Death grip on the yoke

Hocky

Hocky

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Hocky
Hi everyone,

I'm doing my training at a part 141 school and it is generally going well but I just cannot get past holding onto the yoke as hard as I can white knuckled. What can I do to prevent this? My first stage check at about 6 hours or so the check airman tried to get me to hold a pencil in the way but that didn't help. Does this go away eventually? Any and all suggestions appreciated. I am scared of heights and am slightly claustrophobic too but after the first flight it didn't bother me any more.
 
Not just hold the pencil, but hold it in such a manner that having a death grip on the yoke would be painful (and possibly even break the pencil).
 
Do you have the death grip because the airplane is not trimmed out?
 
It will go away, eventually. i used to get that way during my instrument training. My CFII broke me of that habit......

he told me to think of the yoke as a certain body part of a guy I didn't much like that was also at the flight school. Every time my knuckles started turning white, he'd casually say: "GP, GP!!!" eeewwww!!! slime and pustules and ickyness. Amazing how well the Archer would fly just by using my fingertips.
 
Velcro thumbtacks to the yoke.
 
Rest your elbow on the armrest and don't lift it, and hold the yoke with a thumb and two forefingers. Keep the plane trimmed. It will take conscience effort for a while.
 
Bob Noel said:
Not just hold the pencil, but hold it in such a manner that having a death grip on the yoke would be painful (and possibly even break the pencil).
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Yes, he had me hold it in a way where I only had 2-3 fingers/thumb in contact with the yoke but it didn't help it just had the death grip with fewer fingers.
 
DeeG said:
It will go away, eventually. i used to get that way during my instrument training. My CFII broke me of that habit......

he told me to think of the yoke as a certain body part of a guy I didn't much like that was also at the flight school. Every time my knuckles started turning white, he'd casually say: "GP, GP!!!" eeewwww!!! slime and pustules and ickyness. Amazing how well the Archer would fly just by using my fingertips.
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TMI :vomit:
 
jordane93 said:
Do you have the death grip because the airplane is not trimmed out?
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It is purely psychological not due to the plane not being trimmed. Now I'm not saying the plane is perfectly trimmed for sure it isn't but when it is I still have the death grip.
 
This came to a head at my last stage check (presolo). The check airman there got very upset/frustrated with me. I had the death grip going and when doing a touch and go I did something wrong that he didn't like I think the order in which I did full throttle then flaps and he slapped my hand. At the debriefing session I expressed my unhappiness and getting slapped and he said my death grip is dangerous and he feared me "locking up" on him. So he failed me on my stage check and won't sign me off for my solo without losing the death grip as he calls it. My main CFI doesn't have an issue. So I need to fix this issue I have or find another school.
 
Hocky said:
Yes, he had me hold it in a way where I only had 2-3 fingers/thumb in contact with the yoke but it didn't help it just had the death grip with fewer fingers.
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Interlace the pencil under your first finger, over your middle finger, under your ring finger.

Now try to have a death grip on the yoke without breaking the pencil or breaking a finger or basically causing a lot of pain.
 
Hocky said:
I don't get all the sexual innuendo in this thread. I'm also not going to imagine holding onto some dudes junk either.
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Not a sexual innuendo. Putting your hands in your laps shows that the plane doesn't go all wonky if you aren't death gripping it - as long as it's trimmed out correctly.
 
Trim the plane and try to relax.
 
It is going to go away on its own eventually.
You may have to force yourself to fake it for now to proceed.

Go up on a hot bumpy afternoon and let the plane get knocked around a bit but don't make knee jerk corrections.

I did the death grip thing because I kept thinking thermals were going to flip the plane or knock it to extreme pitches. CFI took me up on what is still the bumpiest day I have ever flown. 4500 feet and just let the plane do its thing. I was just to maintain a heading using trim and 1 finger to push down on either side of the yoke.

That was helpful for accelerating the release of the death grip.
 
EdFred said:
Not a sexual innuendo. Putting your hands in your laps shows that the plane doesn't go all wonky if you aren't death gripping it - as long as it's trimmed out correctly.
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It's a good exercise anyway to learn how to keep the aircraft upright with your feet (it's the only thing that works during stall recovery). AND it will help you dial in the trim. And if you need to fiddle with your iPad/AFD/sectional/whatever in flight, you're gonna be doing that (good luck measuring a bearing one-handed!).

Seriously, try that. The airplane will fly happily for a very long time without you touching the yoke. Even with turns.
 
MAKG1 said:
It's a good exercise anyway to learn how to keep the aircraft upright with your feet (it's the only thing that works during stall recovery). AND it will help you dial in the trim. And if you need to fiddle with your iPad/AFD/sectional/whatever in flight, you're gonna be doing that (good luck measuring a bearing one-handed!).

Seriously, try that. The airplane will fly happily for a very long time without you touching the yoke. Even with turns.
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I like this and I do this. Try taking your hand of the controls and see how long you can fly with just your feet holding the airplane level. To me its a lot of fun.

I watched the Aviators on TV the other day. Sean Tucker was talking about when he first started flying and how he was scared to death. He said it was instilled in him by the instructors to be scared to death. Then he met aerobatic pilot that taught him how to fly and he never has been scared since.

He also states if you are a pilot and scared to death flying you should not be flying. But like other comments I believe you will get over this.

