"Sydney Hoeltzli" wrote in message
...

My suspicion is that some GA aircraft, such as little Pipers and
Cessnas esp. fixed gear models of same, are sufficiently stable
that the plane will stay in control so long as the pilot doesn't
flagrently get in its way.

My suspicion is that other GA aircraft, such as Mooneys and
Bo's and perhaps little fixed-gear Grummans, Katanas, maybe
the RV series (basically anything with a reputation for being
'sporty' to fly, are sufficiently light and sensitive in pitch
that this has to be paid attention, it really won't take care
of itself.

Pretty much without exception GA aircraft are stable in pitch and unstable
in the spiral divergence mode. If displaced in pitch a Mooney will take
more phugoid cycles to get back to equilibrium when you release the
controls, but it *will* get back there. By contrast, if you stick almost
anything into a 45 degree bank, things are only going to get worse. The
difference between the C172 and the Bo is only to do with the speed at which
things happen, as more slippery aircraft will tend to reach red line speeds
more quickly.

So the key is always "get and keep the wings level". Anything else is
finesse. The only advantage that I can think of of doing this with rudder
is that it avoids inadvertent pitch inputs. If you're calm and experienced
in IF, I'd guess you'd have a more successful time with the ailerons.

Julian Scarfe