Originally Posted by
Takwis
I see a trend going back several days in this thread: people who have not flown with an AOA indicator feel that they are unnecessary or distracting, while those who have flown with them find them a valuable addition to the flight instruments.
At the time I went through Air Force pilot training, everyone flew the T-38, as the "advanced trainer". Supersonic, not quite as fast on final as Gums' bird, but close. Very vague "stall warning"; really, it didn't stall so much as just increase descent rate. You could (and I have) pull the stick slowly back into your lap, full aft, and the plane would maintain a nose up attitude, but descend at greater than 12,000 fpm. That was fine at 30,000 feet, in a MOA, but not optimal on approach. So an AOA indicator was fitted, not on the instrument panel, but on top of the dash, right in your line of sight when looking at the runway. The data was simplified...on airspeed, a green donut. Too fast, a yellow chevron indicating you needed to slow down, too slow, a red chevron indicating you had better increase your airspeed, and mind your sink rate. The instrument was absolutely essential to flying the T-38 well, and everyone in the Air Force for decades had done it. When I got out of pilot training, my next jet was a KC-135 (grand-dad to the 737), and it had two AOA gauges on the dash. Not essential, but a valuable crosscheck, not only on final, but also at long range cruise. Never distracting.