When your instructor asks, "Does that feel safe?" The correct response is, "Absolutely!" The airplane is in a normal flight attitude with a reasonable power setting for that attitude. Obviously, the heading and altitude are unknown, but the airplane is under control and well within normal flight parameters.
Once you've mastered straight-and-level flight by the instruments, you'll move on to other, more challenging maneuvers flown by reference to instruments only--maneuvers you'll be glad to know if you ever find yourself in instrument weather conditions.
The next maneuver I like to teach is one that I developed to emphasize the importance of attitude, power, and trim (APT). If it's performed in a ground-training device or a basic training airplane, you'll use full power for climbs, idle power for descents, and halfway in-between for cruise. The objective of this lesson is to understand the APT concept, not to memorize specific power settings.
To "box the attitude indicator," begin in straight-and-level flight, then start a wings-level climb. You're in the right attitude when you've established a nose-high pitch and the attitude indicator shows the miniature airplane about two bar widths above the horizon bar. When the climb is established, your flight instructor should again ask, "Does that feel safe?" If the throttle is still set at cruise power, the answer is "No." If you set climb power and trimmed the elevator, the answer is "Yes." Once again, you're safe because the airplane is in a normal flight attitude with a reasonable power setting for that attitude.
Once you understand that concept, return to straight-and-level flight, then start a 15-degree-bank right turn. After the turn is established, roll out and start a wings-level descent using a one-bar width nose-low pitch attitude. With the descent established and descent power set, you know you are safe because the airplane is in a normal attitude with a reasonable power setting for that attitude.
When this point has been repeated, return to straight-and-level flight and start a 15-degree-bank left turn. After the turn is complete, roll out and establish a two-bar nose-high pitch attitude. Repeat this maneuver until you're comfortable setting attitude and power simultaneously, and you can confidently answer the are-you-safe question.
I named this exercise "boxing the attitude indicator" for two reasons. First, the airplane's nose inscribes a box on the horizon--climb, level right turn, descent, level left turn, and back to climb. Second, your simultaneous hand movements resemble slow-motion shadow boxing--your left hand is moving the yoke to control attitude while your right hand is moving the throttle to control power. This is elevator-throttle coordination--a critical instrument flying skill that must be emphasized during basic instrument training. You have eliminated a major barrier to instrument proficiency when you can "box the Al" with confidence.
Now you're ready to let go of thc yoke. For this exercise, trim the airplane for straight-and-level flight while using only the AI for reference. Then take your hand off the control yoke and maintain bank attitude using only the rudder pedals. If the airplane banks, step on the high wing--left rudder for right turn (high left wing), right rudder for left turn (high right wing). The rudder's effectiveness may surprise you. Normally, a gentle touch on a pedal is enough to roll you back toward a wings-level attitude.
Hands-off flight is an important instrument flying skill. This trick allows you to temporarily maintain the airplane's trajectory during wings-level, stabilized flight when both hands are needed to perform other tasks such as organizing charts.
Once you're comfortable letting go of the yoke, your instructor can uncover the turn coordinator and vertical speed indicator. When the AI indicates level flight, the VSI may indicate a slight climb or descent, or the TC may indicate a slight turn. You must change the airplane's attitude so that the TC and VSI indicate straight-and-level flight. You know you are safe because you know the airplane's attitude and power setting are reasonable.
It is this mental perspective----the evaluation of trend of motion before the evaluation of specific numbers---that will allow you to easily develop and maintain basic instrument proficiency.
You are now ready to learn the basic instrument flight maneuvers, which you fly with one hand on the yoke.
I use this maneuver to illustrate the importance of including more than one instrument in your scan. I ask my students to turn to a specific heading, and when they've completed the turn I ask, "How many times did you look at the heading indicator during the rollout?" Most students say three or four, but the answer should be zero.
In fact, your instructor should cover the heading indicator when you start the rollout. This forces you to watch the attitude indicator during the rollout and then scan the TC and VSI for trend errors. If you spot a negative trend, you can look at the A1 and make the appropriate adjustments. When your instructor uncovers the heading indicator, you may be surprised to find that the aircraft's heading is on or very close to the assigned heading.
If your heading is off slightly, you know your roll rate was too fast or too slow. The correct roll rate complies with the rollout rule: Start your rollout when the assigned heading leads the actual heading by one-half of the bank angle. For example, if your bank angle is 20 degrees, you should start the roll-out when you are within 10 degrees of the assigned heading.
