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FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL 133

The instructor must hold the ship on the pylon in the correct position while the student fixes his reference points. Thereafter when the student of the instructor has the pylon in the correct position it will appear so to both. If this point is not explained to the student much confusion can result from his failure to understand the difference of viewpoints. 

The student's success in all eights will largely depend on the methods used by the instructor and the clarity of his explanations of the principles involved and of his corrections.

The elementary eights should be taught and their principles thoroughly learned if the pylon eights are to be perfected in a reasonable time. If the instructor fails in this he is only creating difficulties for himself as well as the student. The multitude of factors involved in eights on pylons are too many to be undertaken all at once. The elementary eights develop technique in these factors in easy stages and then they are all combined in the eights "on" pylons. This combination of factors is what makes the eights on pylons such valuable training maneuvers and such a good index of a pilot's real ability. They require the display of subconscious technique more than any other maneuver and are equally effective in developing it.

The more common errors of students in these maneuvers are:
1.Failure of attainment of the primary objective—holding the pylon.
2. Failure to properly estimate and correct for drift in the straight flight between pylons.
3. Attempts to "sneak up" on the pylon. 
4. Walking the rudder to hold the pylon instead of varying the bank, with resultant slipping and skidding. 
5. Failure to pick pylons cross wind.
6. Failure to make turns into the wind. 
7. Gain or loss of altitude. 
8. Maneuvering the nose up or down with the elevators to make the relative position of wing and the pylon remain in the desired position. 
9. Failure to select correct altitude for eights "on" pylons.
10. Continuous or intermittent slipping.
11. Continuous or intermittent skidding. 
12. Waste of time in selecting pylons. 
13. Picking pylons too far apart. 
14. Crabbing with rudder alone to correct for drift during straight flight between pylons. 
In the steep eights: 
1. Failure to use a 70° initial bank. 
2. Failure to realize that more power is required. 
3. Attempts to jockey ship in order to hold pylon.
4. Failure to correctly estimate starting point with regard to drift and side proximity which results in loss of pylon. 
5. Roughness on the controls. 
6. Use of too much elevator, causing approach to a stall. 

GENTLE TURNS

Gentle turns are classed as those ranging from the least perceptible degree of bank up to about 30°. However, for the purpose of