Challenging IFR Exercises

[i4iq]

Just wondering how the more experienced Instrument Instructors out there challenge their students when flying under the hood, in the Sim or in actual conditions.

Situational awareness challenges some and many seem to have problems flying unpublished holds.

Anyone got any stories about particualarly challenging scenarios and how they were pushed passed their comfort zones and whether it ultimately benefitted them?

[MightyGem]

Cover up both main and standby AIs, and get them to fly using altimeter, ASI, compass and VSI. Can be very entertaining. :} :eek:

[i4iq]

Yeah, with practice, the good ones do a pretty good job in the end...

I'm wondering how much to load them up with other procedures and progressively worsening scenarios too.

[Lafyar Cokov]

Max rate turns at Instrument Vmin always seem to get them working!!!

[Bravo73]

Any simulated systems failures always seems to increase the workload dramatically. Following check list drills whilst also attempting to fly a procedure can sometimes really tax the noggin!

Also, from an ATC point of view, late clearances (or late changes to a clearance) can increase the workload.


Or, at least, they do for me. :O

[GoodGrief]

@MightyGem

It is called partial panel flying in the US and part of training as well as the check ride.
Is it not part of the JAR syllabus?

[i4iq]

Some nice ideas...

Any "real-life" incidents that put you to the test?

[NickLappos]

The all-time BEST maneuver to separate the men from the boys:

The Climbing/Descending Turn

1) Start at North, cardinal altitude, punch the clock to start a 1 minute timer and then simultaneously begin a left standard rate turn of 180 degrees and a 500 foot climb/descent at 500 fpm.

2) Look for perfect symmetry, so that at 125 feet of climb, the turn is 45 degrees complete, and so on.

3) The sweep of the clock, the gyrocompass and the altimeter is all watched, organized and kept in harmony.

4) At 1 minute the roll out is complete, the climb is stopped and the aircraft is in perfectly normal flight 180 degrees out and 500 feet off.

5) And the airspeed is held perfectly constant throughout.

Not for the faint of heart, it is the perfect maneuver to make the whole instrument flight thing come together. The biggest thing is to know the % torque or MP needed for 100 fpm of climb/descent, and the amount of bank angle needed for a standard rate turn, a faster one and a slower one. Juggling the corrections for a few seconds and then taking them out, bookeeping each axis is a blast when you get the hang of it.

[Brian Abraham]

Sounds like you were US Navy trained Nick (I know you're an Army man). They had a pattern we had to fly timed by the clock as you say and the procedure took 15 minutes to complete.

[IFMU]

How about how to challenge your instructor? Early on and somewhat overloaded I meant to twist the heading bug but put the DG 180 out, in actual conditions, during a turn. Neither of us noticed it. A friendly call from ATC asked us when we were going to be established on the heading, initially it appeared as though we were. My instructor actually charged me less than his usual rate, said he got something out of that lesson.

-- IFMU

[Matthew Parsons]

If it's just the instrument cross check, then give them targeted airspeeds, vsi, turn rates, or any combination. As they improve, give them reversals on any one, for example rate one turn right to 090, then rate one turn left to 270. Then put them together, climb at 110kias, 500fpm in a rate one turn to the right. At 5000' descend at 80kias, 700fpm until 3500' (at which point you go back to 110kias and 500fpm up). At heading 090 change the turn to a rate 1/2 turn to the left, change back to rate 1 right at heading 300.

Keep moving the altitudes and headings for the reversals closer together.

If that doesn't overload them, have them count backwards from 100 in 3's.


For situational awareness, give them something like the above but let them know that you'll be asking them where any one of three airports are wrt to the aircraft. Then ask them where the wind is coming from.


For holds. Just fly them. PC based simulators are great for those.

[Arm out the window]

A good one that's sometimes glossed over a bit (particularly in fixed wing, but applicable to rotary too) is transitions between phases of flight, ie cruise to initial approach to final approach to missed approach.

I find it useful to introduce these as pure flying exercises first (calling the transitions between them as required) to get the person on the controls well used to the attitudes, power changes and so on required, (and the time/distance it takes to accomplish them), before being thrown into the hurly-burly of the approaches themselves.

[i4iq]

Thanks all - I'm gonna try a few of those suggestions out for myself!

[MightyGem]

Is it not part of the JAR syllabus?
I've no idea, I'm not IR'd as a cvilian. That's what I use to do back in the military. Another good one was when the other guy had his head down and eyes shut waiting for an unusual attitude was to cage and uncage the AIs ao that they showed different attitudes.

[OverTq]

The coordinated climbing/descending turn is used for the UK military students - and that's on a single Squirrel with the AP disengaged! Often ask them to calculate distance that could be flown to dry tanks while they are doing the exercise just to stretch their capacity a bit!:}

[LeakyLucy]

but just watch out not to unload the disc with a low G manouvere ! :uhoh: ( If applies ! )

[skadi]

Just start the stopwatch and from time to time look at the student/pilot to be checked. It wont last long and most of them are getting very nervous because they are thinking that they have forgotten something...
But its not very fair.....

skadi

[Letsby Avenue]

Repeatedly jab a sharp pencil in their eye during a steep turn :)

[timex]

Or just get used to being told to bugger off...

[i4iq]

"Repeatedly jab a sharp pencil in their eye during a steep turn "

Tried that one. But can only try it twice... anyway, have to go see the Chief Pilot now... for some reason...

[SASless]

I felt very challenged when adding two maneuvers together.....such as straight and level.

The 1960's US Army helicopter figure eight NDB tactical approach probably is my first choice of useless exercises used to induce spatial disorientation into newbie pilots.

Done on a windy, turbulent night with a Monsoon downpour going on....it made for good sport.

Nick will probably agree but his having been a Gunship pilot probably saved him from ever doing one as he passed over and did not land out in the boonies as he did his thing without having to stop in....which was his very good luck.

[[email protected]]

OverTq - then every 30 degrees make them name a British Motorcycle or an MoD form number with its useage:)

[NickLappos]

sasless,

Regarding landing in the boonies, as my Dad once said, "I have never been to Berlin, but I did get within 25,000 feet of it several times......"