Above 15,500 ft, if yaw damp is not operational, how must the aircraft be flown?

• A. Only in balanced flight (skid/slip ±1 trapezoid)
• B. With aggressive bank for control
• C. In landing configuration only
• D. With maximum continuous climb

Answer: (A)

When the yaw damper isn’t working, the airplane becomes more prone to yaw- and roll-coupled oscillations at higher altitudes. To keep the airplane controllable, you must fly in balanced flight, which means coordinated, near-zero sideslip. The indicator should show the airplane as centered in the skid/slip instrument, roughly within ±1 trapezoid, indicating a stable, balanced condition. This minimizes the risk of Dutch-roll-like tendencies that the yaw damper would normally suppress.

Aggressive banking or slipping would increase yaw/roll coupling and could lead to instability, while flying in landing configuration or in a max-rate climb doesn’t address the stability issue caused by the inoperative yaw damper.