I've always heard, "step on the ball," to fix adverse yaw. Over many years teaching low altitude orientation, however, I have become uncomfortable with this admonition. Of course it is correct. When we are uncoordinated we step on the ball to bring the rudder into coordination with the steering wheel. This makes it obvious what the real problem is: we lead aileron in turns. In high altitude thinking where both vertical and horizontal space is ample and turns are to heading and it takes two minutes to turn around and neither rudder nor aileron is used throughout the turn, the nose going the wrong way initially is just a nuisance.

Why is step on the ball of primary concern? Because most pilots lead aileron and limit rudder for fear of the skidding spin. That is because most pilots pull back on the stick in all turns to maintain altitude at any cost. When the Stearman was a primary trainer, "step on the ball," was too late. The airplane was doing a Hover knife edge. But with modern airplanes that minimize adverse yaw but don't eliminate it, we can just teach mostly using the steering wheel and stepping on the ball if we really need to turn smartly. High altitude stuff.

The real problem rears it's head on short final. Low altitude stuff. Because we use the steering wheel as the primary turning control (rudder is primary because it pulls down aileron around properly,) we have a problem here. We don't want to turn, we want to nail the centerline between our legs. If we are on the steering wheel, if we are using aileron, if we are turning, we already have messed up the longitudinal alignment or even the crab if that's your thing. But the real frustrating thing for the student, very evident in most training videos, is that as soon as they move the steering wheel the nose goes the wrong way initially. This is very confusing for them. And the wing wagging gets worse the closer they get to the runway where they are also having to deal with round out, closing throttle, hold off, and flair. A good power pitch approach will eliminate all that latter, but we still have to line up and have the fuselage pointing the way we want to roll.

Finally, the fatal part. If we don't know how to lead rudder and to bank steeply, and how to allow the nose to go down naturally to prevent stall, and how tolevel the wing prior to pull up (the energy management turn) it might result in unrecoverable stall. Uncoordinated stall might result in spin. Yes, the wing away from the turn will probably be the one to drop (slipping spin). It really doesn't matter down low. Once we have stalled, it doesn't make any difference which way we spin or don't spin.

Are any of you instructors uncomfortable with the truism: "step on the ball?" What would be more proficient?

My thing was step on the high wing

Works VMC

Or with a turn coordinator IMC

In the "Blue Canoe" or Army converted Link Trainer, we just used the anti-torque pedals to turn the little wheel with red grease pencil marker on the procedural track. We didn't bother with the fake collective and cyclic.

Well said, Jim.
It amazes me how well you describe this flight regime.
As an former Naval Aviator, who now owns a pipeline patrol company, flying tailwheel aitcraft (C180,Citabria )in my opinion you are dead on.
The present state of flight instruction seems to guarantee that new hires get themselves into trouble down low.
If they would just read you….

Thanks Icdries. I try to relate to normal flying when sitting in the back of an airliner coming down for so long on approach. They actually start down halfway out I think. And then so little time actually landing. There is no concept of how we live all day near the earth. And on takeoff or go around, the power to be back high almost immediately. It is understandable how the school solution has so little concept of where the we fly safely but also how dangerous the pattern is. So little time spent there, even in training except for takeoff and landing. Rather than, "Terrain! Pull up!," perhaps the computer should say, "You are near the earth. The airplane will fly here. Just don't stall here." We talk about ground rush contributing to stalls, but I think nearness of earth generally is startling to many. And the school relates the limited control movement professional competency of instrument flight with the move the control significantly and efficiently needs of maneuvering flight.

contactflying wrote:Thanks Icdries. I try to relate to normal flying when sitting in the back of an airliner coming down for so long on approach. They actually start down halfway out I think. And then so little time actually landing. There is no concept of how we live all day near the earth. And on takeoff or go around, the power to be back high almost immediately. It is understandable how the school solution has so little concept of where the we fly safely but also how dangerous the pattern is. So little time spent there, even in training except for takeoff and landing. Rather than, "Terrain! Pull up!," perhaps the computer should say, "You are near the earth. The airplane will fly here. Just don't stall here." We talk about ground rush contributing to stalls, but I think nearness of earth generally is startling to many. And the school relates the limited control movement professional competency of instrument flight with the move the control significantly and efficiently needs of maneuvering flight.

In the jet world when you swing the gear yaw damp is on

Short final, YD comes off

For 98% of jet flying you could be feet on the floor

As I recall one airliner took damage from too much rudder usage decades ago

Plus they are ready to be IMC for damn near the whole flight

Add to that feeling the ball is one thing in a plane that’s 20-40’ long, but you get into a swept wing plane that’s 200’, even if you’re the master of feeling the plane, it’s going to be a barf cruise in the back

Think both jet dudes and backcountry folks should understand they are a Phillips to the Flathead

Two different tools, one is not better than the other, they are just different

Yeah, some physics are the same, 100% a wing is a wing and AoA is AoA, but what works for a PA18 or what works for a transport category jet are different, as are their roles

I will say having flown both, the jets are much more paint by numbers

Computers are so inexpensive now, that yaw damp sort of thing should be available on small airplanes. I flew what Wolfgang called, "the safety airplane," because it only cost me $1340.00. It had mechanical yaw eliminator with a crooked mounted engine and a funny looking aileron bell crank that caused the aileron to go down slowly at first and then faster while the up aileron when up a lot and then less as you turned the yoke. As a Cub trained pilot, I had to install the rudder pedals. Real downer. They didn't do anything, nor did they need to. Yaw was completely eliminated, not just dampened. Forget trying to go around an obstacle in low ground effect without hooking a wing, however.

