Rudder Pedals

[ink]

peddles are the way to go, it will take a bit (around a month for me) to get used to them like youve been using them all along, my first 4 years was with a twisty stick, so it might have taken me longer then some, they WILL improve your aim, once you get used to them.
  my only advice is dont give up.



INK

[HighGTrn]

Ok, its been several weeks and almost a month since I started using these pedals.  Last night, I got so frustrated, I unplugged them and put them on the shelf.  I've tried everything.  I think I just have a heavy foot or something.

The final straw was when I went into a spin and crashed (could not recover no matter what I did) during a routine fight (something I hardly ever did before I started using the pedals).  Maybe I'll dig them up in a few months and try again but my frustration level is getting to a boiling point. 

[Flench]

Hey HighGTrn , I will buy them from you if you want to sell .. PM me .

[PFactorDave]

Ok, its been several weeks and almost a month since I started using these pedals.  Last night, I got so frustrated, I unplugged them and put them on the shelf.  I've tried everything.  I think I just have a heavy foot or something.

The final straw was when I went into a spin and crashed (could not recover no matter what I did) during a routine fight (something I hardly ever did before I started using the pedals).  Maybe I'll dig them up in a few months and try again but my frustration level is getting to a boiling point. 

Chances are, if you are having that much of a problem getting acclimated to pedals, it probably means that you are "over Using them"...  My advice would be to start every play session with 5 or 10 minutes in the TA just doing coordinated (step on the ball) turns.  Then in the MA, work on flying smooth coordinated turns to and from the fights (and during the fights as much as possible).  Resist the temptation to be constantly stomping the rudder one way or another during a fight.  Small inputs at first.  Over time, it will be more natural to you and you'll have a better feel for when to really kick the rudder hard and when to just use the rudder for a little help turning.

[AWwrgwy]

Stupid question, but are your pedals calibrated and working properly?  Have you used F3 view on the ground to check if your rudder is moving through it's full range of motion?

I use some really old analog CH pedals through a USB adaptor and often have calibration issues.  Sometimes part way through a flight too.  Either the pedals will lock full over to one side, sometimes while taking off and sometimes part way through a flight, or they will only move one way, which I usually notice when I cannot recover from a spin.

My issues are a result of computer "issues", I've had to recalibrate in windows game controllers often recently, or, somehow, the "range" of inputs in game change for me.  The calibration range of numbers switch from 0 - 31000 to 0 - 64000 for some reason and I need to recalibrate in game.

Otherwise, maybe scale your pedals so you won't get full deflection until you push the pedals further in their range of movement.


wrongway

[shiv]

Stick with it S1n1ster.  Only two weeks so far, it took me a least a month to get comfortable.  I spun out a lot too getting used to them.  Usually because I kicked some rudder and then left my foot there, slowly bleeding off my speed, eventually either getting killed or crashing.  Quite frustrating.

Also, as TC advised upthread, you might want to add in a little deadband so you can rest on the pedals without giving any unwanted input.

After a while it'll become second nature. 

[CRYPTIC]

I would add some dead band and scale them some.Some have said they have scale all across the top. I tried that and it didn't work for me.I must have a heavy foot.Try having the first slider about the middle and then move each one up a little till the last two are at the top. Look at the scale and watch what it does imagine that you are flying when you do this.This helped me. Then adjustments them back to all across the top. Look at the scale you can see how much of a differance it is and where it will fit your style the best.You may have to play with it a little what works for one may not work for you.Start this with a clear head it may take a little while. First forget all the things you have read and start from scratch.I'm sure when you first got your 2 wheeler bike you weren't popping wheelies and jumping curbs. It took me 6 months before I was able to clear 4 garbage cans.
 In the long run the twisty stick is hurting you,you can see how much you were useing it and slowing you down. Rudder kills speed when used in excess or to much deflection.
 

[mtnman]

Ok, its been several weeks and almost a month since I started using these pedals.  Last night, I got so frustrated, I unplugged them and put them on the shelf.  I've tried everything.  I think I just have a heavy foot or something.

