AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2015 - 18

PROFICIENT PILOT

Velvet hands

BY BARRY SCHIFF

Correcting with finesse
WHEN I WAS FIRST HIRED as a co-pilot by TWA in
1964, one of our simulator instructors emphasized the
importance of flying smoothly. "We should make every
effort," I recall him saying, "to manipulate the controls
in a way that prevents our passengers from feeling
what we are doing with the airplane; if someone can
physically sense attitude changes or control, you are not
doing it right."
That did not really sink in until I had the great
pleasure of flying a number of Boeing 707 cargo flights
with Capt. Frank Timoshik. This was during the days
when most pilots preferred to fly the airplane manually
during climb and descent. It was more fun, and it was
more challenging. Unlike today, the autopilot was
seldom engaged below Flight Level 180. The only times
that we shot coupled approaches were when our policy
manual required us to do so.

To say that he was smooth would be an understatement.
You seldom felt his maneuvering of the great machine;
you only observed the results.

BARRY SCHIFF

flew for TWA for 34
years. His favorite
jetliner was the
Lockheed L-1011
TriStar.

Timoshik hand-flew the 707 as though he were
at one with the airplane. To say that he was smooth
would be an understatement. You seldom felt his
maneuvering of the great machine; you only observed
the results-not an easy chore in an airplane with such
heavy controls. He had what many refer to as velvet
hands, an ability to gently manipulate an airplane that
I have been attempting to emulate ever since (whether
or not passengers are aboard). It is as much an attitude
as it is a skill.
This is not meant to imply that Timoshik never
varied from an assigned altitude or heading. He was
human, after all. It was the manner in which he corrected an error that was noteworthy. He would return
to his target altitude or heading so smoothly that it
could not be detected by someone not looking at the
instrument panel.
This reminds me of a time in 1956 when a mentor of mine, Paul Blackman, was checking me out in
his North American Navion. During cruise flight, the
altimeter indicated a rock-solid 7,600 feet. Blackman
gave me a gentle elbow to the ribs and said, "I'll bet you
can hold 7,500 feet just as well as you can 7,600." He
wasn't being critical of my being slightly off altitude.

18 | AOPA PILOT December 2015

What bothered him more was that I seemed willing to
accept it. Precision is as important as smoothness.
An effective way to gain proficiency in smoothness
is while practicing steep turns. Roll in and apply backpressure in a way that would not be detectable to a
passenger. Altitude, bank angle, and airspeed corrections during the turn should be made similarly. It is
not as important to make corrections quickly as it is to
recognize excursions and apply those corrections in a
smooth and timely manner. Give yourself enough lead
time to roll out and release back-pressure with similar finesse. If you inadvertently overshoot your target
heading, smoothly and positively apply a correction
in the other direction. With the exception of the obvious increase in load factor, nothing else should be felt
during steep turns.
Many pilots use light turbulence as an excuse to yank
and shove the control wheel. But in most cases, recovery
from mild upsets also can and should be made smoothly.
A pilot should not compound the effects of a bumpy ride
with herky-jerky inputs to the flight controls.
Smoothness also applies on the ground. One of my
pet peeves is when a taxiing pilot brakes to an abrupt
halt, compressing the nosewheel strut and pitching
the passengers forward in the process. With a little
practice, a pilot can stop an airplane without anyone
on board feeling it. It is a matter of learning to release
the brakes somewhat as the airplane is about to stop,
a technique that can be practiced in your automobile
at every stop sign.
During takeoff, some pilots jerk their airplanes off
the ground-not a great way to impress passengers.
Liftoff is a process, not a mindless pull of the wheel. It
begins by lightening the load on the nosewheel a few
knots below VR so that at VR back-pressure continues
smoothly and positively while allowing some acceleration. Fly the airplane off the ground; don't pull it off.
Smooth landings are as much art as science. Most
pilots strive for smooth touchdowns because they are a
source of pride and favorably impress passengers. I have
made landings that literally could not be felt (especially
in the Lockheed L-1011). But under identical conditions
I have reconnected with Earth in ways that registered
with alarm at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory.
Good luck, because that is often what it takes. AOPA
WEB

www.barryschiff.com

http://www.barryschiff.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2015