Flight Training - January 2014 - 51

INSTRUMENT INSIGHTS

Up-down-right-left
Maintaining your orientation
» By Les Sanders

THE INSTRUMENT RATING is one of the
most challenging feats in aviation. Without visual reference to the surrounding
environment, maintaining orientation in
relation to up-down-right-left is a substantial challenge using only airplane cockpit
instruments. Instrument flying requires
extensive training, study, and effort.
There are many books and publications
available-my favorite is the Instrument
Flight Training Manual by Peter Dogan.
The FAA's Instrument Flying Handbook
(FAA-H-8083-15A) is also valuable.
Nearly all published instrument training
material and maneuvers are designed to
help the pilot develop a consistent instrument scan and instrument interpretation,
then apply appropriate control input to

maintain aircraft control. I have discovered a maneuver very useful in instrument
training that requires a constant instrument scan and control input to achieve
the desired result: The purpose of this
maneuver is to develop smooth, small control inputs while maintaining a constant
instrument scan. Climb to precisely 4,000
feet agl and align on a cardinal heading
(270 degrees works well). Set power that
will achieve an approximate 500-foot-perminute rate of descent (usually around
2,000 rpm in most single-engine training
airplanes). Simultaneously initiate a standard rate turn to the left at that 500 fpm
descent rate and start a timer. Maintain an
exact standard rate turn and descent; upon
reaching 180 degrees of turn (090 degree

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heading), roll smoothly into a standard
rate turn to the right while maintaining the exact descent rate. Continue this
procedure through a series of four turns;
you should now be on a heading of 270
degrees, 2,000 feet agl, and exactly four
minutes on the timer.
When properly executed, this maneuver
requires very precise instrument scan and
control input to achieve the desired results
in time and altitude. In the interest of
safety, it is important to have a safety pilot
as well as ATC radar flight following to
avoid conflict with other airplanes while
performing this maneuver.
Les Sanders is a CFII, MEI, ATP with 5,800 flight
hours who lives in Marysville, California.

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Flight Training - January 2014

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