Try these drills to learn basic skills

Preciseness is not your first priority for instrument flight. If you think it is, I can assure you that instrument training will be a frustrating experience.

Your first priority is the complete understanding of attitude and power relationships combined with elevator-throttle coordination--yes, I should say elevator-rudder-aileron-throttle coordination, but the element that causes the most problems is elevator-throttle coordination.

Your second priority is the discipline that's required to monitor the airplane's trend of motion using the turn coordinator and vertical speed indicator. In both cases you are not looking for specific numbers, only the airplane's trend of motion: The turn coordinator reveals whether or not the airplane is flying straight or turning. The vertical speed indicator reveals whether or not the airplane is climbing, flying level, or descending.

Preciseness is your third priority. Contrary to popular belief, it is not your first priority. If you follow the sequence that I have described, preciseness will occur automatically, and you will eliminate 50 percent of the frustration that instrument training can generate.

You can prove this yourself in any airplane or any FAA-approved flight training device or flight simulator. Just perform the following coordination maneuvers in the manner that I describe. When told to cover specific flight instruments, you can use commercially available rubber instrument covers, paper Post-it notes, or business cards. If you use an airplane, regardless of whether you are using a view-limiting device, common sense mandates that you have a safety pilot who will watch for traffic conflicts--federal regulations require it whenever you use a view-limiting device.

Elevator-throttle coordination for constant altitude

Establish straight and level flight at slow cruise power--the power setting that will keep your airspeed just below the maximum extension speed for the first increment of flaps. Adjust the attitude indicator's pitch bar so that the instrument indicates level flight. Now cover all flight instruments except the attitude and vertical speed indicators.

Set maximum continuous power and continually adjust pitch attitude on the attitude indicator so that vertical speed remains at zero as the airplane accelerates. When you hear engine rpm start to increase excessively because of the increased airspeed (in an aircraft equipped with a fixed-pitch prop), reduce to minimum allowable power, and again continually adjust pitch attitude so that vertical speed remains at zero as the airplane decelerates. When airspeed decreases to final approach speed, set maximum continuous power, and repeat the maneuver until you can consistently keep vertical speed at zero.

Start the maneuver again, but before doing so, momentarily uncover the altimeter in order to note your altitude. After you complete the acceleration-deceleration sequence and return to slow-cruise power, uncover the altimeter. If you mastered this simple coordination exercise using just the attitude and vertical speed indicators, the altitude will have remained constant.

The desired coordination requires that both hands--the one on the throttle and the one on the yoke--move in the same direction, but not simultaneously. As power is increased, you must move the yoke forward to compensate for the thrust-induced pitch-up. After a momentary pause, you must continue moving the yoke forward to compensate for the pitch-up caused by the increasing airspeed. When power is reduced, just the opposite must occur--move the yoke aft to compensate for the thrust-induced pitch-down, pause, and then move the yoke further aft to compensate for the pitch down caused by the decreasing airspeed.

Elevator-throttle coordination for constant airspeed

Uncover all instruments and establish level flight at your normal cruise speed. When established, adjust the attitude indicator's pitch bar so that the instrument indicates level flight. Reduce airspeed to your climb speed rounded off to the nearest five-knot increment (if climb speed is 92 knots, use 90 kt). Note that your attitude indicator's pitch attitude will be about one-half-bar nose-high--the top of the attitude indicator's horizon bar will be close to the middle of the airplane's reference symbol.

Now, cover all flight instruments except the attitude and the airspeed indicators, set climb power, and maintain 90 kt. When airspeed has stabilized, note the pitch attitude. It will probably be close to two bars nose-high.

Set idle power and maintain 90 kt. When airspeed has stabilized, note the pitch attitude. It will probably be close to one bar nose-down.

Now, cover the airspeed indicator, set climb power, and maintain 90 kt. If you establish your target pitch attitude (two bars nose-up) and your target power setting (climb power) simultaneously, give the airplane a moment or two to stabilize, and then uncover the airspeed indicator. It will be at 90 kt.

Cover the airspeed indicator, set idle power, and maintain 90 kt. Again, if you establish your target pitch attitude (one bar nose down) and your target power setting (idle power) simultaneously, give the airplane a moment or two to stabilize, and then uncover the airspeed indicator. It will be at 90 kt.

The required elevator-throttle coordination for this exercise requires that both hands--the one on the throttle and the one on the yoke--move simultaneously in opposite directions. As power is increased, you must move the yoke aft; as power is reduced, you must move the yoke forward. In each case you must coordinate hand movement so that the target pitch attitude and target power setting are reached simultaneously.

If you were to continually reference the airspeed indicator during this exercise, I can assure you that preciseness would never occur. To obtain preciseness, attitude and power selection combined with elevator-throttle coordination must be your first priority.

If you wish to pursue this further, make your next task the Vertical-S (see the illustration on p. 29). This series of constant-airspeed climbs and descents decrease in altitude during the maneuver. It's impossible to perform the last two climbs and descents at constant airspeed unless you have mastered elevator-throttle coordination.

When you master the Vertical-S, try the Vertical S-1. It's the same maneuver, but you are continually turning. Use a left or right standard-rate turn for the first climb and descent, and reverse the turn direction for each subsequent climb and descent.

Becoming proficient with these exercises is extremely beneficial for visual flying, and mandatory for instrument flying. If you enjoy what you've learned, get an instrument rating. It's a wise investment.

Ralph Butcher, a retired United Airlines captain, is the chief flight instructor at a California flight school. He has been flying since 1959 and has 25,000 hours in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Visit his Web site.