Your Attitude on Instruments

Get reacquainted with the basics of attitude flying. Review the cross-check information available from those flight displays.

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It had been a busy flight with some heavy weather for a Cessna 182. I was anticipating the final vector for the ILS and fumbling with the tablet’s presentation of the approach plate (I had vowed to make friends with the electronic flight bag). The realization that the sound had unexpectedly changed brought me back to the attitude indicator with a sudden start. It was sitting at a 60-degree angle with the nose well-down.

My first reaction was to pull the power as the increasing sound, airspeed and unwinding altimeter were unimpeachable sources. First responses are all too often instinctive and not the result of a logical thought process—fortunately my response was appropriate.

Next, I needed to validate the direction-of-turn information before I made any further control input. The turn coordinator confirmed that I was in a better-than-standard-rate turn to the left. An arm-full of right aileron and some rudder brought the wings back to level, and the existing trim setting induced a noticeable positive G-force as the elevator took a bite out of the higher airspeed—no need for any added back-pressure.

The altimeter settled down 500 feet below the glide-slope intercept altitude. Approach control sent me an urgent reminder that he had an altitude alert and was showing me well below my last assigned altitude.

Yes, I know I fixated on the tablet for far too long and allowed the unusual attitude to develop. But, as I drove home following the flight, I kept reviewing in my mind the thought process that followed when I glanced back to the AI—and made that mad dash around the six-pack to corroborate the information that each instrument was relaying to me.

Pitch + Power = Performance

As a CFII of 40 years, I am well acquainted with the two basic methods for learning attitude instrument flying—”control and performance” and “primary and supporting.” As only the AI reflects the immediate response to control inputs, it and the throttle, are emphasized in the training process.

The cross-check of the primary and supporting instruments to verify and fine-tune performance is often overlooked in the busy agenda of an IFR operation. A most common situation is the failure to attain the correct pitch for the best rate-of-climb during a missed approach, and droning along at 200 feet-per-minute.

I also realize that in a stressful situation pilots, having not internalized the relationships of the primary and supporting instruments to the various flight profiles, may not be aware of their importance in critical situations where not making the right response can imperil the flight’s longevity.

Many CFIIs essentially stopped emphasizing primary/supporting crosscheck in deference to the adage, “Pitch plus power equals performance”—one of my favorite phrases.

Yes, the FAA written test will have a few questions that you can ponder to determine that, during a Vy climb for example, the airspeed is primary for pitch, supported by the VSI. It’s always a good exercise to periodically recreate the table that shows the various primary/supporting relationships during the ten most common aviating tasks. This is best done on the back of a napkin over pizza with at least three instrument rated pilots participating for maximum entertainment.

Who Is Telling The Truth?

However, as I internalized the bad news the AI was presenting to me that evening, I had a cold feeling that perhaps it had failed and had led me into the unusual attitude over the last few control inputs—maybe it wasn’t my preoccupation with the tablet.

I didn’t want to input any control movement that would exacerbate my predicament. I realized that understanding which way I was turning was critical and that the turn coordinator would supply that information independent of the AI.

While time is of the essence, assurance of the correct response is vital when close to the ground. Know-ledge of the primary/supporting instruments is essential. Yes, I could have used the DG but, with it sharing the same power source as the AI, I wanted an independent basis for confirmation.

In some respects, my brief, and self-imposed emergency, was easily corrected because I did have a functioning AI. Although I used the turn coordinator to confirm the direction of turn, had I not had the AI, getting the wings level could have been a more difficult task. The turn coordinator only provides rate information of up to three-degrees-per-second and it is easy to roll back through wings-level and into the opposite direction if you over control.

Recovering from an unusual attitude without the AI, you are returning the aircraft to S&L by interpreting the primary/supporting indicators. In an upset condition, without an operative AI, there is no immediate means to establish attitude and bank reference. The AI is the only instrument that instantly and directly provides the actual flight attitude and bank angle at any point in time.

A big factor can be the trim setting prior to the upset condition. Airspeeds outside the trim setting can present high G-forces while returning to the previous flight profile—hence the pronounced pitch-up when I achieved wings level. Care must be taken to ensure the aircraft is not overstressed.

Needle, Ball And Airspeed

Practice transitioning to different flight profiles without the use of the AI, and build your knowledge base of the data provided by the other primary and supporting instruments. Although there are those who eschew the needle-ball-airspeed philosophy, it can be a life saver. You’ll get a good appreciation for the delay that various instruments have in reflecting your control input—and a better understanding of the amount of trim used.

It is rare to find a turn-and-bank indicator (the “needle” in the phrase) in a six-pack today. Most have been replaced by turn coordinators. I actually prefer the older style with their “dog-house” because it reminds me that I am not looking at bank angle.

Periodically perform unusual attitudes with various instruments inoperative. An important note of caution here. Initially use small increments of bank and pitch to present the unusual condition, so you need only relatively modest control inputs to recover. You are primarily developing knowledge of the various sources of information, relative to the pitch and bank of the aircraft, to respond with the correct and appropriate amount of control movement.

Anything more than 30-degrees of bank and 15-degrees of pitch can produce recovery forces that may unpleasantly surprise you. An experienced CFII can help you hone these life-saving skills to a higher degree than working with a less knowledgeable person.

Recap

The take-away here is that we need to keep our knowledge and skills of attitude instrument flying in the forefront. The axiom of “fly the airplane” is dominant in the trilogy of aviate, navigate, communicate.

Even if you can’t find three instrument rated pilots (or students) to share your pizza, it is helpful to periodically create the Primary/Supporting table. I’m not talking about simply reviewing an existing table such as the one included with this article. I am suggesting that you sit with a blank piece of paper and examine each maneuver in terms of what information each instrument will provide.

This exercise will reinforce your understanding of the function of each instrument and, when you fly, to be more observant of the primary and supporting instruments.

I’m due for a Flight Review and an IPC, so I am eager to have the CFII give me some unusual attitudes with the AI covered. Perhaps I should do this in the Redbird simulator before I try it in the airplane.

Ted Spitzmiller is a Gold Seal CFII, FASTeam member, and the editor of IFR Refresher magazine.

This article originally appeared in the March 2015 issue of IFR Refresher magazine.

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