Originally Posted by
Tee Emm
Isn't that getting a bit "gimmicky" flying 'through' the FD? Either use it properly when needed for guidance or switch it out of sight. There are times when pilots want an uncluttered artificial horizon. Recovering from an unusual attitude in IMC is one such example.
Already the borders of the PFD are surrounded by a plethora of information. Some pilots have no trouble ignoring unwanted FD indications. Others can be seriously distracted by the waving needles. The problem being that flight directors tend to encourage tunnel vision........
You actually quoted my justification for my statement, did you read it?
Pilots should always "fly through" the flight directors - by which I mean you should always be looking at the pitch and roll presentation of the PFD, and any adjustment to the aircraft path should be by reference to this. Pilots must always refer to the pitch and bank presentation, and only regard the FD as a suggestion for guidance. Unusual attitudes? look only at pitch, bank, and speed, ignore all else. This should be instinctive.
The FD is an advisory instrument, and it should never be
blindly followed. Doing so has caused accidents, and one must always look through it to confirm the actual pitch and bank of the aircraft, and that the FD is offering sensible guidance.
As far as taking the FD out if you are not going to follow it. I thought I had explained my reasoning fairly clearly.
On two occasions in my commercial flying I have rotated and got airborne and then had to avoid birds. In both cases the FDs were on, as per SOPs, and were guiding the usual path: bank to follow the SID, pitch to follow SRS (pitch to maintain V2). At a few hundred feet, birds appeared ahead, flying across our path, and I instinctively 'ducked' the aircraft underneath them to avoid damage to our pitot probes or ingesting the birds into an engine. There was no time to request "flight directors off", I just reacted as I needed to do, and ignored the flight director, since its indications were no longer appropriate at that precise moment. After passing under the birds, I gently resumed the FD guidance.
On another occasion during approach into Alicante, a banner towing aircraft - unknown and unseen by ATC radar - suddenly appeared off to our right flying across our path while PM was head down, dialling in tower frequency. Again, there was no time to follow SOPs, I simply avoided the aircraft and ignored the FD.
Regarding your so-called 'clutter' of the PFD, with a "plethora of information" and "waving needles" well, the A320, A321 and A330 that I fly (flew), have extremely well designed cockpit displays. Some say they are crude and old fashioned, but actually they have been very well thought out with only relevant information displayed, and they are very clear and easy to use. (I have not flown the A350). I have flown Boeing
737-300/400 though, and I found their displays awkward in terms of information layout and clutter.