Scudrunners

I read a lot of comments about the pilot flying using both hands on the control wheel to flare and land big jets.


Why do they do this?

From personal experience from a boeing perspective anyway and after being a 2 fisted guy for many years and have gone back to it now because I have stepped back in time, it is not a great idea. One hand on the yoke and one on the thrust worked the best. Reason mainly being that the boeing is so twitchy on the roll because of spoilers and ailerons (sometimes 4 ailerons) with 2 hands there is a real tendency to over correct and one can find themselves in a wing walking gyration that could scrap a canoe. With one hand it seems to be far less of an issue. It takes very little travel on the wheel to set up an excessive roll rate. 


Having said all that I flair with 2 hands on any aircraft with heavy, un-boosted controls. That included the Herc, even though controls were boosted. It had lots of travel in the yoke and for me 2 hands worked best.

Speaking of heavy on the controls have you ever flown the PBY Charlie?

[quote author=Chuck Ellsworth link=topic=3913.msg10416#msg10416 date=1471019002]
I read a lot of comments about the pilot flying using both hands on the control wheel to flare and land big jets.


Why do they do this?
[/quote]




I only do it when someone takes my picture. I want to make it look like I am in complete control. Usually my fly is open or I have a dangling booger, so that defeats the purpose.


Kidding aside...
Who does this? That's a new one on me. Wouldn't fly with my group, I can tell you that.

[quote][font=verdana][size=3] ever flown the PBY Charlie[/size][/font][/quote]


Only on a few flights but never got endorsed and it seemed at the time they was more of a demand for DAK drivers where I was employed. The Canso was Rex's baby and really didn't fly that much. Great diving board though -- was always a hit when it was tied to the dock on a hot summer day.

[quote author=Chuck Ellsworth link=topic=3913.msg10416#msg10416 date=1471019002]
I read a lot of comments about the pilot flying using both hands on the control wheel to flare and land big jets.


Why do they do this?
[/quote]

Been flying with a sidestick for the last 12 years - very intuitive and easy to fly with.

Love the pull out tray table where the control wheel would normally be - doing paperwork and eating couldn't be easier!

I don't fly anything with a wheel/yoke anymore.

Right hand on the stick, left hand on the throttle.

This brings us to the dynamics of a stick vs a yoke. One motion compared to 2. The stick has half the dimensional motions of a yoke and is a far better way of controlling any aircraft. Why did they ever make aircraft with a yoke in the first place? I know - ham fisted pilots and poor control design. ;D


Brings us to the question, how many here (I already know a couple) have actually flown an old, heavy aircraft which require as much rudder as any other control surface to fly. Some even it could be argued the rudder was the primary control.


Just before I retired from 705/121 I was attending the annual ALPA safety week. More than one speaker declared CFIT was basically addressed in our part of the world and the next biggest issue is the erosion of stick and rudder skills with more and more automatics coming into play. This is flowing right down to the private pilot level. How can one have good skills if they were never there in the first place.


I can remember circa 1980 when a carrier asked me to check out and train several navaho pilots and get them endorsed on a ST27 Sanders. I was completely taken back by there eroded stick and rudder skills even coming from a primitive auto pilot to an aircraft with none. Damn it was ugly for a while.

Take the auto-pilot queens and send them south
to spend a week in the sunshine, learning to fly
an R-22.  They will come back with a tan and more
stick and rudder skill than you thought possible.