"Roger Long" om wrote in
message ...
[...] I asked the question in the Pilot
Techniques Forum at Cessna Pilots Association where I spend a lot of time
and the unanimous position there backed up my view point. Interesting
cultural difference. A fellow who teaches seminars for advanced pilots
said, "Relying on the sight picture ONLY and not glancing at the airspeed
has resulted in many a flatlander stalling on final at a high altitude
airport. Airspeed, airspeed, airspeed."

No one here is proposing one rely ONLY on the sight picture. I made it very
clear that one needs to pay attention to the other sensory input. In
particular, engine and airstream noise along with control feel are very
important and clear indications of airspeed. If all else fails, you have a
stall warning indicator (on any reasonably "modern" airplane), but it really
shouldn't get that far.

The sight picture is useful only for airplane attitude information and for
that, is only completely accurate in unaccelerated flight (though it's still
useful in accelerated flight).

I am always amused when someone takes a debate from one forum, claims to
have posed it in another forum and then comes back and says "well, at least
*those* guys agree 100% with me". It is almost never the case that a) the
nature of the debate was actually conveyed accurately, and b) that the
support in the other forum is as unanimous as claimed (unless the
information posed in the other forum was SO skewed as to be absurdly and
obviously wrong).

Steve's post also demonstrates a sad misinterpretation of the debate at
hand. He's obviously a bit touchy about the subject and is taking things
personally. No one is claiming that he isn't a good pilot just because he
wants to use "new-fangled" inventions, nor is this debate anything like the
"tricycle vs conventional" stuffed-shirt crap. He's getting his ego bent
out of shape for no reason at all.

No one is suggesting that aircraft instruments should be ignored. But to
claim that during VFR flight, the aircraft's instruments deserve anywhere
close to 50% of your attention is just plain absurd. Yes, pilots need to
"divide their time properly to looking at the panel and out the window".
But "divide their time properly" means the vast majority of time is spent
looking OUTSIDE. And those instruments are NOT the primary reference for
maneuvering, not even close.

Pete