Don’t skip partial panel work

[MauleSkinner]

I’ve come to the conclusion over the years that the FAA has done a disservice to pilots by the manner in which they require student pilot instrument training. Instead of teaching it as an emergency maneuver using the inherent stability of the airplane as a primary factor like AOPA used to endorse, they basically have said, “we want you to fly just like an instrument rated pilot. And while we require significant currency requirements for them, we feel that you’ll be proficient years from now with no additional training.”

This would also increase the safety of situations like the OP’s and other vacuum failures mentioned here, as it’s a simplified needle, ball, and airspeed technique.

I did look at the ACS recently, and it appears they did remove the more detrimental verbiage, but we’re so far gone that I don’t think it’ll help.

 

[MauleSkinner]

I think that while pilots in these cases report the secondary malfunctions, what's really occurring is a loss of control, and they don't believe it.

I know of one instance where that was absolutely the case, as the pilot got a little through-the-radio instruction and regained control of the airplane, making a descent through the clouds and a safe landing. He initially reported that all of his gyros, pitot-static instruments, and even his whiskey compass failed. It was just the vacuum system and the two vacuum instruments that were the problem.

 

[midwestpa24]

I know of one instance where that was absolutely the case, as the pilot got a little through-the-radio instruction and regained control of the airplane, making a descent through the clouds and a safe landing. He initially reported that all of his gyros, pitot-static instruments, and even his whiskey compass failed. It was just the vacuum system and the two vacuum instruments that were the problem.

That is probably the common issue. You have one set of instruments telling the truth, one is lying, and your inner ear screaming something else. You have to squelch the helmet fire and compare the instruments to determine which ones are lying, then convince yourself you are right, and ignore those instrument's indications. In training your instructor just covers them and tells you they failed, which eliminates the moment of confusion.

 

[iamtheari]

That is probably the common issue. You have one set of instruments telling the truth, one is lying, and your inner ear screaming something else. You have to squelch the helmet fire and compare the instruments to determine which ones are lying, then convince yourself you are right, and ignore those instrument's indications. In training your instructor just covers them and tells you they failed, which eliminates the moment of confusion.

It’s not just a moment of confusion. It’s your best friend telling you a soothing but horrible lie over and over while your lesser acquaintances are telling you small pieces of the truth. Even if you know your best friend is full of it, it’s hard to simply ignore him and trust what everyone else is telling you.

I carry three Sporty’s round suction cup instrument covers in my flight bag. I hid them from the DPE on my instrument check ride, but if I lose an instrument in flight I hope I am smart enough to stick one of them over it so I don’t have the fatal distraction of a lying instrument on top of flying partial panel.

 

[flyingpreacher]

but with the wife next to me.. the ASI video in my head... I 'm glad I declared and I'm glad ATC did some leg work for me.

I know we're all told this, but that's exactly what ATC is there for. They aren't the bad guys or the police of the sky, they are part of your team who help get you safely back to your family (or in your case, get you and your family to safety.)

A secondary note that I'm actually surprised hasn't come up yet: I see you were using ForeFlight like many of us do. If you have the proper systems in your plane and the appropriate FF subscription, you can get HI, AI, Airspeed, and Altitude with Synthetic Vision. It isn't certified for IFR use, but if all your other instruments go down, they could be an additional tool in the toolbox to get you down safely. If you are already IFR certified, having georeferenced plates is a WONDERFUL tool anyway, and that subscription includes SV. An AHRS system makes it much more accurate, but even without that, it's GPS referenced, so it can be a redundancy check of your other instruments.

 

[srp_4737]

I know we're all told this, but that's exactly what ATC is there for. They aren't the bad guys or the police of the sky, they are part of your team who help get you safely back to your family (or in your case, get you and your family to safety.)

A secondary note that I'm actually surprised hasn't come up yet: I see you were using ForeFlight like many of us do. If you have the proper systems in your plane and the appropriate FF subscription, you can get HI, AI, Airspeed, and Altitude with Synthetic Vision. It isn't certified for IFR use, but if all your other instruments go down, they could be an additional tool in the toolbox to get you down safely. If you are already IFR certified, having georeferenced plates is a WONDERFUL tool anyway, and that subscription includes SV. An AHRS system makes it much more accurate, but even without that, it's GPS referenced, so it can be a redundancy check of your other instruments.

Yep... my pilot buddy ordered me a Sentry to connect to the Ipad. It'll be here via mail tomorrow. Has CO detection as well which is pretty awesome.

 

[Jdm]

Yep, excellent reminder. It’s no joke when instruments go south. I took a bird hit right into the pitot recently. I had just captured the GS. Very difficult to figure out the problem. Happened right when I put the gear down. Didn’t know I took a strike. Just saw the airspeed getting slow. Initially I added power to compensate for the speed. Airspeed drifted to zero. Thought I was going to stall. Flew pitch and power until I broke out at 800agl. Found a clogged pitot. Airspeed was acting like an altimeter, just like the books say. Still didn’t process the reason until after the excitement was over. Very aggravating that I didn’t pick up on the condition sooner. 7,000 hours with a lot of ratings and it still caught me off guard. In a hustle I reached for the AP discount switch and accidentally hit the disconnect PLUS the GA switch which commanded an unwanted climb. Lost the Aspen with a big red X. That actually made it easier to fly. Thankfully I had the #2 ILS dialed up as a reference.
-Always back up the approach with an alternate source. Be ready to fly known pitch and power settings.

 

[Trogdor]

Sounds like you were prepared and used your training, cool!

Now take that AI and cast it into the sun. Replace it with an electric AV30 or something similar, whatever is certified for your a/c

Be aware the AV30 is only good for 30 minutes off its internal capacitor (I think it doesn’t have a battery backup like the G5).

But the real takeaway I’m getting out is know these little things in case of failure (so you know you have 30 minutes to land before going full partial panel).