Aerobatic Q

[Richard]

I been thinkin agin. It seems whenever the pilot who is flying pulls or pushes a couple Gs the pax gets kinda queasy. Nevermind that the pax is a rated pilot and the maneuvers have been briefed beforehand.

With that in mind, what allowances doesthe aerobatic instructor make when it's the student is on the stick? Does the instructor ever take his hands off the controls? Does an increased G tolerance come into play here?

 

[Diana]

I been thinkin agin. It seems whenever the pilot who is flying pulls or pushes a couple Gs the pax gets kinda queasy. Nevermind that the pax is a rated pilot and the maneuvers have been briefed beforehand.

Well, I'm still a newbie, but here goes. When I take my husband doing aerobatics, sometimes his stomach bothers him (I told him not to eat so much before we went!). He also took a lesson with Greg Koontz when we were down there for my training a few weeks ago. They spent an hour with Tom at the controls doing rolls and loops and spins after a HUGE heavy breakfast and his stomach didn't bother him at all. I have read that a person is somewhat less likely to get queasy if they are at the controls.

 

[gismo]

I have read that a person is somewhat less likely to get queasy if they are at the controls.

There's definitely some truth to that. It even applies to other forms of motion sickness such as riding in a car vs driving. I know of at least one pretty good aerobatic pilot / CFI who doesn't like to teach acro because that makes him sick, so it doesn't necessarily ever go away.

 

[BruceAir]

It is generally harder to tolerate a ride through aerobatic maneuvers than it is to fly them. Even if you know the sequence of manuevers, it's more difficult to anticipate the onset of Gs and changes in attitude when you're hanging on than when you are making the control inputs that induce the effects. And some pilots are smoother than others.

As you gain experience as an instructor (aerobatic or otherwise), you can usually anticipate what's going to happen. For example, when practicing stalls with a student, I can almost always predict how the maneuver will progress. I can feel and see that we need more rudder, that the student is feeding in aileron, or that the pitch attitude is going to make for an interesting break and recovery.

The same applies to aerobatics. The initial pull on a loop can tell you a lot about how the maneuver will work out. Too slow, too hard, not hard enough, wing low, etc. all telegraph what's likely to happen as things progress. And that experience helps lessen the effects of having another pilot fly the maneuvers. It's even fun sometimes. More than one student has heard me key the intercom and say, "Whoo-hoo! This is going to be interesting!"

When I give aerobatic instruction, I generally keep a light touch on the controls, mostly because in the Extra, a ham-fisted student (and everyone is ham-fisted at first in an Extra) can induce some interesting, hands-flinging-around-the-cockpit motions which could make it difficult to get my fingers back on the stick (not mention inadvertently hitting the canopy release handles, harness fasteners, etc.)

After the student gains some experience (and my confidence in him or her increases), I'll just hang on while the front-seater does the flying. But I always assume the CFI "crane position" when someone else is flying, ready to pounce on the controls if necessary.

I put together a page on my Web site to help people who are concerned about becoming my next "confirmed kill" (I have Sic-Sac logos on my canopy frame--only a couple more, and I'll be an ace). If you're interested, see Helpful Tips.