RAF Lookout Training

[Captain Kirk]

Out of interest, can someone describe the current RAF ‘lookout scan’, as taught during flying training? Has it changed at all in the last year or so? Just curious to see how it has changed since my day!

[just another jocky]

Lookout...Attitude...Instruments.

Horizon to horizon, up and down, near and far. Move your head.

Is that what you mean?

[Runaway Gun]

Just "Do it More!" ;)

Generally scanning parts of the sky, remaining eyes fixed motionless on a 'sector' for a few seconds, before moving on elsewhere. This gives you a better chance to make out relative moving objects, compared to moving your eyeballs constantly.

[BEagle]

Lookout...Attitude...Instruments.Oh come now, do sharpen up! It's L00kout...

"A beer for every aircraft I see in your sector - and I'll buy you one for every aircraft you see in mine!" worked quite well when TWU instructors taught us battle formation! And in those days there were a LOT of other aircraft to be seen in the land of the Viet-Taff....:\

[Ali Qadoo]

"A beer for every aircraft I see in your sector - and I'll buy you one for every aircraft you see in mine!"


There's a story (probably apocryphal) of a QFI saying this to his stude who a few minutes later was first to spot the Red Arrows en-route to an airshow somewhere - cue one unhappy QFI.

[Geehovah]

Keep your head moving. The eye senses movement. If you stare you wont see the one that hits you. ..And if its on a collision there's no relative movement.:ok:.

I had the best eyes in RAFG at one time. Now I can't read the paper.:{

Mind you, at 92 years of age I guess you knew that:E

[4Greens]

You see the movement best out of the corner of the eye.

[BBadanov]

Plus move the head to avoid the canopy combing blindspot. Wasn't there a mid-air in Germany with a 104 on a constant closing to a Harrier, hidden behind the canopy arch?

[Old-Duffer]

BBadanov,

That was also said to be a contributing factor in the Phantom and Pawnee crop sprayer collision in 1974.

O-D

[BBadanov]

Thanks O-D. I knew someone of your vast years and experience would be able to delve into history - coz you know, "from our study of history the mistakes of the past will not be repeated". :ugh:
But you try and tell that to the kids of today, they won't believe you. :rolleyes:

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

Al,

It's not apochryphal. On a LL Nav from CF in Tuc, I spotted the Reds ( and the BBMF!) to my QFI's couple of 'spots'.

I can't recall him buying my beers!

Duncs:ok:

[Re-Heat]

From the front, look along the horizon to behind the wingtip, then up over your head and back to the horizon, being sure to look around canopy parts. Repeat to the other side. Repeat with excessive head movements to keep the QFI happy (and yourself alive)

[Blacksheep]

An instructor wrote "LOOKOUT!" in big letters in my training record - bloody cheek! It was me who spotted the paraglider rising to our front while he was glegging over his shoulders. And the light aircraft that came from behind a cloud, dead ahead. :rolleyes:

Still it gave me the proper neck-aching scan pattern beloved of old, bold fighter pilots and glider instructors. :)

[Maxibon]

However, there was one TWU instr who called a tally left 8 o'clock going away and whilst I scanned for it he snapped on 8G. Recovery to Brawdy spent looking over my left shoulder with a cricked neck whilst he chuckled was bloody hilarious.:suspect:

[Captain Kirk]

Thanks Re-heat, that’s the sort of detail I was interested in. So the lookout scan starts from 12 o’clock? Can anyone confirm if this is still the approved technique, as currently taught?

[dctyke]

I need Lookout Training!!! I used to be able to see lots of RAF aircraft in the sky however these days I cannot see any :rolleyes:

[Hoverstop]

Lookout starts from the 12 o'clock - unless you're about to turn. Say you are going to turn right: look round to the right as far as you can, then scan up and down around the horizon all the way round as far as you can to the left, then back over the top to the right again. Then look ahead and select the turn attitude etc etc. Once settled in the turn, then revert to the "lookout -attitude - instruments" scan; looking as far round into the turn as you are able.

[NutLoose]

I used to be able to spot the SWO at 100 paces...... any good :ok:

[racedo]

Mind you, at 92 years of age I guess you knew thathttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/evil.gif

Did you know Orville and Wilbur Wright per chance ;)

Hat off to you for mastering this internet thingy............real question for you in relation to this.

Did you ever figure when 22 that 70 years later you would be communicating to thousands of people the world over and you would not have to leave home to do so.

[Captain Kirk]

The trouble is that starting at 12 and searching rearwards severely degrades your chance of seeing traffic that you are most likely to be in conflict with. I was hoping that things might have moved on a bit.

And as for age....1 Apr 18 seemed like a suitably auspicious date!

[kharmael]

I was taught to start pointing at the side to which you will turn. i.e for turning right you start looking out to the right then do the full 180 across the front, then over the top and back to the right before tipping in...

[just another jocky]

Unfortunately, the official training manual which holds details of the full technique is "...not for release to the public without...", but I suspect you get the gist now. :ok:

[Cows getting bigger]

Not a military instructor (just a lowly civvi PPL instructor :( ) but I was taught to teach start at the front, 30 deg segments to the left until you can't turn your head any further. Back to the front and then the other way. Throughout, keep moving head (especially around canopy frames etc). For a turn, start at the outside of the turn (ie look left for a right turn) and sweep all the way across to the inside of the turn before turning. In a high wing, always dip the outside wing before commencing the turn. In all types, when out of the turn do the opposite sweep, lifting wings as necessary.

PS. Always clean the windscreen before flight :)