Visual Flying and the Modern Student =
Pilot
Another conversation with Alex and A.=
J
Alex: Hey A.J. can I talk to you about a
student of mine?
A.J.: Sure Alex, what’s up?
Alex: I have a student who is really
frustrated.
A.J.: Oh really? What’s the problem?
Alex: Well, he should be soloing soon, in fact he should have soloed a long time ago. He
seems to fly really well sometimes, but at other times his control inputs a=
re
just crazy, even dangerous.
A.J.: Like when?
Alex: He flies pretty well during takeo=
ff and
climb, and he flies great up high doing slow flight and in the traffic patt=
ern,
but during the landing flare he just can’t seem to get it. He flairs =
high
or not at all, he over controls the airplane, and he seems to have no idea
about directional control during the landing.
A.J.: But he flies pretty well on final?
Alex: Yea, up to really short final and=
then
things get crazy. I’ve tried everything I can think of and he just
doesn’t seem to get it. I’m starting to think that he is hopele=
ss,
or maybe I’m a hopeless instructor.
A.J.: How is his instrument work?
Alex: Oh, just fine, really proficient<=
/span>.
A.J.: What kind of person is he?
Alex: He’s about 35, professional=
. He
has been around aviation quite a bit because he works at an avionics shop.<=
/span>
A.J.: How are his power-on stalls?
Alex: Phew! How did you know! Sometimes=
they
come out fine, but other times he pitches up so high during the stall entry
that I think we are going to do a tail slide or a loop, it’s really
scary.
A.J.: Does he get scared?
Alex: What?
A.J.: Does he get scared when he is doing one of these high pitch
attitude stall entries?
Alex: Now that you mention it, no, he s=
eems
pretty relaxed.
A.J.: OK Alex, I think I know what the problem is.
Alex:&=
nbsp;
Really, Don’t you want to fly with him?
A.J.: Well I could, but I’m pretty sure that I know what the
trouble is with your student.
Alex: What is it then?
A.J.: It’s really simple, but explaining it gets a little
complex.
Alex: I’m all ears.
A.J.: You are describing a pilot who is flying the airplane by
instrument references all the time<=
/i>.
At least until he is forced to look outside the airplane when landing. You =
see,
somehow he learned to fly the airplane by instrument references first, and =
he
never really learned to process the “outside picture” during the
initial part of his flight training. Once he fell into flying this way, he =
was
unable to re-learn how to fly the airplane by looking outside. That is why =
he
flies well at altitude, because up high he can effectively control the airp=
lane
by instrument reference. That is also why he wasn’t scared by the high
pitch attitude during stall entry. He wasn’t looking outside the airp=
lane
so he wasn’t experiencing the same scary picture that you were.
Alex: Wow, hang on there! How could this happen? I can’=
;t
believe that he is never looking outside the airplane! I see him looking out
the window regularly.
A.J.: You mean like on final as he adjusts his flight path?
Alex: Yes exactly. When he is on final
approach he is actively scanning outside and inside the airplane
A.J.: And how about during clearing turns while maneuvering?
Alex: Absolutely! He is very good at cl=
earing
and looking for traffic, and that certainly requires him to be looking outs=
ide.
A.J.: OK, he is looking outside some of the time. But are you sure =
he
is making control inputs with reference to the changes in the outside visual
picture, or is he making inputs due to the changes in the instrument
indications, i.e. airspeed, altitude, VSI, and heading?
Alex: Well I don’t really know, b=
ut
A.J., how can you be so sure of yourself about this guy? I know I asked your
advice but how could what you say be true? After all, I instruct this stude=
nt
using the same techniques I always do.
A.J.: And how easily do your other students learn how to land the
airplane?
Alex: Well it is the most difficult asp=
ect of
flight training, right? Some of them figure it out more quickly than others,
but no one has had the trouble this guy has had.
A.J.: That’s probably because of his background
Alex: What? I think his background shou=
ld be
helping him if anything! He is an aviation nut. He works on airplanes,
he reads all kinds of aviation magazines and books. He watches the discover=
y wings
channel on TV. I think his background should be very conducive to learning
about flying.
A.J.: The problem is that he had so much information before he star=
ted
his flight training. He knew what the flight instruments were for on his fi=
rst
flight lesson and you may have directed his focus even more to these
inside-the-airplane tools without even realizing what your were doing.
Alex: Well I just don’t buy it. I
really don’t understand what you are saying and I don’t underst=
and
how this could contribute to the serious difficulties that this student is
having now close to the ground.
A.J.: I understand your feelings Alex. I will explain the rest of t=
his
equation later but first I have to convince you of your role in the situati=
on.
Alex: How are you going to do that?
