Insights

Ask any group of pilots or flight instructors a question regarding flight techniques or procedures and you’ll always get a variety of answers. That’s the information dilemma that frequently causes frustration among inexperienced pilots.

With respect to flight training, the solution is simple: Teach the technique or procedure that works in the worst situation a pilot is likely to encounter. That requires a properly designed training syllabus (not just a training outline) and either an experienced instructor or an inexperienced instructor who has proper leadership.

Will students always fly in that manner after earning their pilot certificate? Maybe, maybe not. Everyone has individual preferences, but when exposed to a bad situation, those pilots will revert to what was taught and thereby enhance the likelihood of success.

Another important requirement is the building-block approach to learning. A skill set developed for an elementary maneuver must, if at all possible, be expandable in order to teach one or more intermediate or advanced maneuvers.

I teach constant attitude and power variable airspeed approaches, which is a good example of a basic, expandable skill set. When number one for landing and abeam the touchdown spot, the student sets minimum power—just enough that the engine is turning the prop, not the relative wind—extends the first increment of flaps, and establishes the pitch attitude that will result in the proper final approach speed when full flaps are extended. Now the goal is to fly the airplane to the landing flare point without changing pitch attitude or power. What’s that attitude? The wing’s imaginary chord line will be approximately parallel to the horizon in a metal-wing airplane and slightly nose low in a fiber-composite-wing airplane.

Several factors must be considered for this skill set: when to turn base, orient the base leg, extend the next increment of flaps, play the turn to final, extend full flaps, and compensate for anticipated rising or sinking air. The presolo student will seldom be able to do this. When high, power must be reduced; low, power must be increased.

As training progresses, that skill set is expanded for the emergency forced landing, the worst possible landing situation. Now, there is no power, pitch attitude is decreased further, and the other factors I mentioned become critical. Those factors were introduced during initial training, so proficiency and the proper level of self-confidence are quickly established for this worst-case scenario.

I use that example in order to answer a frequently asked question: “I am instrument rated, but I’m going to start flying a glass-cockpit airplane. Must I change the scan procedure that you taught me for a conventional cockpit? Absolutely, positively no!

My four-step scan procedure for flying instruments in a conventional cockpit (“Insights: Instrument Flight,” March 2010 Flight Training) are here, followed by their applicability to a glass cockpit:

Step 1: Attitude and power. Look at the attitude indicator, establish the attitude required for the desired maneuver, then simultaneously set power for that maneuver and rough-trim the elevator if necessary.

Glass cockpit: no change.

Step 2: Scan the attitude indicator, the turn coordinator, and the vertical speed indicator, which I called the Inverted-V when I developed this scan procedure in 1980. If those indications are unsatisfactory, return to Step 1 and adjust attitude and power. In this step you’re using qualitative information: Is the airplane doing what you want—turning or flying straight; climbing, descending, or flying level?

Glass cockpit: Scan the attitude indicator, the turn-rate vector located just above the rotating compass card, and the vertical speed indicator located to the right of the altitude indicator (that’s a skewed Inverted-V).

Step 3: Scan the primary instruments—there are always three for any maneuver, one each for pitch, bank, and power. Now you’re using quantitative information (specific numbers) as required by air traffic control, your charts, or your personal desire. When those indications are scanned, you are automatically using the primary instruments.

Glass cockpit: No change, but do note the airspeed and altitude trend vectors that indicate what those values will be in six seconds. They, too, represent trend of motion and help you maintain a specific airspeed or altitude requirement.

Step 4: Scan all flight and system indications, and trim the elevator for hands-off flight.

Glass cockpit: No change.

Now you have an expanded skill set for scanning that allows you to easily move up and utilize the remarkable advantages of advanced instrumentation for instrument flight.