AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2022 - 101

a problem but we are looking for a technique
that inspires confidence in passengers.
The abundance of time normally
spent in cruise flight can lead to sloppy
habits and lull pilots into the belief that
the yoke controls altitude (or climb/
descent profile) and throttle controls
airspeed. After all, leveling off at cruise
altitude is typically done by holding
the yoke to maintain the desired altitude
while the airspeed stabilizes. If a
faster cruise speed is desired, the pilot
applies more power while continuing
to hold the yoke pressure necessary to
keep constant altitude.
In his classic text Stick and Rudder,
Wolfgang Langewiesche explains that
the " elevator doesn't elevate " so he refers
to those control surfaces as the flippers.
He emphasizes that in any flight regime,
the throttle controls the vertical speed
and the flippers control the angle of
attack that results in a given airspeed.
Higher airspeeds mean that a pilot can
get away with yoke controlling vertical
speed and throttle controlling airspeed.
Perhaps it's the front side of the power
curve that should be labeled the region of
reversed command. I'm not out to buck
that long-standing tradition but it's an
interesting way of thinking about things
that is hardly new.
Let's return to the original question
regarding where along the airspeed spectrum
should yoke control airspeed and
throttle control vertical speed? In other
words, when are we there? Above VY
a
pilot can get away with either technique
or a combination. But even at VY
control
deflections either way cause the vertical
speed to decrease. I teach my students that,
at an airspeed used for cruise climb or ones
used to descend toward the pattern, both
above VY
, it makes sense to hold a fixed airspeed
using the flippers and let the throttle
govern the vertical speed. For me, there is
well on the front side of the power curve.
Catherine Cavagnaro is an aerobatics
instructor and professor of mathematics
at Sewanee: The University of the South.
aceaerobaticschool.com
AOPA PILOT / March 2022
101
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2022

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