The final straw was when I went into a spin and crashed (could not recover no matter what I did) during a routine fight (something I hardly ever did before I started using the pedals).  Maybe I'll dig them up in a few months and try again but my frustration level is getting to a boiling point. 

The spin/crash just sounds like over or improper controlling.  That's something that will go away if you work at it.  The pedals give you a more "pure" control of the rudder, so should actually improve your control once you figure them out.

Until then, I think the only cure will be to just work at it.  Shelving them won't help, it'll just prolong the agony.

The easiest way to figure the pedals out, and make spin recovery "automatic" would probably be some time in the TA, purposely spinning and recovering.  Overuse of the rudder often causes spins, especially at low speeds, so that's something to think about too.  Are you spinning more now, than you were pre-pedals?  That would lead me to believe you're over-using the rudder...

Get up nice and high, and spin it.  Learn what the rudder does to "help" you (or cause you) to spin.  That's what you want to avoid normally.  Learn to recognize the signs of the spin before it occurs, so you don't push too far in a fight.  And learn to recover quickly.  Pay attention to how long (or how many revolutions) it takes for you to recover, and try to improve on that.

[ink]

The spin/crash just sounds like over or improper controlling.  That's something that will go away if you work at it.  The pedals give you a more "pure" control of the rudder, so should actually improve your control once you figure them out.

Until then, I think the only cure will be to just work at it.  Shelving them won't help, it'll just prolong the agony.

The easiest way to figure the pedals out, and make spin recovery "automatic" would probably be some time in the TA, purposely spinning and recovering.  Overuse of the rudder often causes spins, especially at low speeds, so that's something to think about too.  Are you spinning more now, than you were pre-pedals?  That would lead me to believe you're over-using the rudder...

Get up nice and high, and spin it.  Learn what the rudder does to "help" you (or cause you) to spin.  That's what you want to avoid normally.  Learn to recognize the signs of the spin before it occurs, so you don't push too far in a fight.  And learn to recover quickly.  Pay attention to how long (or how many revolutions) it takes for you to recover, and try to improve on that.

to expound a bit further

steps to recover from a spin

1)  De-Throttle
2) push stick all the way forward
3) apply opposite rudder of the spin
4) once you stop spinning pull back on the stick(gently) and apply throttle.

[The Fugitive]

Don't give up !!!

I had to scale mine a lot when I first started, then as I got more use to using my legs and feet I started taking the scaling out. It takes awhile to "teach" the big muscles in your legs to do small but quick and most of all smooth movements. Add a bunch of scaling and give it another go.

[Hamltnblue]

Another biggie is to make sure that the twist stick is disabled or locked. Sometimes the lock can become disengaged causing imput from both the pedals and stick.

[100Coogn]

Another biggie is to make sure that the twist stick is disabled or locked. Sometimes the lock can become disengaged causing imput from both the pedals and stick.

The Z axis on my stick was disabled as soon as I assigned it to the rudder pedals.  If that's not the case for him, he can go into AH Control Settings and disable the stick's Z axis manually.

[JunkyII]

Try inverting the z-axis, this made it easier for me because I used to mow lawns with a grass hopper, push the right stick forward you move left, left stick forward you move right. Makes more sense to me and it helped a ton!!.

Also I suggest going to the DA and having 1v1s for awhile, i feel flying at the edge helps to better your overall flying

[dhaus]

It was suggested upthread, but bears repeating:  don't forget to take your shoes off.  I have a hard time "feeling" where the pedals are with just slippers, much less with shoes.  I still wouldn't go back to the twisty.  I have better fine control with them than with the twisty. 

[PFactorDave]

Try inverting the z-axis, this made it easier for me because I used to mow lawns with a grass hopper, push the right stick forward you move left, left stick forward you move right. Makes more sense to me and it helped a ton!!.

I wouldn't do that unless, like Junky, there is a logical reason for YOU to set the pedals backwards. 

Just imagine what would happen when you are on that 747 on an across the Atlantic trip and the entire flight crew has the fish for dinner and all are stricken with food poisoning.  When the Flight Attendant comes back into the passenger cabin and asks if anyone has flight experience and you volunteer, it's going to be awfully embarrassing when you totally muff the landing because you are used to your rudder pedals being backwards!