Gezellig wrote:
One question I had for the instructors out there - what I seemed to find
more awkward than anything was steering the nose wheel using my feet on
the rudder pedals. The people in the control tower must have thought I
looked like a wounded bird taxing out to hold position before takeoff.
Is there some 'trick' to getting the hang of this, so often I would be
tempted to reach up and turn the control yoke but resisted the
temptation (due to its futility).


This is something that you'll get used to over time. I had a really bad
habit of reaching for the yoke to steer. If it was a calm day (i.e. didn't
need to position the controls for the wind) my instructor made me put my
hands on the seat under my legs while taxiing. This helped me to concentrate
on using my feet ot steer.

Also, if you're flying a Cessna, they use a flexible bungee to connect the
rudder pedals to the steering. This means that it takes a second or two for
your control input to have a reaction on the nosewheel. Practice
anticipating what your next move will be. Trying to immediately correct a
slight departure from your path will lead to overcorrection if you don't keep
this in mind. You'll end up wallowing from side to side on the taxiway as
you overcorrect from one side to the other.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

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