I have done this to all my students prior to solo. Almost every time,
their speed control improves by not chasing the airspeed indicator. It
is a great confidence booster for the student and instructor. At
least you know your student is not going to panic if it happens in real
life. With all the bugs in summer, it does happen from time to time in
real life.


Al wrote:
"Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote in message
. ..

"Shawn" sdotherecurry@bresnannextdotnet wrote in message
. ..
Robert Bruce wrote:
It might an old message, but I ran across it and would
encourage instructors and those who haven't to at least
experience two flights with no reference to instruments,
at least to pattern altitude. Learn to use the wind
noise and pitch attitude on a glider you know well.
One of the more rewarding aspects of glider flight
is getting away from the knobs and dials and reading
the winds, feeling the thermals in your butt, etc.
Even in the most advanced sailplanes. It also makes
one a better pilot and more confident. When I have
a student that is at the last stage before solo and
they appear to be having trouble with the landing,
most of the time it is instrument fixation, and these
flights right before solo are perfect for zero instruments.
They can do it and it's a great confidence builder.
You'll be in the back seat keeping a watchful eye
as the instructor pilot.

there have been many off field landings and off the
end of the pavement landings that likely could have
been avoided if this 'oneness' with the aircraft were
stressed more in our training. I believe the SSF does
support this position and use of 'instrument failure'
as part of the teaching syllabus. They have a fine
web site very useful to CFIs anywhere.

Why not begin instruction with both ASI and Alt. covered, until final
prep for solo? If the ship has instruments in the back for the
instructor, to meet the minimum equipment list, I don't see a down-side.
No crutchs, no bad habits.
Thoughts?

Shawn

I've done this more and more lately. With the insutrments covered,
students don't have anything to look at inside the cockpit so they look
outside - at things like pitch attitude, bank, other traffic and their
position relative to the gliderport. I suggest they gently raise the nose
until the glider shakes and makes funney noises and then lower it a little
until it flies smoothly. Maneuvers are made at this pitch attitude.

Stalls are just learning to recognize the shakes and funny noises and then
that if the nose is raised further, the glider will get really unhappy and
drop the nose and maybe a wing.

Landings are just lowering the nose a little from the min sink speed to
make the glider a bit noisier at the IP and fly the pattern holding this
noise level while constantly watching the angle to the runway. On final,
they just fly the same noisey airspeed right down to a foot above the
runway, level off with their eyes on the far end of the runway and wait
patiently until the glider lands itself.

Beginning students almost always do better with instruments covered. I
don't remove my Sporty's instrument covers from the airspeed and altimeter
until prepping the student for the checkride. By then they regard
instruments as interesting amd maybe even useful but by no means
neccessary for safe flight.

If I get a student from another school who is having problems, the first
thing is to pull out the Sporty's instrument covers. More often than not,
this cures the problem - neither the other instructor or the student
realized the problem was tunnel vision on the airspeed indicator.

Bill Daniels

Bill, by doing this you drastically improve the quality and confidence
of the pilots you graduate. As a 30 year CFI, I've gotten a few pilots with
this type of training, and I've gotten a lot of them that have not yet
received it, then it becomes my job. The ones that get this early invariably
do better, from 150's to Learjets, and particularly when we get to
instrument flying. They transfer that "outside" attitude inside. I am
convinced that this is one of the best "gifts" you can give your students.
May they pass it on.

Al G CFIAMI 2069297