Preferred method?

[Roondog]

Consider you are right handed. In a left seat PIC A/c, what is your method for managing the panel? Specifically in the 300C, or any Left PIC A/c for that matter. Friction the collective, switch the left hand to cyclic to manage the panel with your right then back to collective to verify collective setting, then back to panel or maintain collective with left hand and steer with the knees? I've seen and done both and I'm not yet comfortable with either. Any recommendations? I have no turbine time yet, and I'm not sure if it is any easier in a turbine, but for the sake of argument, for those of us who fly trainers, what are your opinions on the best method for doing this in the safest manner? Thanks- Jeff

[flingwing206]

Consider you are right handed. In a left seat PIC A/c, what is your method for managing the panel? Specifically in the 300C, or any Left PIC A/c for that matter. Friction the collective, switch the left hand to cyclic to manage the panel with your right then back to collective to verify collective setting, then back to panel or maintain collective with left hand and steer with the knees? I've seen and done both and I'm not yet comfortable with either. Any recommendations? I have no turbine time yet, and I'm not sure if it is any easier in a turbine, but for the sake of argument, for those of us who fly trainers, what are your opinions on the best method for doing this in the safest manner? Thanks- Jeff

All of the above!

 

It depends on what you are doing. In the 300, if you are in cruise, you probably have some throttle/collective friction set, so you can take your left hand off of the collective. You can reach the upper part of the panel directly with that, or fly with your left hand while you use the right for the radios, ect. The only turbine I have appreciable left-seat time in is the Jet Ranger - with the duals in, the collective will very slowly creep down, but that's over the course of minutes, and doesn't happen without duals. I would guess that any hydraulically-boosted ship would be similar

 

For something really quick (pushing one button, carb heat), you can hold the cyclic between your knees. Especially since you have your left hand on the collective, there's no particular hazard to this in normal cruise flight. Be sure the cyclic and aircraft are stable before you remove your hand from the control, and keep the "knee time" short.

 

I once (back in the Commercial solo XC days) caught myself with the collective frictioned (no, not locked) and cyclic in my knees while I was fooling around with my charts, ect. It was my first real "what am I doing!??" moment. Of course folks fly hands-off on autopilot regularly, but that is in twin engine ships, not used-hard piston trainers.

 

Hope this helps.

[Gomer Pylot]

Whatever works at the time. One of the first skills I learned was lighting a cigarette from a book of paper matches while flying a TH55, which requires both hands to accomplish. I frictioned the collective, and flew with my knees while doing it. My instructor would do 180 autos, from the initial hover to hovering off the lane afterwards, all with his knees. When you're young and stupid, and headed for Southeast Asia as soon as you finish flight school, this stuff isn't scary at all.

[500E]

Tend to friction colective and use right hand,

But who ever put the radios and squake at the bottem of the panel in 300 and 500 could not have flown anything other than a desk! where the ground controlers are getting you to change freq, Sq, every 5 min and you have to look out ,fly, map read, an do internal checks you realy require a spare arm .