ing power). While foot controls do have an effect on  altitude, they are not typically used as a control for  flying straight and level. A PPC must be capable of  maintaining altitude to tolerances using the controls  as designed. Anytime the wing is banked, even very slightly, the  aircraft will turn. In a PPC the pilot has no useful  reference to measure bank angle like an airplane or  weight shift control aircraft where the wing tips are  visible in relation to the horizon. The objective of  straight-and-level flight is to detect small deviations  from laterally level flight as soon as they occur, neces - sitating only small corrections. Reference to the mag netic compass or GPS, if so equipped, can be made  to note any change in direction; however, the visual  reference of a point on the horizon with a point on the  aircraft such as the front wheel or instrument panel  will typically be used for sport pilot training. Continually observing the nose to align the heading  should be avoided. The pilot must spend more time  scanning for air traffic than focusing on heading. This  helps divert the pilot’s attention from the aircraft’s  nose, prevents a fixed stare, and automatically ex - pands the pilot’s area of vision by increasing the range  necessary for the pilot’s vision to cover. Straight-and-level flight requires almost no applica - tion of control pressures if the aircraft is properly  trimmed to fly straight and the air is smooth. Some  PPCs will have a directional trim control which ad - justs the tension in a control line to make it fly straight.  Each PPC manufacturer has a unique design for their  particular aircraft. The pilot must not form the habit  of constantly moving the controls unnecessarily. You  must learn to recognize when corrections are neces - sary, and then make a measured response. Tolerances  necessary for passing the PPC practical test are ±10  degrees heading and ±100 feet altitude. Students may  initially start to make corrections when tolerances are  exceeded but should strive to initiate a correction be - fore the tolerances are exceeded, such as starting cor rection before the tolerance is ±5 degreees heading  and ±50 feet altitude. Since the PPC does not have an elevator to control the  pitch, immediate minor adjustments should be made  while flying close to the ground. In flying a low ap - proach (flying straight and level over the centerline of  the runway at a low but specified distance from the  ground), think of the throttle as the coarse and slow  response altitude control, and application of both  steering controls (flare) as the fine adjustments to al - A turn is made by banking the wing in the direction of  the desired turn. A specific angle of bank is selected  by the pilot, control pressures applied to achieve the  desired bank angle, and appropriate control pressures  exerted to maintain the desired bank angle once it is  established. Both primary controls are used in close coordination  when making level turns. Their functions are as follows. Common errors in the performance of straight-and-  level flight are: While trying to maintain a constant altitude, especially  when close to the ground, you can fly with about one- third flare. By holding a small flare, if you encounter  downdrafts, you can immediately add a large portion  of flare to lift you back to the desired altitude. If the  PPC begins to climb, then you can reduce the amount  of the flare to return to the desired altitude, until you  can adjust your throttle position again.  titude adjustment. Throttle has a slight delay between  implementation and response in increasing altitude;  flare relatively quickly increases altitude but can only  hold altitude changes temporarily (about 2 seconds).  This would be like applying flaps on an airplane if no  elevator control was available. Level Turns 6-5 • Attempting to use improper reference points on  the aircraft to establish attitude. • Forgetting the location of preselected reference  points on subsequent flights. • Attempting to establish or correct aircraft  attitude using flight instruments rather than  outside visual reference. • Overcontrol and lack of feel. Improper scanning and/or devoting insufficient  time to outside visual reference. • Fixation on the nose (pitch attitude) reference  point. • Unnecessary or inappropriate control inputs. Failure to make timely and measured control  inputs when deviations from straight-and-level  flight are detected. • Inadequate attention to sensory inputs in  developing feel for the PPC. • The steering bars bank the wings and so  determine the rate of turn. • The throttle determines vertical speed and must  be increased during a turn for the PPC to remain  level. The greater the degree of turn, the greater  the throttle/thrust required to remain level; this  is similar to an airplane and weight-shift control  aircraft.