A.J.: You and I are going to go flying. I will play the role of the student on his first flight lesson, and you will be the flight instructor.<= o:p>
Alex: OK, let’s go. But I donR=
17;t
understand how this will help my student.
(Later, in the airplane)
A.J.: Now I will fly the airplane as if it was my first flight. I =
want
you to talk me through everything as if we had briefed it on the ground. In
other words, you may assume that I have been briefed on the flight in detai=
l,
but you will still need to prompt me and correct my mistakes. Are you ready=
?
Alex: Yes, OK we are number one for tak=
e off.
I want you to fly the airplane and I will talk you through everything, just=
do
as I say.
OK, advance the throttle, and watc=
h the
airspeed indicator and when it gets to about 50, pull back on the yoke a
little. That’s it, we’re flying, ok now…woops, watch your
airspeed that’s a little slow, remember! ……. we said 65 k=
nots
for the climb speed, now look at the turn coordinator, right rudder in the
climb, remember to step on the ball! Ok now the tower controller just told =
us
to turn right to a heading of 150 degrees, so turn the yoke a little to the
right, that’s it turn it farther…., oops, your bank angle is a
little too steep there, see the attitude indicator is showing 45 degrees of
bank, so shallow it out a little. OK, fine, here comes one five zero, so ro=
ll
the airplane wings level. Don’t forget about your rudder, check the b=
all.
…..now let’s complete the after take off checklist……=
;…How
do you like flying so far?
A.J.: I feel a little sick……..
Alex: Very funny. So what do you want t=
o do
next?
A.J.: Let’s continue.
Alex: OK, A.J. that was very good. Now, we are approaching our cruise
altitude so look at the altimeter and begin to lower the nose as we approach
3500 ft. That’s good, now, as you know, we are flying visually here..=
..so
let’s make sure to look outside the airplane. I want to direct your
attention to the
wingtips and how they look in relation to the horizon, now look at t=
he
nose of the airplane and how it relates to the horizon, this is your sight
picture for level flight.
A.J.: Uh huh. OK Alex Lets head back to the airport and examine what
has happened so far.
Alex: That’s it? I don’t re=
ally see
what purpose this has served. You were a pretty convincing student pilot on=
his
first flight and I think I did a good job getting you to do the right thing=
.
(Back in the office)
A.J.: Let’s go back and analyze exactly what happened in the
airplane. Right after you told me to advance the throttle, you told me to l=
ook
at the airspeed indicator. After that you told me to look at instruments ag=
ain
and again, airspeed, turn coordinator, attitude indicator, heading indicato=
r.
Alex: Well of course, we have to teach =
the
student to keep a safe airspeed and fly headings and use appropriate ruder.=
We
do that by using instrument references. That sounds normal to me.
A.J.: It sounds normal to me too, Alex, and that is the problem. Let=
me
explain. During this ten or fifteen minutes at the start of the flight I he=
ard
very little from you, my flight instructor other than directives to look at=
the
flight instruments as the primary resource with which to control the
airplane. Each time you told =
me to
look at an instrument I learned that this was the important stuff of flying.
After many such commands you then told me to look outside the airplane and
check the relationship of the wingtips to the horizon.
Alex: Well yeah, I always do that.
A.J.: Remember learning about the law of primacy Alex? The law of
primacy is powerful. In the first few minutes of my “first flightR=
21;,
you taught me to look at the airspeed indicator to fly =
an
airspeed, the inclinometer (the ball) to judge rudder input, the
directional gyro to roll out from a turn on a particular heading, and the
attitude indicator to judge my bank angle. Without even considering the pro=
blem
consciously, I the student latched on to what I can understand easily, and =
that
is, if you get to slow it can be dangerous, that to be on the wrong heading=
or
altitude will get you in trouble with ATC, and that the only way to figure =
out
how much rudder to use is to stare at the ball in the inclinometer.
Alex: Not to sound rude A.J., but so wh=
at?
After all, these are legitimate instrument references that we all use every
time we fly airplanes.
A.J.: Stay with me. After all this instrument work, when time permi=
tted
you did give me some outside visual references to process. My reaction and =
the
reaction of most students at this point is, that I am happy to look outside=
the
airplane at the things you are telling me to look at. But unfortunately, they have little
meaning compared to the concrete indications of the flight instruments that=
I
have just learned to use! It is easy to see how the student may unconscious=
ly
dismiss this afterthought of wingtip reference flying. After all, in these
first ten to fifteen minutes I have basically learned how to control the
airplane by looking at the instrument panel! The “suggestion” to
augment this learning by looking at something as imprecise as the relations=
hip
of the nose to the horizon has little meaning. It is too little and too lat=
e as
the law of primacy has already been fulfilled.
