skyfrog

skyfrog

Well Known Member
The search for a kit aircraft that satisfies all ones needs/requirements is a very personal decision. I have researched various kits and have discovered the advantages and disadvantages of each. I?m here because one of my choices is an RV-9A

However, one point between various kit options is the yoke versus stick control. I was trained on a yoke, but never flew a stick aircraft. The Velocity has a yoke option.

Can someone from the group provide a description of their transition from a yoke to a stick?

John Edwards
N5806L - KCOI
 
skyfrog said:
Can someone from the group provide a description of their transition from a yoke to a stick?
Click to expand...

For me it was a complete non event. Right hand vs left hand throttle was more noticiable. I prefer stick now. On longer flights a yoke is nice because you have more lap space.
 
Easy transition

For me and others I have observed, the yoke is more natural. I did not like my right-side stick in my Moni because I need to write with my right hand, but the stick is very natural and in turbulence, less wrist fatigue.
h
 
Fuhgedaboudit. Stick flying is EASY.

The stick is very intuitive and you don't have to "think" about anything. It just happens. Move the stick where you want the plane to go, and it does. I learned in the Skychicken then was exposed to the stick via a Citabria and CAP 10B. Total no-brainer. Don't let it burden your decision making process. There are other, more important factors to consider, like nose vs. tailwheel, side by side vs. tandem, what PRIMER TO USE.... *ducks under the desk*. You've already shown excellent taste by leaning towards the RV-9A. You simply cannot go wrong with any RV.
 
I was a Cherokee driver for 12 years before building a Searey, then an RV-7A. Both have sticks and are side by side. The stick was no problem at all. I actually like it better. I can rest my arm and wrist on my leg and guide the plane with small moves. I did not like the vernier controls, though, so I put a quadrant in the RV.

I'm sure you will quickly get used the the stick and wonder what the fuss was. Good luck with your decision.

Roberta
 
too many parts

When you look at all those sprockets, cogs, chains, and additional linkages....

You might wonder how you could have ever trusted a "yoke" in the first place! :D
 
Stick helps in learning process

I think a stick is more natural and more helpful in learning process. A lot of new pilots treat yoke as a steering wheel and forget to use rudder for proper control coordination. This becomes apparent once an attempt to convert to a tail dragger is made.

Try it you will like it. There is also a cool factor, you can pretend you are flying P-51
 
I had about 300 hours behind yokes the first time I flew with a stick. Transition took me about 4 seconds give or take 4 seconds.
 
I flew a yoke for 800 hrs. Even instructed in them, then I flew a stick and got stuck. I won't ever go back to a yoke. Transition time was about .1
 
loads of fun

I flew exclusively airplanes with yokes before flying the Diamond DA40, which has a stick. The transition was intuitively easy and extremely enjoyable. It awakens your Walter Mitty fighter pilot fantasies. It only gets better on a more responsive aircraft like the RV. Furthermore I think the level of precision is significantly higher with a stick since you can rest your forearm on your leg, and fly with wrist or even finger motions.

You will love it!

Antony
 
Like almost everyone else, learned on a yoke and transition time was almost nil. If you still have doubts (and this is a big question) go rent a Citrabria or some such. An hour will be enough!

Bob Kelly
 
Brian is right.......

Last Saturday I gave an old acquaintance his first flight with a stick. He only has twenty hours and just soloed a spam can. I let him fly left seat and, as Brian put it, transitioned before we turned crosswind!
 
Also, an advantage of sticks is that they generally imply simple pushrod control linkages -- the plane will feel the same 10 years from now as it feels today. Yoke'd airplanes generally have cable actuated control surfaces (as already mentioned) that will loosen up over time and get sluggish.

Sticks are definately the KISS way to go.

Flying with a stick is very natual to me and the only thing to get used to the first time I flew an RV was the tiny amount of stick movement required to bank the airplane.
 
I switch between right hand stick and left hand yoke frequently. Not a thing to worry about. I admit I initially had a bit of trepidation with switching hands. You can fly a yoke with your right hand except for take-off and landing so those were new actions with my right hand (I could have easily tried that by getting a safety pilot to opperate the throttle while I tried right hand operations). The yoke to stick switch is a non-event and occurs naturally. You mentioned a 9 so, you'll be using the left hand as with a yoke.

Stick is much more pleasurable to fly but it does make using an open lap knee board very difficult. I have a nice open lap model that I can use when flying a yoke but with a stick I must use a single thigh model.

Jekyll
 
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aparchment said:
Furthermore I think the level of precision is significantly higher with a stick since you can rest your forearm on your leg, and fly with wrist or even finger motions.

Antony
Click to expand...

Ever tried to fly formation with a yoke? Fahgetaboutit! No precision. Ever seen a fighter with a yoke? Same issue. When you take your elbows out of the equasion, you get excellent control.

Best,
 
Fighter with a yolk

Ever seen a fighter with a yoke?
Click to expand...

P-38 comes to mind. :)

Anyone can learn to drive with a yolk but you become one with the machine when using a stick.
 
stick it is

Transition for me was quick, fun, and did not require any thought. Hangar mate moves back and forth between a cessna and a luscombe with stick and has not issues.

Doyce
N567RV flying
 
Seaward747

Hey! Seaward747.
Are you hoping for a Boeing with a yoke or move straight to an Airbus with a tailwheel.
Pete.
 
I transition from left-handed stick to right-handed stick to yoke all the time. It's a total non-issue.
 
Me too.

You can go from Tiger Moth right hand stick, Fokker F27 left hand yoke, Airbus left seat left stick, without ever thinking about it.
But I have flown with those who manage to make a great drama out of it.
Pete.
 
I think a stick is easier to land in cross winds than a yoke. You just off-set to one side rather than "twisting in" correction on a yoke.
 
I was a Cherokee yoke guy, but the stick is a far more natural way to fly especially in turbulance.
Transistion was easy.
 
Thanks

I appreciate the advice. From the responses, I can see that I was giving this issue too much concern. Now I can concentrate on another issue: 7A or 9A.

John
 
Stick is natural

I will put two cents in even thought the question is well answered. If you want to see how natural it is to fly stick go play any video game that uses a stick to fly your favorite space craft. Almost all use a stick because it is so natural for even the youngest of players. Really a no brainer.
 
Sky frog:

I took 4 pilots up yesterday in my T-34, none had flown stick or right handed before. All transitioned in about 10 seconds and to a man commented that they never knew flying to be so natural.

Jekyll
 
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