limitations? Are you allowed to slip the plane with less than a quarter tank of fuel? Are you flying a dual category airplane? What about those planes that may not have a POH? Google the planes make and model and see if a “type club” comes up. Such organizations often have a great deal of flying tips online.
3. Practice steep turns (minimum 45 degree bank angle). Try 720’s, and maintain entry altitude within 200 ft. This is hard; get some dual if you have difficulty.  Also remember that your stalling speed (let’s use Vs, bottom of the green) will be increased by nearly 50 percent in a 45-degree bank and doubled in a 60 degree bank. Practice smoothly rolling into a steep 180 degree turned, starting at maneuvering speed (Va), as if turning in a canyon to correct an already bad decision to scud run. Can you get around quickly with no altitude loss?
4. Climb to a safe altitude and practice steep, descending spirals at idle thrust, as if descending through a “hole in the clouds.” Again, a maneuver that is trying to correct bad decision making in the first place. Use at least a 45-degree bank while maintaining a target speed, never higher than maneuvering speed. Make at least four turns, a tough assignment!
5. Practice basic coordination by slowing to approximate approach speed (let’s say 1.3 Vs), hold the nose on a point on the horizon and smoothly (not too fast) roll from about a 20-degree bank to the left into and immediate right bank of the same angle. Keep the ball in the center and repeat this maneuver multiple times. Hold altitude and go for a centered ball, summitry and smoothness. Some pilots refer to this as a “Dutch roll,” although that is technically wrong. Be careful, this will conjure up airsickness surprisingly fast!
6. Practice crosswind landings at altitude. Set the plane up in an approach configuration, in level flight. Slowly lower a wing only 5 to 10 degrees while holding the nose on a point, and hold it. You will need to add power to keep the airspeed up. This is a sideslip, and the ball will be fully deflected to the low wing side. Now, slowly and smoothly, transition to a bank in the opposite direction while holding the nose on your chosen point, and again hold the new side slip.  This is very hard to do but will give you a real feel for the rudder, aileron relationship for a crosswind landing. Keep an eye on altitude and airspeed, as speed will bleed off fast. You might want a CFI onboard for this one.
7. Make every landing a precision landing, and that does not mean to “land on the numbers.” Remember, hitting the numbers at an airport with a VASI and/or ILS means you have flown down through the wake turbulence of a potential large airplane. A standard instrument glide path of three degrees has the plane touching down 1,000 ft. down the runway, not on the numbers. The idea is to pick a predetermined touch-down point and hit it with constancy.
8. Practice go-around maneuvers at altitude. Start in the configuration you typically use for touch down, and then go-around. Remember, flaps add a lot more drag than the landing gear, so bleed them up first. Be careful, this is the most common cause of a “departure stall” and can get angry with flaps extended.

This writer took a good look at loss of control accident statistics and concluded that approximately 70 percent of GA loss of control accidents could have been prevented if pilots where skilled in the maneuvers listed above. To be sure, this is just one opinion, but it is a place to start. Give it some thought. How are your “stick and rudder” skills?  Maybe it is time to turn the autopilot off and actually fly the plane. Isn’t that what we intended to do when we began taking flying lessons?