Here are some simple tips to help get more speed out of your aircraft.\u00a0 Number one is to relearn what the rudder pedals are for.\u00a0 Hint, they are not foot rest.\u00a0 Anytime you are at the controls of the aircraft your feet should be on the rudder pedals, I often use the term \u201cYour feet should be velcroed to the pedals\u201d.\u00a0 You should keep just enough pressure on both pedals to keep the rudder from moving around.\u00a0 This is basically what a yaw damper does on a large aircraft.\u00a0 Once the rudder starts moving a bit you start to get some lateral acceleration which takes away from your forward acceleration or forward speed.\u00a0 It also should go without me saying that the ball should always be in the center \u2013 zero sideslip.\u00a0 With zero sideslip the aircraft is moving through the air as clean and streamlined as it can.\u00a0 Any sideslip at all will slow you down.\u00a0 When in coordinated flight the aircraft has the smallest possible profile to the relative wind. \u00a0\u00a0As a result, drag is at its minimum.\u00a0 The FAA defines a slip (ball not in the center) as an intentional maneuver to decrease airspeed so why would any pilot fly in cruise flight in a slip?\u00a0 Many pilots will fly most of their flight in a slip simply because they do not use the rudder pedals properly.<\/p>\n
Most instructors as well as pilots tend to dismiss \u201cseat of the pants\u201d flying but I always try to teach it and point out how to use your seat of the pants sensations to help improve your flying skills.\u00a0 I can actually feel in my body when the ball is not centered, I do not need the flight instruments to tell me this.\u00a0 When the ball is in the center all occupants should perceive their weight to be acting straight downwards into their seats.\u00a0 To sum this up coordinated flight is preferred over uncoordinated flight because it is more comfortable for the occupants and it minimizes the drag force on the aircraft.\u00a0 Also remember that it is important that rudder and aileron inputs are coordinated during a turn so maximum aircraft performance (speed) can be maintained.<\/p>\n
Here is what the FAA has to say about coordinated flight:\u00a0 In proper coordinated flight, there is no skidding or slipping. \u00a0An essential basic airmanship skill is the ability of the pilot to sense or \u201cfeel\u201d any uncoordinated condition (slip or skid) without referring to instrument reference.<\/p>\n
Second tip for more speed is to understand how to properly lean the mixture.\u00a0 Your engine is most efficient when it burns all the fuel in the fuel\/air mixture. This is the best economy setting. It creates the hottest exhaust temperature, which registers on the EGT and is commonly called the “peak” temperature. If you lean beyond the best-economy mixture, excess air tends to cool the exhaust\u2014but the engine runs poorly. If you richen the mixture, the extra fuel also cools the exhaust\u2014but fuel economy suffers.\u00a0\u00a0An engine produces the most power at the best power mixture setting, which is slightly richer than best economy. \u00a0At best power, the exhaust temperature is typically 100 degrees to 150 degrees cooler than peak EGT.\u00a0\u00a0Although best power results in a higher airspeed, it also increases fuel consumption.<\/p>\n
Next we can pay attention to the weight and balance of the aircraft.\u00a0 Load the aircraft towards the aft of the CG envelope as possible but stay within the legal limits.\u00a0 At aft CGs, the airplane will be less stable, with a slightly lower stalling speed, a slightly faster cruising speed, and less desirable stall characteristics.\u00a0 It is important to understand the point that I am making here, ALWAYS stay within the CG envelope.\u00a0 As the aircraft nears the forward limits and the aft limits the handling characteristics and performance of the aircraft changes \u2013 towards the aft end of the APPROVED CG envelope is better for more speed.<\/p>\n
Fly Fast and SAFE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here are some simple tips to help get more speed out of your aircraft.\u00a0 Number one is to relearn what the rudder pedals are for.\u00a0 Hint, they are not foot rest.\u00a0 Anytime you are at the controls of the aircraft your feet should be on the rudder pedals, I often use the term \u201cYour feet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p95FsX-5j","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":328,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/fly-fast-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":329,"position":0},"title":"Fly Fast","date":"January 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are some simple tips to help get more speed out of your aircraft.\u00a0 Number one is to relearn what the rudder pedals are for.\u00a0 Hint, they are not foot rest.\u00a0 Anytime you are at the controls of the aircraft your feet should be on the rudder pedals, I often\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4392,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2020\/11\/bolt-in-cross-brace-explained\/","url_meta":{"origin":329,"position":1},"title":"Bolt In Cross Brace Explained","date":"November 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There is indeed a bolted-in section of tubing in the upper (top) plane of the forward-most fuselage \"bay\", located immediately between the firewall and the opening of the front cockpit - the area immediately above the front rudder pedals. This bolted-in section is V-shaped, with a single bolted fitting forward,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/cross-brace.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3865,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2020\/03\/slow-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":329,"position":2},"title":"Slow Flight","date":"March 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"From Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B) Chapter 4 March 2020. Slow flight is when the airplane AOA is just under the AOA which will cause an aerodynamic buffet or a warning from a stall warning device if equipped with one. A small increase in AOA may result in an impending stall,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3455,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2019\/08\/eights-on-pylons\/","url_meta":{"origin":329,"position":3},"title":"Eights On Pylons","date":"August 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The eights-on-pylons is the most advanced and difficult of the ground reference maneuvers. Because of the techniques involved, the eights-on-pylons are unmatched for developing intuitive control of the airplane. Similar to eights around pylons except altitude is varied to maintain a specific visual reference to the pivot points. The goal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1094,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2014\/12\/n100eq-accident\/","url_meta":{"origin":329,"position":4},"title":"Plane Crash – N100EQ Accident","date":"December 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Posted December 8, 2014 This is the second time this pilot has crashed at KGAI.\u00a0 The first time was 06\/17\/2010.\u00a0 N700ZR report from the NTSB Probable Cause page: The pilot of the single-engine turboprop was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight and cancelled his IFR flight plan after being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2010\/02\/fly-the-airplane\/","url_meta":{"origin":329,"position":5},"title":"Fly the airplane!","date":"February 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Will \u201cFly the aircraft\u201d become a lost skill?\u00a0 With more and more technology being crammed into general aviation aircraft and pilots are taught to push a button for this or that, what is going to happen to our basic stick and rudder skills?\u00a0 I remember my first lesson, my instructor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/DSC_27351-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329\/revisions\/331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}