IF Scan Improvement?
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Join Date: May 2000
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IF Scan Improvement?
Hi,
Looking for advice on any ways other pilots have for improving and speeding up their IF scan rate. Have found that my own scan tends to slow when placed in an unfamiliar environment such as a synthetic trainer where instruments are laid out differently to the aeroplane I normally fly. Does anybody have the same sensation and what ways can be used to combat this.
Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Looking for advice on any ways other pilots have for improving and speeding up their IF scan rate. Have found that my own scan tends to slow when placed in an unfamiliar environment such as a synthetic trainer where instruments are laid out differently to the aeroplane I normally fly. Does anybody have the same sensation and what ways can be used to combat this.
Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Join Date: Jun 2001
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RAIM, most A/C all have the same basic 6 gauge layout (unless they're very old).
Therefore, your basic scan should be fundamental to just about any fixed-wing you fly. That assumes you were taught the correct technique when you learned to fly
The problems mainly start to manifest when you are used to having an HSI, RMI and other useful accessories such as flight directors, glasss cockpits etc. If you are using these everyday, and have to go back (for whatever reason) to manual flight, you'll soon realise how much your scan has slowed down.
You have probably noticed that, for example, to go from a HSI ILS to the old crosshairs type instrument you will have to spend considerably more time just interpreting the instrument, and actually including an extra instrument in your scan.
The way I deal with this is to regularly fly raw data, just to exercise my scan.
Unfortunately, the only way to stay on top is to practice more regularly. If you have a synthetic trainer, try practicing some limited panel. That way you should be able to speed up spotting small trends on the performance instruments, which in turn will improve the QUALITY of your scan.
Have fun!
[ 15 September 2001: Message edited by: Hugh Jarse ]
Therefore, your basic scan should be fundamental to just about any fixed-wing you fly. That assumes you were taught the correct technique when you learned to fly
The problems mainly start to manifest when you are used to having an HSI, RMI and other useful accessories such as flight directors, glasss cockpits etc. If you are using these everyday, and have to go back (for whatever reason) to manual flight, you'll soon realise how much your scan has slowed down.
You have probably noticed that, for example, to go from a HSI ILS to the old crosshairs type instrument you will have to spend considerably more time just interpreting the instrument, and actually including an extra instrument in your scan.
The way I deal with this is to regularly fly raw data, just to exercise my scan.
Unfortunately, the only way to stay on top is to practice more regularly. If you have a synthetic trainer, try practicing some limited panel. That way you should be able to speed up spotting small trends on the performance instruments, which in turn will improve the QUALITY of your scan.
Have fun!
[ 15 September 2001: Message edited by: Hugh Jarse ]
G'day RAIM,
I know it may seem a pretty basic idea, but have u tried verbalising your scan, i.e. say out loud what instrument you are looking at. For example, "Attitude -> Altitude -> Attitude -> Heading -> Attitude -> Airspeed -> Attitude etc etc..."
Of course, in different situations you can incorporate the ILS or ADF or VOR into the scan as appropriate. I found early on in instrument flying that while I wasn't verbalising them out loud, I was saying it in my head. You will find eventually find yourself scanning in the desired order without thinking about it.
Hope you have some luck with the techniques people suggest.
Cheers,
TL
I know it may seem a pretty basic idea, but have u tried verbalising your scan, i.e. say out loud what instrument you are looking at. For example, "Attitude -> Altitude -> Attitude -> Heading -> Attitude -> Airspeed -> Attitude etc etc..."
Of course, in different situations you can incorporate the ILS or ADF or VOR into the scan as appropriate. I found early on in instrument flying that while I wasn't verbalising them out loud, I was saying it in my head. You will find eventually find yourself scanning in the desired order without thinking about it.
Hope you have some luck with the techniques people suggest.
Cheers,
TL
One of my instructors once used to push an 'internal AI' scan in addition to the normal selective radial scan.
This was, when looking at the AI (which had the skid ball integrated on the bottom edge of the instrument), to say and scan 'Dot, wings, pointer, ball' which meant you scanned those four separate things as part of attitude - the pitch dot, the gull wings, the sky or ground pointer and the skid ball.
Doing this forced you to look at each individual aspect of attitude control, as well as getting the overall picture, and had the added bonus of making you spend proportionately longer looking at the AI compared to the performance instruments.
Also, having done this, you should easily be able to perceive small changes to each of these 'components' of attitue.
This was, when looking at the AI (which had the skid ball integrated on the bottom edge of the instrument), to say and scan 'Dot, wings, pointer, ball' which meant you scanned those four separate things as part of attitude - the pitch dot, the gull wings, the sky or ground pointer and the skid ball.
Doing this forced you to look at each individual aspect of attitude control, as well as getting the overall picture, and had the added bonus of making you spend proportionately longer looking at the AI compared to the performance instruments.
Also, having done this, you should easily be able to perceive small changes to each of these 'components' of attitue.
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RAIM keep it simple, always start with attitude. Your scan rate will vary with the rate of change you have induced or are experiencing, i.e., S&L v Instrument Approach. Synthetic trainers are adequate substitutes but only mimic the real thing. You always be either ahead or behind because of the CPU's ability to process data and then display it linealy. In a real aircraft all the changes occur simultaneously or in the order in which they occur.
In the end after establishing sound initial patterns and methods its just practise, practise, practise.
In the end after establishing sound initial patterns and methods its just practise, practise, practise.