Alex: So I was right. I am a lousy
instructor.
A.J.: Not at all, we just need to discuss some different concepts.
First some history; in days past when student pilots learned to fly in Piper
Cubs or and other less complex aircraft, there was considerably less to loo=
k at
on the instrument panel. This encouraged instructors to find things outside=
the
airplane for the student to look at while learning to control the airplane.
Eventually aircraft manufacturers started to equip training aircraft with
complete gyro instrument panels, and at the same time the “Integrated=
Method”
of flight training appeared in training manuals and FAA publications. The
integrated method encourages instructors to integrate outside visual refere=
nces
with instrument references from the first lessons. If done with great care,
this certainly helps the student to relate instrument indications with what=
is
happening outside the windows of the airplane, an important skill.
Unfortunately, very often the visual part of the “integrated”
method is under emphasized which can lead to great difficulties that often =
stay
with the pilot for a very long time.
Alex: Yes I remember learning about the
integrated method when I became a flight instructor. I think it arose out of
concern about the many loss-of-control accidents that seemed to be occurrin=
g at
the time.
A.J.: That’s right, and perhaps it has helped that problem to
some degree. But let’s explore some reasons why the integrated method
might have unintended repercussions. In many instances I have seen a student
first learn to fly the airplane with the flight instruments just as I did o=
n my
flight with you, essentially becoming semi-competent at this skill during t=
he
first lesson. On subsequent lessons when the instructor tells the student to
look outside the airplane, for instance in the traffic pattern, the student=
may
seem to comply but actually con=
tinues
to control the airplane by instrument references. The proof of this usually
comes during several different phases of flight but most notably during sta=
ll
practice and landings. These students typically fly the airplane fairly well
until it is time to put the rubber on the runway, and then things progress
poorly. This is because the first time the student has truly attempted to
control the airplane solely by outside visual references is during the leve=
l-off
and transition to the landing pitch attitude. This should
be the final step of a visual processing exercise that started during the t=
urn
from base to final. The student, however, has been honing his ability to fly
precise altitudes, airspeeds, and pitch attitudes by looking two feet in fr=
ont
of his face at the instrument panel. All of a sudden he looks outside the
airplane while 20 feet above the landing threshold and valiantly attempts to
process a dynamic picture that should have been sequentially processed for =
at
least two minutes or so while on final. The confused instructor has trouble
understanding why the student is making such large or inappropriate control
inputs.
Alex: It starts to make sense when you
describe it this way. But I still don’t understand what I am doing wr=
ong
in terms of instructional technique?
A.J.: We will get to that a little later. The other problem area you
mentioned was during a power on stall. The student is controlling the airpl=
ane
by instrument references, understanding full well that inadequate rudder in=
put
will result in an incipient spin. As he pitches up into the stall entry, the
student is increasingly focused on the turn coordinator and airspeed indica=
tor.
You, the instructor, are meanwhile noticing an excessively high pitch attit=
ude
and wonder, “why is this guy pitching so high?” It is scary for=
you
to watch. So why isn’t the student scared? The answer is; he’s =
not
watching the same thing that you are seeing. Understanding this perceptual split
between instructor and student is one key to overcoming this problem.
As pilots, we are visu= al processing machines. We analyze visual data that is always moving; we analy= ze and act on changes within a changing picture. One snapshot of this visual d= ata stream does not provide the brain with enough information to choose the con= trol inputs that allow the airplane to land smoothly, or perform a safe stall. <= o:p>
Alex: I see what you are saying. It has=
to be
one continual process, kind of a feedback loop. A control input changes the
attitude of the airplane, and is then followed by another input based on how
the first input affected things, and on and on. That’s really simple.
Don’t we all do that? I think even this student that I am having trou=
ble
with does this.
A.J.: Of course he does, but he changes things; he makes control
inputs, when instrument indications need changing. Airspeed too high, pitch=
up a
little, only 300ft AGL turning final, add power, etc. Trust me on this. He =
is
not making control inputs when the picture outside the windscreen demands i=
t,
he is making them when the flight instruments demand it, and he has been do=
ing
this since his first lesson.
Alex: Man, this is really discouraging!=
I
suppose now you are going to tell me the “right” way to teach
primary students so that this doesn’t happen any more. Can I ask a few
questions first?
A.J.: Shoot.
Alex: Well first, with respect to ̶=
0;the sequential
processing of a changing picture” or what ever you called it; what ab=
out
instrument rated pilots who fly ILS approaches down to 200 feet above the
runway before they see anything? They don’t have much time to
“sequentially process” the outside picture. How come they
don’t make bad landings?
