Flight Training - April 2015 - 40

Hint: You can count them on one
hand-even if you don't have a thumb.
If you're in the left seat of a Standard
category aircraft flying under visual flight
rules, the required cockpit instruments laid
out by FAR 91.205 are an airspeed indicator,
an altimeter, a compass, fuel gauge(s), and
engine instruments-that's it. The rest of the
instrument panel, at least from a regulatory
perspective-and perhaps from an airmanship perspective-is just icing on the cake.
The point is that you really don't need
much in the way of instruments to fly
an airplane. So why is your head down,
looking at your instruments? Today we
have four challenges to help you fly free
of automation and keep your head in the
clouds, where it belongs.
CHALLENGE NUMBER ONE: THE SKY SCAN.

We've all been taught from day one how
to scan our instrument panels. But now,
with modern avionics, there's so much
more to see and absorb that it takes longer
and requires more thought to understand
what is being presented to us. The result
is that our eyes spend more time inside
the cockpit. On top of that, in the rest of
our digitized world we've become trained
to be screen watchers.
But what about what's outside the
windshield? There are all kinds of interesting things to see, including terrain,
cellphone towers, flocks of birds, threatening weather-and other airplanes.
To break out of the bad habit of gluing
your eyes to the panel, add a sky scan to
your instrument scan, and do it religiously.

THE IMPORTANT
THING IS TO TREAT
THE SKY SCAN AS
SERIOUSLY AS YOU
TREAT YOUR
INSTRUMENT SCAN.
DON'T JUST ADD A
SKY SCAN TO YOUR
ROUTINE. MAKE IT
PART AND PARCEL
OF YOUR EXISTING
INSTRUMENT SCAN.

40 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

In fact, make it all one scan. Change your mindset. You are no
longer doing an "instrument" scan; you need a complete flight
scan. Sweep the panel in whatever pattern you've been taught
and which works best for you-there are several schools of
thought as to the "right" way to scan your instruments-and then
immediately raise your head to scan outside.
The FAA recommends a "block" scan technique, essentially
dividing your windshield into sections and letting your eye rest
in each section-looking to see what's there, rather than keeping
your eyes moving in a constant sweep of motion. This can be
done left to right, or starting in the center of the windscreen and
scanning to one side and then to the other. Look both above and
below the horizon, and don't forget to look behind you now and
again if your airplane's architecture allows this.
What are you looking for? Other airplanes, for one thing,
which we are required to do. FAR 91.113(b) mandates we "see
and avoid other aircraft." While the new in-cockpit ADS-B
warning systems are a great help, don't forget that not every airplane in your flight path will show up on your screen. It's best to
look outside to see and avoid than look at the ADS-B screen and
not see something you might wish you had.
The important thing is to treat the sky scan as seriously as
you treat your instrument scan. Don't just add a sky scan to your
routine. Make it part and parcel of your existing instrument scan.
And remember that it takes 30 flights to develop a new habit, so
now you have an excuse to fly more.
CHALLENGE NUMBER TWO: UN-HOOD. In flight training, a plastic
visor called a hood is used to block the view outside of the airplane
and simulate flying in the clouds. Some might argue that it does
both jobs poorly, but that's beside the point. With your favorite
flight instructor, turn the tables and cover the instruments on your
panel so all your information comes from the world outside. Cover
nearly every instrument (except those few key ones we agreed that
you need to fly the airplane).
With nothing but black plastic to look at inside, you'll be
forced to look outside and just fly the airplane. And don't do it
for just a few minutes-do this for a whole flight. Take a scenic
trip up a road or river. You'll develop confidence that you can fly
the airplane with precious few instruments, and it will get you
(back) into the habit of looking outside.
CHALLENGE NUMBER THREE: BREAK OUT A CHART. Believe it or
not, they still print aeronautical charts on dead trees with this
stuff called ink. And believe it or not, you actually can navigate
with them-even though there's no little blinking blue airplane
on the map to show you where you are. Challenge yourself by
planning a short flight using nothing but landmarks, then fly it
with the Mark 1 eyeball and a chart on your lap.
Plan ahead. Study the chart and ask yourself what types of
landmarks you might be able to recognize from the air. Leave
your iPad in your flight bag so you're not tempted to cheat, and if
the airplane has GPS, turn it off or cover it up.

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Flight Training - April 2015

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