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AeroncaLamp

Filing Flight Plan
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Hello All,
I've recently started flight training and one of the things my instructor has mentioned is that I become too fixated on a certain task even if for a moment such as looking at the tachometer, and I lose my desired altitude. Does anyone have any tips or is this something that is just fixed by flying more?
 
AeroncaLamp said:
Hello All,
I've recently started flight training and one of the things my instructor has mentioned is that I become too fixated on a certain task even if for a moment such as looking at the tachometer, and I lose my desired altitude. Does anyone have any tips or is this something that is just fixed by flying more?
Click to expand...

Try not to fixate and relax your death grip on the yoke. I used to wander off 20 degrees while trying to locate traffic
 
AeroncaLamp said:
Hello All,
I've recently started flight training and one of the things my instructor has mentioned is that I become too fixated on a certain task even if for a moment such as looking at the tachometer, and I lose my desired altitude. Does anyone have any tips or is this something that is just fixed by flying more?
Click to expand...
Isn't being able to divide your attention a task in the ACS? Since you are VFR, try to get a rhythm going. Perhaps something like scan outside, scan outside, scan outside, scan outside, other stuff, scan outside, scan outside, etc.
 
Aviate
Navigate
Communicate

In that order
 
AeroncaLamp said:
Hello All,
I've recently started flight training and one of the things my instructor has mentioned is that I become too fixated on a certain task even if for a moment such as looking at the tachometer, and I lose my desired altitude. Does anyone have any tips or is this something that is just fixed by flying more?
Click to expand...

Used to do the same thing but mine was changing frequencies on the radio. Use the 2 second rule. If I have to change a frequency that isn't already in the stack, I change for 2 seconds, head back up and scan outside, scan instruments one more outside scan and then back to the radio, rinse and repeat as needed. My description sounds like it will take a longtime but it's actually seconds to do your scans.
 
You can get all of the information you need in two seconds. If you think that two seconds is a short time, please permit me to stick my finger in your eye and hold it there for two seconds.
Of all of the instruments on the panel, the tach is the least important. NHWannabe has the solution...first, figure out which instrument is most important for your current situation, then glance at it for no more than two seconds and get your eyes back outside. The altimeter's long hand should be at six o'clock if you are at a VFR altitude...you don't need to know the number, just that it points straight down; airspeed is hardly ever critical...Orville and Wilbur did not have an airspeed indicator. Finally, do not watch a needle move; note its position, look away from its instrument while applying the appropriate control pressure, then look back to see how close the needle is to where you want it to be. Extreme precision is not required for VFR.

What is left for a VFR pilot to obsess about? When I was giving primary training back in the day I often used stickies to cover up all of the instruments.

Bob Gardner
 
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You'll get better at it. I had the same fixation problem you had during my PPL training as well; I had to visually look at each instrument in order to determine what that part of the airplane was doing. Being a perfectionist (ie wanting every needle to be on the dot) only made it worse. By the time I was done staring at one instrument reading, at least two others would be jacked-up. "Look outside!" was the most common admonition I heard from my CFI.

If I could do it all over again, spending more time getting that sight-picture burned into my memory (by looking outside) and less on chasing needles would've saved me some money.

Eventually, I learned to use subtle changes in feel (engine noise, sound of the wind, accelerations, etc) to cue in on what the airplane was doing. I believe that part pretty much just comes with experience; you'll pick it up before you even know it.


P.S. If you aren't already, using the trim wheel really helps with holding altitude!
 
AeroncaLamp said:
Hello All,
I've recently started flight training and one of the things my instructor has mentioned is that I become too fixated on a certain task even if for a moment such as looking at the tachometer, and I lose my desired altitude. Does anyone have any tips or is this something that is just fixed by flying more?
Click to expand...
yes
 
NHWannabe said:
Used to do the same thing but mine was changing frequencies on the radio. Use the 2 second rule. If I have to change a frequency that isn't already in the stack, I change for 2 seconds, head back up and scan outside, scan instruments one more outside scan and then back to the radio, rinse and repeat as needed. My description sounds like it will take a longtime but it's actually seconds to do your scans.
Click to expand...
This.