Achieving the best angle of climb requires approximately a three-bar nose-high attitude and maximum continuous power. This is the steepest climb--you gain the most altitude with the least forward distance. It's a constant-airspeed climb. If cylinder head and oil temperatures permit, you can use this climb when you depart an airport and are told to fly an initial heading that isn't anywhere close to your on-course heading. This may happen because air traffic control (ATC) needs to acquire you on radar before turning you on course; by climbing at Vx, you will reach radar-coverage altitude more quickly with minimum distance penalty. You can also use Vx when you need best-angle performance to clear an obstacle or comply with a minimum crossing altitude.
To achieve the best rate of climb, Vy, you'll need to use a two- to three-bar nose-high attitude and maximum continuous power. This is the quickest climb---you gain a given amount of altitude in the minimum time. Best-rate also is a constant-airspeed climb. Use it to reach a safe altitude after takeoff, to expedite a climb if ATC asks you to, or to minimize your exposure to a layer of clouds, turbulence, or ice.
A cruise climb can be either a constant-airspeed climb or constant vertical speed climb. It requires approximately a one-bar nose-high attitude and climb power. The cruise climb's high forward speed reduces flight time and improves forward visibility and engine cooling.
You achieve a constant-airspeed climb when you maintain the manufacturer's published cruise-climb airspeed. You achieve a constant vertical speed climb when the VSI indicates a steady climb rate.
Cruise is a constant altitude maneuver that requires a level pitch attitude and one of the manufacturer's recommended cruise-power settings. A critical aspect of establishing the cruise configuration is leaning the mixture to obtain either a best power or best economy setting.
Slow cruise is another constant-altitude maneuver, but it requires a one-half-bar nose-high attitude and a reduced airspeed compared to normal cruise speed. It is ideal for maneuvering during instrument approaches or holding. If fuel consumption is critical, you can use the airplane's best endurance speed for holding.
The proper power setting will yield an airspeed that's just inside the airspeed indicator's white arc--the maximum flap extension speed, VFE. In a fixed-gear, constant-speed propeller aircraft, slow cruise normally requires about 20 inches of manifold pressure. The same maneuver requires about 17 inches of manifold pressure in a retractable-gear airplane. An airplane with a fixed-pitch propeller usually requires a power setting of about 2,000 RPM to maintain slow cruise.
A cruise descent is a constant vertical speed descent requiring a one-bar nose-low attitude, cruise power, and a 500-foot-per-minute vertical speed. This aids passenger comfort in unpressurized aircraft and increases speed to minimize flight time. Using a cruise descent is the best way to get down from cruise altitude unless your airspeed is restricted by ATC or your airplane's maximum structural cruise speed (VNo), maneuvering speed (VA), or turbulence penetration speed.
Slow-cruise descents are performed at constant airspeed with no more than a one-half-bar nose-down attitude and minimum acceptable power. Minimum acceptable power has many restrictions. In basic training airplanes, it can be idle power, but when carburetor heat is required, the engine must be producing, power. In higher performance airplanes, keep the manifold pressure near the bottom of the green arc. When the engine is producing minimum acceptable power during a slow-cruise descent, partial flaps and extended landing gear may be required in order to descend at the desired rate.
These tasks may or may not require a simultaneous attitude and power change. You must use the proper procedure.
When the existing airspeed is close to the desired climb or descent speed, you should increase or decrease power and let the power change make the pitch change. When the desired pitch attitude is established, you must capture and maintain it using the elevator.
When the existing airspeed is higher than the desired climb speed, you should establish the climb pitch attitude with the elevator, let airspeed decrease to climb speed, and then set climb power. When the existing airspeed is higher than the desired descent speed, you must set descent power, maintain altitude while airspeed decreases to descent speed, and then establish the descent pitch attitude using the elevator.
When the existing airspeed is lower than the desired climb speed, set climb power, maintain altitude while airspeed increases to climb speed, and then establish the climb pitch attitude. When the existing airspeed is lower than the desired descent speed, establish the descent pitch attitude with the elevator, let airspeed increase, and then set descent power.
Don't rush through or skip over these introductory elements. They're relatively simple, but your performance must be habitual, and that requires repetition. Students who whistle past the basics never develop real insight into how instrument flying works. They will run into never-ending frustration during advanced instrument training. I guarantee it.