Teaching Basic IF

[ol-mate]

Does anyone have any tips they've found useful for teaching basic IF? I find pattering where to look extremely tedious and just saps the students SA.

[BigEndBob]

First thing is don't spend a whole hour just doing IF, just 10 minute over a number of flights, otherwise the student will get bored with it also.

[Sleeve Wing]

First of all, glass cockpit has changed many requirements.
So these suggestions only apply to analogue displays

Make sure your Long Brief is detailed and get Hoskins to take decent notes.

Make sure he knows and understands what the "6" instruments show and the relevance of the T display.
Go through each instrument function separately and emphasise it's limitations.
Introduce Selective Radial Scan.

Go back to basics and point out stuff he/she already understands e.g. Power, Attitude, Trim.
Compose your lessons around initial exercises of S and L, C and D., Rate One turns and anticipation of rollout on headings. Keep it simple and don't rush it. Don't go on to more advanced exercises until the basics have been thoroughly understood and demonstrated.
Relate your patter to visual flight and then show how these references are degraded to produce the requirement for IF.

That'll do for now, oh, and as has been sensibly suggested already, a bit at a time say 5 to 7 minutes with a rest in between to enjoy the cloud tops.
There'll be a lot more to do particularly eg.Unusual Position Recoveries.

If you do it right, you might save someone from a big fright or possibly even killing themselves.
It's your reputation too.

[BigEndBob]

When you have exhausted all ideas for practise, try getting the student to fly precise climbing and descending turns through 1000 feet and 360 degrees. Really tests any pilots IF ability.
Also finish off a return to base with a simulated radar approach.

[Black Jake]

As a student I was crap at instrument flying, failed three instrument rating flight checks at the first attempt (one each on the Jet Provost, Hawk and Phantom) and barely scraped through flying training and the operational conversion unit. Was finally found out after joining a Phantom Squadron and trying to qualify for "phase three visual indents" which means closing on an intruder at night with no lights displayed and at any height, heading or speed, so that the navigator could identify the type and take pictures with a night vision camera. On command from the Nav (guy in back) using the radar, I was meant to adjust height/heading /speed by a few tens of feet/couple of degrees or couple of knots to achieve close(ish) formation. Not possible at 600 knots and 500 feet over the sea at night if your instrument flying technique is poor and you resort to "chasing needles" like what I was doing.
Long story short, I re-taught myself to fly the same way on instruments that I did visually i.e. Set a sensible attitude and power (control instruments) and trim. Let it settle before doing anything else. Then check the performance instrument (altimeter, heading, speed) using a selective radial scan with the AI central to see if it was working. If not, diagnose what was wrong and make a small, considered, correction. In fairness - I had been taught all this during training but forgotten it amongst all the other stuff a student pilot has to learn on an intensive course!

So my tip would be to leave out the hood/foggles/visor for a while and compare visual flying with instrument flying techniques until your student can replicate straight and level, straight climbs and descents, level turns and level acceleration/deceleration. Keep emphasising attitude/power/trim (control) and the selective radial scan (monitoring performance). Keep each lesson fairly short as suggested by Bob, then start to make it fun by challenging your student to complete a series of pattern flying including climbing, turning, accelerating, decelerating and descending - all to specific altitudes, headings, speeds etc.

all the best,
BJ

[Fl1ingfrog]

Absolutely agree with most of what Black Jake has said.

I would add that good basic visual handling skills are paramount. If the visual flying is chaotic, without method and sloppy then flying by sole reference to the instruments is a non starter. In my view all initial training should first be visual whilst an efficient practical and precise attitude flying technique is taught and achieved, include the selective radial scan also whilst visual. The aeroplane will never know it is in cloud It follows therefore that the same correct visual techniques learned must be true when flying on the instruments. Nothing changes other than the visual reference is to the instruments instead of the natural horison. Having covered the direct indications of each of the instruments, teach the instruments as a group but emphasise the care to be taken when assessing the secondary indications; i.e. a pitch up/down indication does not on its own mean a climb/descent is taking place. Work through each of the instruments noting the same rules apply as with visual flight. The student should now be ready to apply the knowledge and skill to manoeuvre: climbing and levelling off/descending levelling off, turning at rate one and also on to specific headings. This must include in level flight and whilst climbing and descending. Should the student find combining a turn whilst climbing and descending too difficult then teach the turn to be followed by the climb/descent.

This initial phase should not be skimped because it is crucial to the success of the following applied instrument flying phases: navigation and also instrument procedures if applicable..

[ol-mate]

Thank you all for your input, it's much appreciated

[rarelyathome]

Does anyone have any tips they've found useful for teaching basic IF? I find pattering where to look extremely tedious and just saps the students SA.

One other thing to add to some good advice: you should only be pattering when demonstrating. Pattering, or more accurately coaching, while the student is flying is poor instructing technique and will sap the student’s ability to sort things out for him or herself as well as their SA.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I will second fling frog. The problem with most students who struggle with basic IF is the fact that they can't fly accurately to begin with. The last PPL IF rating I did we spent 5 hours on clear hood foundation skills before we got to the actual IF training. The easiest way to see where you are starting from is to ask the student to do some figure 8's and climbs and descents with varying airspeed. If the flying is not pretty solid then there is no point in going any further with the IF

Personally my first lesson is clear hood to demystify the process. So we do all the usual maneuvers clear hood and compare what the view on the AI looks like when a familiar attitude is establish visually with the natural horizon. I also use post it notes and cover up instruments I don't want them looking at to enforce a systematic scan.

Finally you will get really good at the QFI scan: AI Hobbs, DI Hobbs, Altitude Hobbs.....

[TheOddOne]

Finally you will get really good at the QFI scan: AI Hobbs, DI Hobbs, Altitude Hobbs.....

Brilliant!
A friend of mine calls the Hobbs the damage meter, 'cos it damages your wallet...

Hat, coat

TOO