Originally posted by Coshy
I have a question regarding this. How far into your roll do you keep applying rudder?
When does continued rudder input become detrimental to roll rate?
First, roll response is very dependant on speed. At slow speed a bootful of rudder makes a very big difference while at higher speeds generally much less rudder is needed. At very high speed, most airplanes will tend to stiffen up so rudder becomes more significant again. Also, rudder is a huge asset during guns defense maneuvers to get you out of plane with your attacker or initiate a snap roll.
Rudder has its greatest effect at the very start of your roll because you have to overcome inertia to get the plane moving. If you need your best possible roll rate hit rudder at the same time you apply full lateral stick and keep it in until you approach the angle of bank that you want but then want to ease out the rudder so you roll out smoothly on your desired heading. The best thing to do is just practice this to see how your plane responds best and using rudder starting turns becomes second nature.
If you're doing a continuous turn, for the majority of AH fighters that have engines that rotate right (from the pilot's view) you will want to keep a bit of left rudder in during a continuous left turn. Sustained right turns may need no rudder at all or, depending on the speed, just a tiny bit of left rudder. Reverse this for the odd airplanes with engines that rotate left (Yak, Typhoon, Spit 16, Tempest). If you fly with combat trim on, the amount of rudder used during sustained turns becomes greater because CT's rudder trim is actually working against you. Twins with counter-rotating props should need no rudder in a sustained turn.
Now, I'm not advocating that you look at your slip indicator (the ball) during a fight but use it to practice and get a feel for how much rudder your particular ride needs in sustained turns. The rule is "step on the ball". If the ball is to the left, use some left rudder to put it between the lines.
