I fly by feel. I orient myself visually, either looking out the window or
looking
at the instruments. I navigate visually. But I FLY by feel.

How many seconds can you fly by feel before you get into trouble.

Initially we were talking about instrument flight. Somehow, several posts
upstream this got conflated into instrument flight after a vacuum failure --
a completely different kettle of fish.

IMHO (and this from a 1300-hour VFR pilot and aircraft owner who stopped
just short of taking the IFR flight test in '02) MX's assertions regarding
ignoring physical sensations mesh perfectly with everything I've been taught
about instrument flight. You MUST ignore what your inner ear is telling
you and pay strict and sole attention to your instruments, or you've got 153
seconds (or whatever the time was) before you auger in.

This point is supported by every written text on instrument flight I've
read, and by every CFII I've flown with. I can't argue that certain
sensations help to confirm what's happening during certain phases of
instrument flight -- but to state that you don't place absolute trust in
your instruments in IMC does the students on this group a disservice.

Now, of course, if you want to talk about flying by the seat of your pants
after your vacuum pump goes T.U. in IMC, well, that's another thread.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"