A.J.: Think about your instrument students. Most pilots I have instructed have had big problems landing well, after instrument approaches. Eventually they learn to snap into visual mode quickly and effectively, but= I have found bad landings to be a common problem during instrument training.<= o:p>
Alex: Right. Next question; am I the on=
ly
instructor who has this problem?
A.J.: No! Unfortunate=
ly it
is all too common in modern flight training. Tell me, why is it that some pilot=
s can
land well consistently and some can’t? And why the steady stream of
articles in magazines on how to do good landings? I have read a half dozen
articles on this topic in the past year, and they all offer excellent advice
about configuring early, stabilized approaches, correct trim settings, and
other elements that are certainly prerequisites for good landings. However,
none of these articles adequately address this deeper problem, perhaps the
mother of all landing problems, that many
pilots do not continue to actively fly the airplane all the way to touchdow=
n.
They stop or change their processes close to the ground for reasons that
usually date back to the first two or three flight lessons. In other words,
they do not continue to use techniques to perceive, analyze, process, and
control the path of the airplane, that seemed to=
be
working well prior to the landing attempt. The ensuing difficulties are long
lived, hence the never ending stream of articles on how to accomplish good
landings.
Alex: OK, so it’s not just me. But
isn’t this a problem that while aggravating for all involved, is alwa=
ys
corrected prior to the checkride?
A.J.: Unfortunately no. The hallmark of pilots who suffer from this
syndrome is inconsistent landings. They usually figure out some procedures =
that
are done pretty much by rote, and these work fairly well some of the time. I
had one student who told me that his landing technique was to fly down to t=
he
runway, reduce power to idle, count to three, and then flair. The amazing t=
hing
is that sometimes it even worked! Other times it did not. So the point is t=
hat
many pilots have a “good day” on their che=
ckride
and become certificated pilots without ever learning this basic skill. Land=
ing
accidents and incidents continue to be plentiful as a result.
Alex: A.J., I think you’ve convin=
ced
me. So what’s the solution? How do we fix this problem, and prevent it
from happening in the future?
A.J.: To effectively avoid this “IR Syndrome”, the
instructor must learn techniques to teach every primary maneuver either sol=
ely
by outside visual references or with minimal use of the flight instruments.=
If
pre-solo maneuvers are taught in this manner, the student will quickly mast=
er
the basics of pitch and power, and will gain the hand-eye coordination, and=
the
processing ability needed to fly the airplane precisely and smoothly. The
student will be able to do this both at altitude while practicing stalls, at
1000ft AGL while practicing ground reference maneuvers, and six inches above
the runway with a ten knot crosswind.
We all know pilots who seem to always perform near perfect landings.
Obviously many of these lucky souls have lots of flight experience. On the
other hand we all know some very low time pilots who land consistently well,
and some relatively high time pilots who don’t. The pilots who land smoothly have
learned to process that outside picture reliably, and to therefore control =
the
airplane effectively all the way through the landing. It has less to do with
the amount of experience as with the quality of experience. Unfortunately, many who have not l=
earned
this skill early in their flying career may take a long time to do so. Some=
may
never learn to land well consistently under varying conditions.
Alex: Maybe some people are just not cu=
t out
for flying.
A.J.: Perhaps that is true. But it is important to understand that =
this
is not about some kind of “macho, right stuff” concept of flying
that only the chosen few can master. This is a simple shift of focus for the
instructor and student that makes it easier for =
all
pilots to be good pilots, and easier for all flight instructors to give
excellent and effective instruction.
Alex: Wow! I’m sold. So what are =
the
techniques that I need to make this happen?
A.J.: Well Alex, it’s really pretty easy but I am out of time=
for
today. We really should explore this in the airplane the next time you are =
in
town. Just a few thoughts before you go. Remember, these ideas are not my
invention. They have been the fundamentals of flight training since long be=
fore
I had my first flight lesson. Many experienced CFI’s have techniques =
that
avoid the problems we have been discussing today. Unfortunately most pilots=
are
trained by less experienced instructors who have not had time to develop th=
eir
own instructional techniques. These techniques are often absent from CFI
training programs and are learned on the job in most cases. I will merely s=
hare
a method that should allow you or any CFI to teach with the effectiveness of
one with thousands of hours of instructional experience.
Next=
time
I will discuss some techniques that will enable you to teach predominantly =
by
directing the students’ attention outside the airplane. Also we will
discuss other benefits of these techniques that range from increased comfort
(read, less airsickness and anxiety) to better instrument skills. Yes you h=
eard
me right. Teaching students how to fly by outside visual references eventua=
lly
has the effect of producing better instrument pilots! See you next time Alex.
14