When I first started training it was in a two seat EAB that looked a lot like an ultralight. Meaning lawn chair on wings. My instructor told me I could rest my hands in my lap. I told him I had a death grip on the seat and was not letting go. It took about 10 hrs of flying in that thing for me to be comfortable enough to let go of the seat. It will come just me patient.

Tony
 
1600vw said:
I like this and I do this. Try taking your hand of the controls and see how long you can fly with just your feet holding the airplane level. To me its a lot of fun.
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This is what I would suggest also. Fold your arms across your chest and use only the rudder to hold the wings level. Make it a game. You can use two fingers from one hand to correct if it gets bad, but only short enough touches to bring it back level.
 
Jim Logajan said:
This is what I would suggest also. Fold your arms across your chest and use only the rudder to hold the wings level. Make it a game. You can use two fingers from one hand to correct if it gets bad, but only short enough touches to bring it back level.
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Towards the end of primary training, my instructor and I were in the practice area and he said he had a game for me.

Get as close to landing as I could without touching the yoke. I could use the trim wheel, rudders, and throttle.

Got the usual several vectors to final, etc. Grabbed the yoke about 20agl.
 
A shot of brandy before your flight should relax the grip a bit.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Towards the end of primary training, my instructor and I were in the practice area and he said he had a game for me.

Get as close to landing as I could without touching the yoke. I could use the trim wheel, rudders, and throttle.

Got the usual several vectors to final, etc. Grabbed the yoke about 20agl.
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Yea my instructor did a lap around the pattern with using only throttle, trim, and rudder to show me how stable to plane was and how if you have your trim and power set, the plane will pretty much do everything on its own
 
Trimmed properly you can make the plane do what you want just by leaning forward, backwards, left, and right.
 
1600vw said:
I like this and I do this. Try taking your hand of the controls and see how long you can fly with just your feet holding the airplane level. To me its a lot of fun.

I watched the Aviators on TV the other day. Sean Tucker was talking about when he first started flying and how he was scared to death. He said it was instilled in him by the instructors to be scared to death. Then he met aerobatic pilot that taught him how to fly and he never has been scared since.

He also states if you are a pilot and scared to death flying you should not be flying. But like other comments I believe you will get over this.

When I first started training it was in a two seat EAB that looked a lot like an ultralight. Meaning lawn chair on wings. My instructor told me I could rest my hands in my lap. I told him I had a death grip on the seat and was not letting go. It took about 10 hrs of flying in that thing for me to be comfortable enough to let go of the seat. It will come just me patient.

Tony
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I even take this one step farther and see if I can loss altitude by reducing power then climb by increasing power all while not touching the stick. Its a lot of fun and if you ever need this skill you have it.

Tony
 
Am I alone thinking if student still has the death grip, he is not ready for solo?
 
Went to the Doctor the other day, I said "Doc, it hurts when I do this".....

Doc said "don't do that".

JK, it's easier said than done sometimes, but I (we) believe you'll eventually get over this. put it this way, the quicker you ease up on the grip, the QUICKER YOU CAN SOLO!!!!!

just a finger or two and your thumb. I know, I know, "that's what she said"......
 
I use shock collars on students who have this problem. Usually takes care of the problem within a flight or two.
I've used the pen/pencil trick. I had one student complain that it really hurt. Ummm... The idea is that if it hurts you don't squeeze so hard.
 
To an instructor, nothing SCREAMS 'I'm not in control' like a death-grip on the controls. Most light airplanes can be flown with only a thumb and a couple of fingers on the yoke/stick and just the balls of your feet on the rudder pedals. For one thing, it's impossible to trim the airplane, (of course, who needs trim if you're manipulating the controls with a crow bar?). Instead of trying to force the airplane to do what you wish with the tight grip, try to get the airplane to do as you wish with as little input as possible…a thumb and a finger, light touch on the pedals and lots of trim. A skilled pilot can fly through the eye of a needle at redline--all with the lightest touch! Another problem with being all tensed up is an inability to tell when the aircraft is in coordinated flight, one needs to relax to tell.

Grab the bull with the fingertips...
 
Blackhawk said:
I use shock collars on students who have this problem. Usually takes care of the problem within a flight or two.
I've used the pen/pencil trick. I had one student complain that it really hurt. Ummm... The idea is that if it hurts you don't squeeze so hard.
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The pencil thing didn't work. I gripped so hard it hurt and eventually dropped it and resumed the death grip. It's psychological. I feel like I'm going to die at any time so I'm grasping at the branch trying not to fall out of the tree just like our ape ancestors probably.

I like the idea of having a drink beforehand. I didn't know that was allowed but I suppose if I'm not PIC I can. I never really thought of that.

This is my only issue. I've flown with four different CFI's and they have complimented me on everything else except for that last guy who felt the need to slap me which was extremely uncool to say the least. But he admitted to being rattled by my death grip and I've seen this other thread about the heavy guy who also had another CFI worry about having the controls locked up so maybe this is a fear that some CFI's have.

It was the same when I learned to drive I death gripped the steering wheel and I did get over that so will try the suggestions. I can try keep my hands off but at my school they drum into me left hand on yoke right hand on throttle at all times so don't know how that will fly but I will certainly give it a shot.
 
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