Originally Posted by
dcg24860
It's typically on stall recovery. And at times I just cant find that sweet spot. I push it in til the ball is centered. And I don't feel like I am letting off of it but the ball drifts to the right again. I feel like I am constantly adding more right rudder all the time. I don't know if it's the airplane but it's like if I push any harder the ball goes wayyyy left, but if I hold it where its at it drifts right again. It's frustrating.
Well, you've got half the problem solved by recognizing what you're doing/not doing. Just keep stepping on the ball. You'll get used to the "feel" in time. It sounds like you're flying a 172 (maybe?) - those things have a weird feel to the rudder IMHO. Sometimes you need it, sometimes you don't, sometimes you think you need it and you don't, visa versa.
Sometimes, I've found it helpful to keep positive pressure on both of the rudder pedals... never keep your feet on the floor!
If you get a chance to have an instructor show you a couple of spins, they can really drive in what the rudder does and doesn't do. My first experience with a spin was in the backseat of a 172 (yes the backseat - just a really bad situation
for several reasons), I was flying with a friend (we were both begining work on a private) - our instructor was trying to teach him power on stalls and he was very uncoordinated, every power-on stall my instructor would tell him about it, fix it for him and recover, etc... well one time my instructor didn't tell him and didn't fix it (he may have added a little opposite rudder
)... 'round we went.... just about 1 turn or so... but that scared the berries outta my friend and he always, always flew coordinated after that.
Aerobatics/tailwheel will certainly teach you a lot as well - especially if that particular aircraft is an older communist bloc trainer with a prop that rotates the other way (which means all kinds of things like bail out the right side!), instruments in metric values, and an "upside down" attitude indicator.