Attitude Flying – Primary Training – No Airseed Indicator

6 Answers

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   John D. Collins on Feb 20, 2011

   It may not be taught in current basic training, but it is good knowledge to have.  Just about every instructor after the 500th time around the pattern doesn’t need to look at the airspeed indicator to know how fast they are going.  Actually, if you have the same attitude, configuration, and power, you will get very repeatable results.  This skill can be easily acquired, sort of a by the numbers VFR.  Pitch down 5 degrees, full flaps, 12 inches of manifold pressure, will produce the similar results each time it is tried for the same aircraft type.  There have been a few cases where the knowledge has been useful to me, once when an airspeed indicator failed.

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   Wesley Beard on Feb 20, 2011

   The military, rightfully so, has taught the control performance method of instrument flying for many decades now.  This method requires complete trust in the attitude indicator to set the attitude of the airplane and verify the correct attitude with the rest of the instruments.  Attitude + Power = Performance.  The theory is a certain flight attitude + precise power setting will give predictable performance every time.
    
   Civilian CFII’s have taught the primary-secondary method of instrument instruction for decades as well.  This method doesn’t completely trust the attitude indicator but uses the attitude indicator to set the initial flight attitude and uses specific primary instruments to make sure the airplane is correct.  The reason, in my opinion, this method is used for civilian training is the lack of redundant attitude indicators in the cockpit.  The vacuum system can and does fail leading to an attitude indicator and heading indicator become inoperative.
    
   To answer your question, I would not necessarily cover up the airspeed indicator for the first quarter of their training using the primary-secondary method.  Those hours are necessary to ingrain the proper scan procedure.  I will fail the airspeed indicator later in training to see what they would do.  i.e. turn on pitot heat, get out of icing conditions.

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   Micah on Feb 21, 2011

   To me, the answer is “No.” There certainly is a benefit to flying purely by visual reference and I do introduce my students to this, I expect them to acquire this skill with experience and wouldn’t force it upon them during the first 10 hours. A few comments to consider:
    
   1. The Navy taught this in 1942–what do they teach in 2011? I don’t imagine that the Texan II (T-6A) or the old Turbomentor (T-34C) do very well with a green student and less than 10 hours who doesn’t fly by instrument reference (at least, in conjuction with visual reference).
   2. I read recently (I think it was EAA’s SportAviation January 2011 article on the first 100 years of Naval Aviation) that more aircraft were lost in WWII in transit than in combat. Simply put, these pilots did not have the instrument skills necessary to fly safely. (There could have been other factors too, but this is the conclusion of the writer.)
   3. I agree completely with John that any CFI with 500 landings (or any CFI with 100 landings observing students) can fly by sound and feel. Most of my students, in their first 10 hours, couldn’t tell me whether there was a hamburger or a live chicken in the backseat, they’re so frequently overwhelmed with the sensations of flight. If the sentiment is that reducing information aids learning, then I agree. I’m not sure, however, that this skill is based on anything other than experience.
   4. I teach my students to fly the instruments that are in the airplane. If it’s there, it’s providing information. They need to understand and use the instruments in the appropriate manner. (This was taught to me; I did not learn it intuitively, being a dumb student myself.)
   5. I agree that any finishing private pilot should be able to fly the airplane by reference only (or at least mostly) to the visual attitude (how the horizon strikes the cowling/instrument cluster/wings is the primary visual reference), sound, feel, etc., and I introduce these ideas on the first flight, but I’ve had only a few students who picked these skills up naturally. Most of my students (young and old) have too much time in front of video game/flight simulator consoles to transition quickly into an outside-only (or mostly) frame of reference.
    
   What I’ll do is frequently ask my students: “What’s your airspeed?” and “What’s your altitude?” and “Why are you climbing?” (simple common questions) so that they tie together what skills/information they should be developing from the visual references and the information that is presented by the instruments. Almost all of my students, by the time they have reached landing proficiency and are ready for the solo can tell by sight and sound when they’re fast on final or will notice when the flap setting is not right because the descent angle is off, but I’m not sure I would teach it to them in the manner described at top.
    
   Then again, when I’ve added another 1,000 hours of instruction given I may have changed my mind.

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   Earl Kessler on Feb 22, 2011

   I try to get students to nail the right rpms by sound then back it up by a quick look at the tach.  It is an attempt to get them not to fixate on the gauge.  I also insist they find the throttle by feel while keeping their eyes out of the cockpit.  Find the throttle, then a quick glance before pulling it, then eyes out and reduce throttle by sound, backing it up by glancing at the tach and adjusting.  I have never tried to get them to judge a/s by feel in the first hours.  My mantra on final is “there are only 2 things to focus on, airspeed and runway centerline”.

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   MaggotCFII on Feb 23, 2011

   I’d like to add to the discussion.  After I posted this question and reading through that pile of aviation magazines we all seem to accumulate, I came across an article in the AOPA Flight Training magazine Insights Column, December 2010 by Ralph Butcher, Entitled “Experience Talks”.
   Here is the link:  It is really worth a read –
   http://flighttraining.aopa.org/magazine/2010/December/Insights.html
   Here is a brief quote from the article:
   “Are the flight instruments that important? Of course, but only if the pilot has received proper training using only visual references. That’s the first step. With proper training in attitude and power management and the use of one’s physical senses, a pilot can fly any of the required maneuvers safely. Fly them precisely, no—but fly them safely, yes.”
   Enjoy his point a view!
    

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   Wesley Beard on Feb 23, 2011

   I really enjoy reading the insights that Ralph Butcher provides.  He firmly believes in the “Art of Visual Flying” and I do too.  His latest article (March 2011) has some interesting concepts on how to ensure a student pilot doesn’t rely (look at all the time) the flight instruments.  In previous years articles, he describes how he teaches the private pilot maneuvers solely with outside references only giving the instruments back a couple flights before the checkride.
    
   http://flighttraining.aopa.org/magazine/2011/March/Insights.html
    
   “I keep the six flight instruments covered during all three lessons and explain that those instruments are not needed to fly the airplane safely, providing the pilot understands the relationships between airplane attitude—which I define using the wing for reference—and engine power, knowledge that’s easy to acquire with proper instruction. I emphasize the importance of looking outside the cockpit in order to manage attitude, evaluate surface wind and forced landing options, and watch for other aircraft.”

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