Subscriber question:
"How can I train myself to hold altitude and heading without using the flight instruments?"
Spencer:
“Learning to fly by looking out the windshield is such a critical skill that the FAA specifically calls it out in Chapter 3 of the Airplane Flying Handbook, stating, “Approximately 90 percent of the pilot’s attention should be devoted to outside visual references and scanning for airborne traffic.”
To get better at this, establish level, trimmed cruise flight. Take note of where the cowling aligns with the horizon. Lock that image into your mind. This is your sight picture for straight-and-level.
Next, cover the attitude indicator and altimeter. Fly for 30 seconds, using only the visual cues outside the cockpit. The biggest tip? If the plane is properly trimmed, you shouldn’t need any elevator input – just the occasional aileron nudge to stay wings-level. Then peek under the covers to see how well you held heading and altitude.
Once you’re comfortable with level flight, move on to a cruise climb at 500 feet per minute. Again, take note of the cowling-to-horizon relationship. Capture that mental sight picture. Then do the same for a cruise descent.
Now, return to level flight and cover the attitude indicator, altimeter, and VSI. Start a climb at the climbing sight picture you just learned and hold it for 30 seconds. Then level off. When you uncover the instruments, your altimeter should read about 250 feet higher. Practice again, mixing some climbs with descents.
For turns, roll into a 30-degree bank and observe how the top of the cowling slices through the horizon. Identify where the horizon intersects the cowling. Maybe there’s a screw, a rivet, or a corner of a panel you can use as a visual marker.
Return to level flight and cover all the flight instruments. Pick a point 90 degrees to your right, like a cloud or landmark off the wingtip. Roll into your 30-degree bank and hold that cowling-to-horizon sight picture. Let the nose “sweep” across the horizon until you reach your new heading. Roll out and then check under the covers – you should be at the same altitude and roughly 90 degrees from where you started.
Keep practicing until it becomes second nature to fly by reference to the world outside the airplane. That builds the kind of visual awareness every pilot should have—and it’s the heart of real stick-and-rudder flying.”
