A37575
27th Apr 2011, 10:14
Fleet Air Arm pilots practiced constantly low level high speed, low level flying on instruments. In a dual seat aircraft (Hawker Hunter) there would be a safety pilot monitoring while the practicing pilot would fly at all speeds up to 450 kts or so and up to 60 degress of bank at 500 feet over the sea. The practicing pilot would have his artificial horizon covered and would have a hood on his visor. This was called limited panel flying and was designed to speed up and sharpen pilot scanning of the instruments.
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This report was found on the Pprune Aviation History forum. With the push for ever increasing levels of automation to compensate for lack of flight crew manipulative instrument flying skills, the days of real flying skills are long since gone. On the other hand it doesn't hurt to read of these past skills and even try to emulate them in the simulator rather than allowing complacency to creep in. Mind you, 60 degrees angle of bank at 500 ft on the standby ADI would certainly test the simulator as well as the pilot!
In his book "Handling the Big Jets", D.P Davies the British ARB test pilot said, "Do not become lazy in your professional lives. The autopilot is a great comfort, so are the flight director and approach coupler. But do not get into the position where you need these devices to complete a flight. Keep in practice in raw data ILS, particularly in crosswinds. Keep in practice in hand-flying the aeroplane at altitude and in making purely visual approaches.
As we get older we all become slightly more lazy, slightly more tired - and this is a bit of a trap. The demand of jet flying can best be met by enthusiasm. Enthusiasm thus generates its own protection. This is the frame of mind which needs to be developed for the best execution of the airline pilot's task".
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Nowadays, there are many restrictions requiring the use of automatics in certain airspace. But there is also ample opportunity to hand fly within commonsense. There is also ample opportunity to find excuses not to keep your hand in.:ok:
............................................................ .............................
This report was found on the Pprune Aviation History forum. With the push for ever increasing levels of automation to compensate for lack of flight crew manipulative instrument flying skills, the days of real flying skills are long since gone. On the other hand it doesn't hurt to read of these past skills and even try to emulate them in the simulator rather than allowing complacency to creep in. Mind you, 60 degrees angle of bank at 500 ft on the standby ADI would certainly test the simulator as well as the pilot!
In his book "Handling the Big Jets", D.P Davies the British ARB test pilot said, "Do not become lazy in your professional lives. The autopilot is a great comfort, so are the flight director and approach coupler. But do not get into the position where you need these devices to complete a flight. Keep in practice in raw data ILS, particularly in crosswinds. Keep in practice in hand-flying the aeroplane at altitude and in making purely visual approaches.
As we get older we all become slightly more lazy, slightly more tired - and this is a bit of a trap. The demand of jet flying can best be met by enthusiasm. Enthusiasm thus generates its own protection. This is the frame of mind which needs to be developed for the best execution of the airline pilot's task".
............................................................ ...................................
Nowadays, there are many restrictions requiring the use of automatics in certain airspace. But there is also ample opportunity to hand fly within commonsense. There is also ample opportunity to find excuses not to keep your hand in.:ok: