THOSE WHO HAVE been reading my monthly "Proficient Pilot" columns in AOPA Pilot might recall that my first instructor was somewhat of a sadist. Sitting in the back seat of the Aeronca Champ, he would take delight in swatting me on the back of the head with a rolled-up sectional whenever I failed to maintain the proper glide speed during power-off approaches. He did the same when I allowed the slip-skid ball to wander off center, which seemed to be every time I rolled into or out of a turn. Mike Walters taught me well how to make coordinated turns, but he never explained why it was so important.
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