I do the same but call it a 3-second rule. Whatever the number, the idea is to force yourself to return to the primary task of flying the airplane until it becomes more ingrained and natural.

Perhaps strangely, it also helps to loosen your grip on the yoke or let go completely while you do other tasks. Most of us have a tendency to unconsciously put pressure on the yoke when our attention is diverted. Well trimmed, an airplane is going to have a smaller change in altitude or direction when let go for 2-3 seconds than it will if we hold on, even in moderately turbulent conditions.
 
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AeroncaLamp said:
Hello All,
I've recently started flight training and one of the things my instructor has mentioned is that I become too fixated on a certain task even if for a moment such as looking at the tachometer, and I lose my desired altitude. Does anyone have any tips or is this something that is just fixed by flying more?
Click to expand...
I didn't mean to derail your thread early on with @WannFly's inability to maintain course :)

One thing that could help would be to chair fly in the plane when its not being rented and just work on your scan of the actual instruments. This should not cost you anything at the FBO. Maybe go and do this once or twice between lessons. Working on quickly scanning and then eyes back outside lining up the dash or a speck on the windshield with something outside. While you do this try to get a feel for how much your left hand is pushing/pulling/turning as you scan and return.

I can give an example I have yet to solve. The 182 has cowl flaps. Getting them all the way shut means pushing a lever down almost to the floor. And you have to push it a bit hard as they want to pop back open about 1/4 of the way. Now add that the panel in the 182 is tall. Every darn time I reach down to close the cowl flaps I catch myself turn the yoke slightly to the right and I think I push a bit on the yoke. That one is a bit more extreme than just scanning but its an example of my brain is still moving my left hand with everything else when it shouldn't.

Maybe your instructor could give you a scan order to work on as well.

Maybe someone here could recommend a good scan order for a PPL in training that also works well for instrument training?
 
Seems @Sinistar needs to trim for straight and level flight before reaching down for the cowl flaps.

Never was an issue in the Cardinal with the auto pilot coupled up.
 
Sinistar said:
I didn't mean to derail your thread early on with @WannFly's inability to maintain course :)

One thing that could help would be to chair fly in the plane when its not being rented and just work on your scan of the actual instruments. This should not cost you anything at the FBO. Maybe go and do this once or twice between lessons. Working on quickly scanning and then eyes back outside lining up the dash or a speck on the windshield with something outside. While you do this try to get a feel for how much your left hand is pushing/pulling/turning as you scan and return.

I can give an example I have yet to solve. The 182 has cowl flaps. Getting them all the way shut means pushing a lever down almost to the floor. And you have to push it a bit hard as they want to pop back open about 1/4 of the way. Now add that the panel in the 182 is tall. Every darn time I reach down to close the cowl flaps I catch myself turn the yoke slightly to the right and I think I push a bit on the yoke. That one is a bit more extreme than just scanning but its an example of my brain is still moving my left hand with everything else when it shouldn't.

Maybe your instructor could give you a scan order to work on as well.

Maybe someone here could recommend a good scan order for a PPL in training that also works well for instrument training?
Click to expand...

I do not believe that a VFR pilot should be concerned with an instrument scan. Visual meteorological conditions means fly the airplane using visual clues. An occasional glance at the altimeter and heading indicator to ensure being on altitude and heading is all that is required because it is impossible to gauge height or maintain a designated track visually. The three hours of flight training required by 61.109 are intended only to equip a VFR pilot with she skills necessary to avoid loss of control if s/he should inadvertently lose visual contact with the outside world, not to become faux instrument pilots.

For instrument students I recommend the selected radial scan, but that is a discussion for another day.

Bob Gardner
 
Humans can't multi-task, as our brains don't work like that - you "lose" some time in the mental transitioning from one task/observation to another. So reduce the number and frequency of tasks when VFR.

What you'll find is that you will eventually gather and process an input faster - like the above clue on looking at the altimeter "big hand", and moving on. It'll take a fraction of a second, cause you'll "know" where the instrument is, and know the position of the needle indicates a 500' interval. No "reading" required, unless it's a "tape" altimeter in a glass panel, which will slow you a bit, but not much.

I can't quote the source, but somewhere I heard your eyes should be outside 75% of the time when VFR. Shoot, in cruise, probably much more than that.
 
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