Proper Rudder Use

In his seminal book Stick and Rudder, Wolfgang Langewiesche states the rudder “...causes the greatest difficulty for beginners,” and “....even the more experienced pilot often has trouble using it correctly.” Commenting on improper rudder use as a contributing factor in accidents, he states, “In the typical fatal accident, which involves a stall and a spin, misuse of the rudder is almost always partly to blame....”

Michael J. Banner

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Improper rudder usage is a significant factor in fatal stall-spin accidents, often due to pilots struggling with its correct application, even during critical flight phases.
In high-angle-of-attack flight (e.g., climb-out, slow flight, stalls), attempting to raise a dropped wing with ailerons is dangerous, as it can inadvertently increase that wing's angle of attack beyond critical, leading to a stall and spin.
To prevent stall-spins and ensure safety, pilots must use opposite rudder—not ailerons—to correct a dropped wing in high-AoA situations, and consistently apply appropriate rudder for coordinated turns and to counteract adverse yaw.

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In his seminal book Stick and Rudder, Wolfgang Langewiesche states the rudder “…causes the greatest difficulty for beginners,” and “….even the more experienced pilot often has trouble using it correctly.” Commenting on improper rudder use as a contributing factor in accidents, he states, “In the typical fatal accident, which involves a stall and a spin, misuse of the rudder is almost always partly to blame….”

After a short-field takeoff, the Cessna 172 was pitched to a high angle of attack (AoA) to maintain best-angle-of-climb speed (VX). At 100 feet agl, the left wing dropped slightly, then the airplane rolled left, eventually rolling inverted. It crashed in a nose-down attitude, killing the pilot.