IFR scan ability

[frozenout]

What would you recommend I can say/teach to a student who has a weak instrument scan for I/R work? We've gone through the scan process but it still needs to be improved to achieve desired performance.
Thanks.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I was very poor at this during my instrument training.

My solution, which worked, was to take a digital photograph of the instrument panel, then go and label it with the various scans ON THAT AEROPLANE, and spend time just rehearsing the scan using the piece of paper.

It worked for me, and would be as easy for anybody else to do. I think that it worked particularly well because I produced it for myself, rather than having an instructors version imposed on me.

G

[172_driver]

Keep practicing in something that isn't too expensive?
MSFS at home is an easy investment...

[mad_jock]

Go back to basics and make very sure they can attitude fly and trim properly by looking out the window.

Then its the old "dot to altitude, wings to DI" etc etc if you don't know the patter say and I can put it up.

And remember just keep saying "what next?" if they look as if they are having a breather.

And don't let them go near MSFS until they can get the scan right it just reinforces ****e habits.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I cover all but the AI, DG, Alt and then start with straight and level. I then tell them where to look with a pretty constant stream of instruction.

eg AI pause, DI 090, Pause, Altitude 2000 feet, Pause AI etc etc. The pauses are timed so that most of the time the student is looking at the DI. To correct altitude I would say. 200 ft low, AI slight nose up wings level, DI pause, Altitude , note rising, AI wings level, DI 090 until the altitude is regained then AI level flight attitude wings level DI Alt etc etc.

After 10 or 15 minutes of this constant patter the rhythm starts to become automatic and you add the turn coordinator and you can start bringing in turns and then add the ASI for climbs and descents, finally adding the VSI.

Teaching the basic scan is incredibly tedious but 2 hours of directed scanning patter will cement the scan and pay huge dividends in the rest of the training.

[mad_jock]

And if the person isn't in trim while your pattering this Big?

Hammer the attitude.

All that does is promote needle chasing which is basically what screwed AF477.

Set the attitude trim it then correct for the needles then repeat.

[Big Pistons Forever]

And if the person isn't in trim while your pattering this Big?

Hammer the attitude.

All that does is promote needle chasing which is basically what screwed AF477.

Set the attitude trim it then correct for the needles then repeat.

trim is not an "instrument flying" skill it is a FLYING skill. I actually don't initially stress trimming because

1) By the time they get to instrument flying they should automatically trim the aircraft. If they don't then IMO you have failed as an instructor.

2) I don't want them flying the trim wheel as it starts a bad habit right at the beginning, something I have noticed is common on the first lesson

3) The aircraft won't always be in trim but you still have to accurately control
it so a good scan will ensure you can always control the aircraft

4) The point of the initial lesson is to teach the scan. To do that you need to automatically look at the right instrument at the right time for the right amount of time. Students are not born with this ability they have to be directly taught how to do this hence the directed patter.

Yes I will prompt the students to trim when appropriate but that will only be if the aircraft is in the correct attitude first.

Two good instructor tips FYI

1) Get the student to hold the wheel with a relaxed grip. If it looks like the student is white knuckling the wheel get them to grip the wheel with only 2 fingers

2) When and I mean when not if ;) the students start chasing the needles call "freeze". You will have briefed that this means they are to hold the wheel steady without moving it at all. It is amazing how quickly the airplane settles down when the students stops messing with it :}

Mad Jock

I noticed many of your post consist of snide remarks and rubbishing other posters idea, but hardly ever are actual details of how you would do the lesson.

How about telling us precisely how you teach the initial instrument lessons ?

[frozenout]

Thanks for those method suggestions/reinforcements. I'll pass them on for practice out of the lesson and see how the results work out.

[mad_jock]

Sorry just realised you mean AI is artifical horizon so its not so dissimilar I had visions of you teaching partial panel from the word go. I would still go with below though.


As I stated I would start by doing exactly what they would do with VFR flying which is by selecting the attitude.

Then trimming for that attitude. Not flying it on the trim but doing it so they are flying with a light touch and letting the aircraft do all the work.

Then referencing the alt and the DI to maintain S&L.

Which is where the term "dot to altimeter" which is the ball in the center of the AH which references pitch. And "wings to DI" which is of course your roll.

But the main focus is maintaining a wings level and level attitude using the AH.

Then move on to correcting deviations from required alts and headings.

Once they have that move onto the climbing and decending scans again getting them to set an attitude for known performance for either and then referencing the ASI and ALT until stable & trimmed.

Every thing is working towards the student knowing how to set the machine up for known performance eg flight idle, 7deg nose down wings level = 1000ft/min 150knts (made up numbers) then when within 200 ft of assigned level put every thing back to the known requirments for S&L wait until the plane sorts itself out and stabilses get it in trim small adjustments to level and thats it.

The scan centers around the attitude of the aircraft then other instruments are included as required.

[Tinstaafl]

Start with no hood/screens & all except AI & power instruments covered. Do S&L at various speeds with emphasis on trim & attitude + power combinations. Instructor occasionally expose the appropriate performance instruments to confirm/check that item then covers it again while a correction is made, followed by exposing it for a glance to check/confirm the desired result. Continue with climbs, descents & turns and manually exposing instruments at a suitable rate & pattern.

Then do the same again with hood/screens. Emphasis remains the same as previously.

Once satisfied with the student's ability expose the performance instruments. I used an old extensible radio aerial as pointer. As in 'follow the pointer' for where to look.

Apart from transient moments have your student remove his/her hands from the controls frequently. If trimmed correctly nothing much should happen. I often found lack of trim skill was due to holding the controls tightly.

Your student may not need to step so far back in remedial training so jump in where ever suits.