Here is what I believe, is a better way to read and make sense of the actual "relative wind".I see it as a more intuitive way to read the inclinometer. Super simple. No more "step on the ball".

In the video, I have turned the inclinometer upside-down and am reading the air bubble instead of the "ball". Now the control inputs make sense and match up with my "Buoyancy (AOA) & Angle of Sideslip (AOS) Indicator" out on the wing. As you'll see in the video, the bubble represents the nose of the airplane, just like the red tip of the AOA/AOS indicator. Move it with your rudder pedals. A good way to see it is to "chase the relative wind". This is the type of clinometer Lindberg chose for the "Spirit of Saint Louis". A bubble, not a ball .

https://youtu.be/NtKxmZPOE-s

That works equally well, but we still need to lead rudder to keep the ball, or bubble, or relative wind, centered. It is a human thing. Pilots just think bank when they think turn. Dutch rolls convince us that we must lead rudder to keep the nose from going the wrong way initially. Any instrument's mission is to fix things. The mission of the controls is to fly. Move the control to learn what it does. Move the steering wheel and the nose yaws the other way initially. Move the rudder and the nose yaws the way we expect.

Here is a good example of the aileron leading a turn. Beginning at the 2:50 mark in the video, you’ll see some turns where the plane banks first then begins the turn to the left. In this example, referencing the horizon, should the bank and the turn begin at the same time?

https://youtu.be/Qxqec4WgAHg

The new turn smart video that Air Tractor put out this spring had something in it that I've never heard before, but makes sense and works every time. Instead of "step on the ball", it "step on the heavy pedal". I've never heard that before, but man does it work. And it keeps your eyes outside, where mine need to be doing my job. Been applying that to all my flying this summer and I sure like it.

Yes, the bank and turn should start at the same time. He is doing really well with a little dynamic proactive rudder control on takeoff and landing and only minor wing wagging on short final. Two thing that help with the Cub or any really old design, first all ribs are the same and there is no interconnect spring or bungee between rudder and aileron and second the stick does not tempt the steering wheel muscle memory. If we push the rudder at exactly the same time as we move the stick or yoke (aileron), we are coordinated. If you instruct, watch your pilot friend, or just watch turns in videos, you will notice the nose moving opposite the direction of turn initially most of the time. The way to test oneself is to make Dutch rolls to 45 degree bank angle. At first the nose is going to go the wrong way so bad, especially bringing the wing back up, that the distant point cannot be held. All you have to do is think, lead rudder, and the nose yaws correctly as soon as the rudder is applied first and the aileron follows. Rudder pulls aileron. Trying to get the aileron to pull the rudder, step on the ball, somewhat works with shallow turns but cannot come close to holding the point with alternating 45 degree banks.

In making an ACS level turn, the DPE may not even care about the nose wiggle the wrong way if the student steps on the ball and corrects things in the long, long time it takes to make a shallow and level 360 turn. Pilots who work airplanes can understand turning around and going back, but going around in circles makes no common sense.

So what is the problem with step on the ball? Another airplane or obstruction or terrain is suddenly on collision course. Steep turn, perhaps even after startle, is necessary. Lots of aileron, nose goes the wrong way, rudder comes in but not enough and not continuous with the continuous banking necessary for any hope of missing. And a strong pull on the yoke to maintain altitude. So we have a slipping spin rather than a skidding spin and the high wing drops into the spin rather than the low wing drops. It really makes no difference after stall at low altitude. Straight down wings level, twisting right, twisting left. No real difference as the result is the same. Getting steep turns to miss things started with rudder early and banking a bit too much early helps with the latter part of the turn to target by not requiring more bank close to the ground do get onto target and by not delaying the turn with an initial slip. Slipping turns are to lose altitude and not to get the nose onto target smartly. Slipping slows rate of turn. Yawing away from the target initially slows rate of turn.

Good point and technique, David. I've never heard that before, but like Butch Washtock's, "rudder pulls aileron," it makes good sense. If your legs are not twitching uncontrollably toward the end of a long day spraying, you have been slipping it around dangerously. It sounds like uncontrolled flight but my most common phrase teaching Ag was, "push that nose around." Not so much in race track, but in back to back we are turning to target which actually means banking to target which means continuous rudder until the nose is nearly on target and then continuous rudder and unbank until the wings are level and the nose is now on target. If you don't push that nose around, that nose will push you around (mess with you.) If you don't push that nose around, you will have to level and pull up and reject a swath run. Slipping spin? No! You have to stall to do that and the nose is well down as it is supposed to be in a turn.