Today I faced my "kryptonite" maneuver again: the steep turn. I suppose everyone has that one thing that seems to confound every attempt to get it right. Steep turns are mine.
I went up with the instructor again, and from last time, we both knew what I had to work on. Aside from the turns, we did a bit more hood work and emphasized the short- and soft-field landings. I think I had an off day the last time, because all of this was much better, as I made a conscious effort to slow down and think things through. The most important part of this, especially under the hood, is to keep the airplane under control and stabilized before you attack other chores, like setting the radios or navigating with the GPS.
But, as has been the case on almost every flight, I can't seem to consistently manage the steep turns. I had a couple of beauties today, but two or three out of about 20 just isn't a good enough percentage to call it anything but luck. The biggest problem by far is my tendency to let the nose drop in a left turn and rise in a right turn. I have tried just looking outside, just using the attitude indicator, a combination of the two, and about everything else short of just closing my eyes and hoping for the best.
I can fly them in my head, and I know what needs to be done, but I just need practice to maintain the precise control needed to keep that nose level.
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