Overcontrolling...

[Princedietrich]

A trick that my first instructor taught me was to hold a pencil between my fingers. It's much easier to show it than to describe it, but basicly the pencil was behind my index and pinkie and in front of my middle and ring fingers. The end result was that if I put too much pressure on the controls, which would lead to overcontrolling, it would hurt like hell on my fingers.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

Yeah, the pencil trick can work wonders... like prince said, hold it horizontally across the top of your index and middle fingers using your index and pinky finger.

I tend to think of it as "nudging" the controls as opposed to moving them.

By the by, if you really want to master your "pressure technique", flying an FTD (simulator) will make you tone down your motions pretty quick.

Flying very smoothly is really a skill though and it will take you time and usually some conscious effort... so fear not.

 

[TimsKeeper]

trim trim trim

Make sure you are trimming the aircraft properly...that will take 50 percent of the corrections out automatically.

When you hold the yoke your hands are generally on the outsides of the controls surface....your movements are much greater at the furthest points as opposed to if you hold the yoke closer to the middle. Warning : do not do this except in safe regimes....i.e. don't try to land like this! But, if you do this while up at altitude for awhile until you are a more experienced, hopefully smoother pilot you will find your corrections to be minimized.

Take everybody's tips and just get through your current stage of training. You are probably making a lot out of nothing and these types of things will improve with time.

Good Luck

 

[FLYHY]

You should be able to fly with just your thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Students tend to grip, especially in the beginning, and generally hold the yoke too tight.

Also don't focus on heading and altitude - look outside! About the only thing you should worry about referencing on final is your airspeed indicator. Perhaps your instructor could have you fly a long final, about 5 miles. Establish yourself early in the final configuration, intercept the VASI/PAPI, have him/her cover the instruments and just get a 'feel' for bringing the plane in.

Most importantly, and it took a wise instructor to teach me this, "Flying is meant to be fun, not work. If you are gripping the yoke too hard, you are not having fun."

 

[Amish RakeFight]

All very good advice. What you speak of is common for student pilots. They tend to overcontrol. Use fingertip control pressures vs. hand movements. The less flying (controlling) you do, the better. There isn't such a need to rock back and forth or oscillate on the controls all the time. This is a misconceptiopn that you need to be constantly moving your controls. Try to get the plane in the attitude you want, hold the pressures and trim them out. You should theoretically be striving for hands off flying or close to it where the plane can mantian its heading and altitude in smooth air.