Flight Training - August 2020 - 35

WHY AN RV?
Earning a commercial certificate in an LSA

Commercial training in a Van's RV-12?
A few years ago, the concept would
have been absurd: The commercial
pilot certificate was inseparable from
training in a complex, or less commonly, turbine-powered airplane.
The RV-12 is a light sport aircraft,
a category of small, mechanically
simple aircraft designed to be simple
to fly. That's a far cry from a complex
airplane, defined as having flaps,
a controllable-pitch propeller, and
retractable landing gear.

Flying sideways can be unsettling,
and Kershner acknowledges that it may
take time to adjust to the forces and
psychological factors acting on a pilot in
a steep, slipping descent. "Some people
are quite uncomfortable at first and try to
lean well to the high side of the airplane,"
he explains.
In a side-by-side trainer, it will be
easiest to slip to the left so you can better
see the course ahead of you, but consider
the wind direction while practicing. In a
descent to landing, you'll want to slip into
the wind so you can transition to a sideslip
for touchdown. Also be sure to recover
from the forward slip in plenty of time to
turn your focus to the landing.
As noted in the Airplane Flying
Handbook, a steeper bank will produce a
steeper descent, but you reach the practical slip limit when the bank you've chosen
requires full rudder deflection. If you
need to descend more rapidly, lowering
the nose will increase airspeed and hence
rudder effectiveness, allowing you to slip
more steeply. But for forward slips to a

Now the aeronautical experience requirements include 10
hours of training in a complex airplane, a turbine-powered
airplane, or a technically advanced airplane. The batch of
changes to training regulations that went into effect in 2018
defines a TAA as having an electronically advanced avionics
system that includes an electronic primary flight display, multifunction display, and two-axis autopilot integrated with the
navigation system.
With low fuel burn and low operating costs, the RV-12 rented
for a fraction of the price of complex aircraft in the area, many
of which were older models. For that price I got modern avionics and sporty handling in an airplane that seems like it was
built for the commercial training maneuvers. -SD

landing, extra airspeed could be counterproductive. You may lose excess altitude,
but if you come out of the slip with excess
airspeed for landing, you've only traded
one problem for another. (Carrying power
into a slip also can increase your airspeed
and keep the aircraft from descending
as steeply.) Slips can help, but they're no
substitute for a go-around.
Another common mistake is allowing
the nose to drift too high. At slower airspeeds, the rudder becomes less effective
and the increase in angle of attack may
put the airplane close to a stall. Kershner notes that students sometimes feel
uncomfortable with the slipping bank and
unconsciously allow the wings to drift back
toward level, often with the nose high.
Students may also unintentionally begin a
turning slip because they relax rudder pressure or allow the airplane to get too slow,
causing the rudder to lose effectiveness.
DOWN TO EARTH

Like many pilots, I flew for years without using more than light to moderate

forward slips. With long, unobstructed
runways and flap-equipped airplanes, I
didn't really need to. But when I began
commercial pilot training in the RV-12,
just a little slip wouldn't do. With a glide
ratio of 13:1, the RV-12 wants to keep
flying, even with full flaps deployed-
and the Commercial Pilot Airman
Certification Standards give a 100-foot
touchdown window for short-field landings. I had to face the slip head on (or
should I say, sideways).
We slipped at altitude. We slipped
on downwind. We slipped turning
downwind to base, we slipped on final
approach. I studied the pilot's operating handbook to understand how the
maneuver affected the model I was
flying (see "Know Your Airplane," p. 32).
Somewhere along the way, slips became
routine, and even fun. A little discomfort
with uncoordinated flight gives way to
satisfaction when the tires hit the pavement just where you want them to. FT
sarah.deener@aopa.org
AOPA.ORG/FT 35

http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - August 2020