Help switching to sliding rudder pedals...

[Krusty]

I may need suggestions on how best to get "up to speed" (i.e. how best to practice) sliding rudder pedal use. For a long time I was on twisty stick, and got good at it. The transition to race-car-type "push down" rudder pedals was a little slow but I got really good with those too.

Now recently I've got CH Pro USB rudder pedals -- the kind that slide back and forth.

I'm not utterly hopeless, but I'm still very rough in my transition to these new pedals. I'm used to pedal pressing rather than sliding, and the sliding to stay "on the ball" and during shooting is still spotty.

I tend to over-compensate, or "lock" my feet in a certain position and forget to release or adjust as the ball shifts (and so on, and so forth).

So, please list suggestions, ideas, practice methods for learning how to use sliding rudder pedals.

[Latrobe]

Probably the best advice I ever heard of getting used to something new (like TrackIR, new stick/pedals, or just a plane you never flew) is to go into the TA (or offline) and fly around the base. Do circles around the radar tower while keeping your eye on it, fly threw hangars, intentionally put your plane into stalls, do maneuvers, etc.

I still remember when I switched from a twist stick to rudder pedals (CH Pro as well! Nice pedals aren't they?    ) my plane actually flew straighter. I then realized that I was always unintentionally twisting my stick left ever so slightly while flying. I still tried to use the twisty stick by mistake but I did a kind of "reset" thing with my mind. I told myself "ok, no more twisty stick, just use the pedals" and I just focused on using the pedals in my fights. I didn't try to get the kill or even win the fights. I just focused on using my pedals properly.

[Randy1]

Get in a jeep and drive all around using the rudder pedals to steer.  The uncheck auto takeoff if you have it checked.  Take off in a P-47 then a typhoon. 

[FLS]

Offline or in the TA or in the Alpha test fly lazy 8's and flat scissors for as long as it's fun every day for a couple of weeks. Be mindful of pushing your foot forward every time you roll. Release your foot when you stop rolling, holding the bank requires little correction and could use either foot.

I assume you mapped brakes? Use them a lot before takeoff and after landing.

[Krusty]

Thanks, all. A couple of similar suggestions, as well.

FLS: I have the brakes mapped, though forget to use them from time to time until I'm halfway down the runway wondering why I'm not slowing as quickly as normal. I was wondering about dual-mapping them somehow, like when the wheels are up using them for something else. Something that only matters in-flight. I just haven't thought of "what" exactly.

[Skyyr]

Dueling Arena.

Do 1v1's for an hour or two every day in the DA for a week. Flying/maneuvering/etc. practice sounds nice, but leads to a false sense of security. Your responses in a dogfight are typically muscle-memory, whereas lazily practicing maneuvers is a completely different environment where you have time to think. Once you get into a dogfight, all of that "comfortable practice" goes out the window and you revert to muscle memory, especially when you only have a split-second for a shot.

Practice dogfighting 1v1 with them to the point you can start making your shots. Fast, repeatable, fights are the key.

[SPKmes]

I found scaling them helped... I too used to sit on the rudder in the begining...just forgot to slide back.... It is just like all the other things you have learned...in the beginning it is something you constantly think of and slowly it becomes muscle memory and you are wondering why I didn't get these earlier.. although I must say...track ir I just couldn't get into.... so...I guess it comes down to you as an individual also.

[FLS]

Thanks, all. A couple of similar suggestions, as well.

FLS: I have the brakes mapped, though forget to use them from time to time until I'm halfway down the runway wondering why I'm not slowing as quickly as normal. I was wondering about dual-mapping them somehow, like when the wheels are up using them for something else. Something that only matters in-flight. I just haven't thought of "what" exactly.

I'd keep it simple but if you want to you can map the toe brake to another function using a different mode. Copy mode 1 to mode 3, for example, then remap the toe brakes in mode 3, set a button that switches to mode 3 from mode 1 and  to mode1 from mode 3. I do that if I want to turn my analog trims off.

[Randy1]

One squad mate uses the toe brakes for flaps.  Now you can assign a digital brake(Space bar) to the min-mid-max setting instead of using the analog toe brakes.

I use the pedals a great deal.  It was a natural for me since having flown RC model planes for so long.

Every time you land use rudder with the aileron to slip the plane in for the landing.  Pretty soon pedals will be a natural part of flying.  Use them in hammerheads as well.

[FLS]

Dueling Arena.

Do 1v1's for an hour or two every day in the DA for a week. Flying/maneuvering/etc. practice sounds nice, but leads to a false sense of security. Your responses in a dogfight are typically muscle-memory, whereas lazily practicing maneuvers is a completely different environment where you have time to think. Once you get into a dogfight, all of that "comfortable practice" goes out the window and you revert to muscle memory, especially when you only have a split-second for a shot.

Practice dogfighting 1v1 with them to the point you can start making your shots. Fast, repeatable, fights are the key.

I think dueling is good advice after the two weeks of drill. The OP needs to reprogram automatic responses. In competitive stress you are more likely to regress to your old habits than make new ones. You need to condition new reflexes before you respond reflexively. It may not be as obvious when you're younger because you learn so much faster. 

[Krusty]

I also don't have the time to fly an hour a day. I've only got a few in the past couple weeks.

[Ack-Ack]

I found scaling them helped...

Scaling does help with rudder pedals, I use the same scaling for my rudders as my elevators.

[Ack-Ack]

I also don't have the time to fly an hour a day. I've only got a few in the past couple weeks.

The way I got used to pedals was (this was back in AW) to go to the newbie arena and just fly around for an hour or so practicing BFMs and when I got comfortable with moving my feet, I started to throw in some ACM as well.  Quite honestly, after just a few hours I was comfortable using them.

[Krusty]

I have CH Fighter Stick Pro and CH Throttle quad, now CH Pro Peds. The scaling is disabled on all of them so far. By that logic I've so far had no scaling on my rudder peds. I tried it for a day or so but I think it was throwing me off my learning curve so reverted quickly.

[SIK1]

One thing I like to do is touch and goes. After I touch down I let the plane settle and decelerate below 90 mph or so. While raising the flaps before accelerating back to take off speed. Do all this without locking the tail wheel. F4U's and 109's are great for this exercise.

 
Sik