Rudder, rudder, wherefore art thou rudder?

[seamonstr]

I would like to start a new thread for this, even though it's a bit of a continuation of a previous one, because I'd like a lot of attention to be given to it.

My biggest problem is that my trainer has such a monstrous amount of dihedral that I have to give significant aileron to counteract the roll that happens the moment I glance in the left hand stick's direction.

With the following maneuvres, could some of you experienced flying guys give us rudder-incapacitated twits an idea of what we're supposed to do with it?

1) Normal turns
2) Getting the aircraft properly lined up on finals
3) landing in a crosswind
4) Any other maneuvre that you can think of requiring a rudder

Thank you!
Simon

[rycomm]

Okay, I'll do my best here. The rudder is usally used in with the ailerons, not instead of. A bit of left rudder in a left trun will make the plane track much more smoothly. In a cross wind landing, it is usually recommended to drop the wing into the wind, and add opposite rudder to track to runway. This is called a slip.
When you turn the plane with the rudder and no aileron it is called a skid. The plane flies most effiencent when using coordinated flight (aileron and rudder) and will not lose as much altitude in turns. In full size aircraft there is an instrument called the trun and bank coordinator. It is a little ball in curved tube that should be centered duing turns. If the ball is to the left, you add left rudder, which centers the ball. Glider pilots sometimes tape a string to the canopy. As long as the string is hanging strait down, the aircraft is coordinated. If it hangs inside, the plane is slipping, if it swings outside the plane is skidding. This is a visual only thing in a model however, Just go out and practice and expierement, or program aileron / rudder together in a computer radio, but that's cheating.
I hope this helps
Ryan

[DBCherry]

Ryan,
Nice job! Couldn't have said it better.

Simon,
I'll just add my bits to what Ryan said.

Normal turns and crosswind landings were covered well.
Lining up on final is just a normal turn, from downwind to nintey degrees to the wind then into the wind for landing. Coordinate rudder with ailerons as described.

Landing should be approached just a bit differently; once lined up for landing, used the ailerons to keep the wings level, use rudder to steer the plane. THROTTLE is for altitude adjustments to touchdown, with elevator applied JUST before the plane touches down to "flair". The one caveat is, in a crosswind you'll want to keep the wingfacing the oncoming air a bit lower, and apply slight opposite rudder. This is the "slip" that Ryan discussed.

How about a stall turn? Mandatory rudder. ;) Fly past yourself then pull up to (or towards) vertical. Maintain your "upline" and reduce throttle to idle (or low). Once the plane has nearly stopped, apply FULL left rudder and FULL power. Done with proper timing, the plane should turn on it's wingtip and start down on nearly the same path as it was climbing. Remove rudder, reduce throttle and start to apply elevator cuz the ground's approaching. :p