SIFT Army Aviation Practice Test 2025 – Complete Exam Prep

When a helicopter skids during a banking left turn, this typically indicates that there's a loss of control or excess yaw movement, usually towards the left due to the aircraft's design and rotor dynamics. In this specific scenario, decreasing pressure on the left anti-torque pedal is the correct action to take.

The left anti-torque pedal controls the tail rotor's thrust to counteract the torque produced by the main rotor system. When the helicopter starts to skid to the left, it suggests that the tail rotor is not producing adequate thrust to counterbalance the torque, or that the pilot is not applying enough right pedal to maintain effective yaw control. By decreasing pressure on the left anti-torque pedal, the pilot can adjust the tail rotor's thrust and bring the helicopter back into alignment with the desired flight path, stabilizing the aircraft.

Addressing the other possible actions, increasing pressure on the right anti-torque pedal would not be effective in this situation, as it could exacerbate the left skid by increasing left yaw. Reducing collective pitch could result in a loss of lift and may further complicate the situation. Lastly, increasing forward cyclic would shift the nose down and could potentially lead to a more severe skid, instead of correcting the yaw issue. Therefore,