Any tips to overcome this? I always seem to just subconsciously let off of it after I complete a maneuvar.

 

Would this be on landing or engine-out procedures?

 

Have you everbeen in a spin. If not have your instructor take you up high then you normaly go and then don't apply the right rudder and enter a spin. If it is your first time I bet you will never let off the right rudder again. If you do this it will teach you that rudder control is very importen.

 

So would this be initial power on takeoff, wheels up on takeoff, stall entry/recover, turn entry/recover, etc...Going to have to give some more details if you want a helpful answer. Answers can only be as good as the question.

 

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.

 

One of my favorite instructing stories:

Me: Billy, you can tell if you're coordinated by feeling it in your butt
Billy: I don't want to feel anything in my butt

After we finished laughing, I told him that after time, you will be able to know if you're coordinated by feel. You won't have to look at the inclinometer. Plus, that thing isn't always right.

 

First off, you will continually need increased right rudder as your airspeed decreases. This is primarily due to spiraling slip stream. Torque causes roll, therefore isn't giving yaw. Gyroscopic precession isn't doing anything, it only acts when you initially pitch up or down. Finally, p-factor, decreases as speed decreases, the AOA on the downward blade increases as airspeed increases which is the cause for increased p-factor with increased speed. All of this is unimportant, all you need to know is as you slow down the rudder needed will increase.

As for flying the maneuver, fly it like an aerobatic pilot. Feeling it in your butt is difficult with a stall as the sensation from centered to off centered is a very slight difference. The easiest way is to reference your wing-tips to the horizon. Basically sit back, comfortable is key for a good stall, on the vertical (or not really, 30 degrees pitch up I guess or w/e you use to stall) upline take a look at your left wing, then your right wing.

Continually compare your wings relative to the horizon until you stall and pay attention to the feel of the controls, comfort is key as you will not perceive this if your scared of it. If you succeed in keeping the wings equal your stall will fall straight and true every single time. Your understanding of the feel of your aircraft in the stall will allow you to control it properly into, through, and to the recovery of that stall.

Good luck sir, enjoy, stalls are a blast!!!

 

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.

 

^As far as the original question goes. Done.^

I know that we all think spins are fun, but they won't really do anything for his proper stall technique. Also, I HATE the "you can feel it in your butt" argument. Unless you know what that feeling means, which I think comes with experience and understanding of coordination and is developed with good stick and rudder skills, basically everyone here is telling this guy, "here's the keys to the car, stay between the lines, you'll be able to tell if you're between the lines". However, he needs to know how to stay between the lines.

 

Just my belief here, but this can be taught easily, just not so useful for stalls. If you start from lesson 1/2/3 or whatever lesson you teach rudder use for turns the student will be telling you when you screw up a turn by lesson 10. For uncoordinated rudder on turns the "feeling it in your butt" is a great technique for learning the right pressures, for stalls, not likely.


Edit: Ooops to address the rest of your comment, stomp on the rudders and feel that motion. Then enter a turn (the CFI should demo this) without rudder at all and using a good roll rate and the student will feel their butt shift from side to side. Now do a turn entry again with the proper amount of rudder and vuala, no butt movement. Soooo, no butt movement = coordinated.