|
Description
A designated pilot examiner I once knew had a favorite instrument checkride question that went, "If you had to descend out of the clouds using nothing but the compass, what heading should you fly?" While the right answer should include, "The heading not occupied by mountains," he was looking for "South," the theory being that the compass will be over-sensitive on a south heading and immediately show any change from wings-level.
I tried it once--with a safety pilot in VMC, mind you--using the whiskey compass in a Stinson 108. It worked, although it took a bit of mental gymnastics to figure out which rudder pedal to lean on since the whiskey compass swings opposite to the direction of turn. It became quite clear that beyond a moderate bank angle--or if pitch got out of bounds--that Stinson (and its occupants) would have met a sorry end.
Gotta Have Gauges
It doesn't matter how good you are on the gauges. Attempting to fly IMC without pitch and bank information from some source is a short-lived experience. But how much information do you need?
Let's start working backwards. Obviously a working attitude indicator... |
More articles from IFR
Five-headed departure: there are actually five kinds of departure airs..., October 01, 2007
Beachfront beacon: NDBs may seem passe, but the accomplished pilot sti..., October 01, 2007
On the air., October 01, 2007
Looking for additional articles?
Click here
to search our database of over 3 million articles.
|
%20%20&position=1)