Originally Posted by
peterh337
I think some people may be too rigid in their rules.
If you are flying a simple plane with no instruments, then obviously you will just be looking out of the window.
But the real world isn't like that.
A typical hazy English summer, say 2k-5k vis, especially over the sea, is very hard to fly (other than at a low level, which brings its own issues) without a periodic reference to the AI, not to mention modern nav instruments (GPS) because visual nav is then very difficult.
Obviously a 10hr pilot is not going to be doing that but a 10hr pilot is not going to be doing a lot of things (like, errrm, the radio
).
At some stage you need to turn out a pilot who can use his £10,000 ICAO compliant Private Pilot's License for actually going somewhere, and I am not talking about the 1000km viz and blue-sky-to-outer-space conditions on which instructors are willing to allow the QXC.
So there will be a progression towards an instrument scan, at some stage.
A good pilot, even a plain PPL, will be naturally scanning
both the instruments and the outside.
I am hard over on this one. If you are a low houred non instrument rated PPL
there is no reason you should be looking at the AI under normal circumstances.
If the vis is so poor that you need to be looking at the AI to hold a desired attitude then you are in a place you do not want to be,
ever. In Canada the PPL requires 5 hours of IF training. I teach this wholly as emergency manoevering skills designed to get you out of trouble and will if at all possible give them actual IMC exposure, but for newer pilots safe flying is looking out the windshield not staring at the AI.
As for long cross countries, unless it is really crappy I just slowly turn until the bearing and track numbers on the GPS are the same, pick something straight ahead out the windshield to aim at and then enjoy the view.
