Organizational Skills Required During Instrument Flight

wrote:
What methods do you deploy? How many folks use a kneeboard? What
kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where do
you put it?


I've got a kneeboard that I bolted an analog stopwatch to (on the clip). As for
pens, I carry a couple in my shirt pocket, and about a half dozen more in my
flight case. For night flights, I keep a mini maglite in my shirt pocket... the
one that takes the AAA batteries.... as I can hold it in my mouth if need be
until I have something better worked out. Two additional lights in the flight
case.

As for clearances, I write the original one. After that I usually just go by
memory unless there's a multipart change or I'm in an unfamiliar area where I
don't know where places are without resorting to a chart. But I seldom write
down a frequency, heading or altitude change. I can keep them in my head.

Flip flop radios are particularly handy for frequency changes: old frequency on
one side, new on the other. If nobody's at home on the new, just flip it back
to the old.

I keep my flight case between the seats or on the unoccupied front seat if I'm
alone.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

wrote:
How about flashlights attached to your head? Or your headset? I
tried one of the LED "headlights", but it gave me a headache after
awhile. It was sure was convenient though! Does anyone use the neck
lights, seatbelt lights, ballcap lights, and even tongue switch lights
they advertise in Sportys and Spruce?


While I like the idea of a flashlight on a headband of some sort, it interferes
with my headset. So I use the 2 cell AAA mini maglite as my first line of
defense. It's clipped to my shirt pocket.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

On Feb 18, 9:33 pm, (Dane Spearing) wrote:
First and most important rule: Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)! The more complex
of an organizational method you have, the more likely it is to fail.

I do use a kneeboard, with a pen holder on it. On the kneeboard is some
scratch paper, and usually the enroute chart I'm using at the moment.
I have a digital kitchen timer on the yoke for timing approaches along with
a simple clip below it for holding the approach plate in use. That way,
I don't have to divert my eyes too far from my scan when checking the
approach plate.

Do I write down every single clearance? No. Not if it's simple, like
"turn left to heading 270, descend and maintain 5,000". I also don't usually
write down approach clearances because you usually know what approach
they're going to give you ahead of time, and the last thing I want do to
during the approach phase of flight is take my attention away from the panel.
That said, sometimes those approach clearances can get fairly complex and it
may be worth jotting down the pertinent info.

For departure clearances, I have a sheet of blank paper on which I write
"CRAFTS" vertically along the left side for "Clearance, Route, Altitude,
Frequency, Transponder, Special" that I can fill in when given my clearance.

Keep your cockpit clutter to a minimum, and keep things as simple
as possible. The purpose of cockpit organization is so that you can
focus on the important things, like flying the airplane.

-- Dane

In article . com,

wrote:
What methods do you deploy? How many folks use a kneeboard? What
kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where do
you put it? Where do you keep the charts, approach plates, and
scratch paper? How many people write down every clearance, heading,
altitude and frequency change? How do you keep from dropping your pen
(or pencil)? Is it on a string? Where do you put in when not in
use? Velcro? Your pocket?

I've read the books, but I just wonder how people cope in real life.
Rod Machado talks about using a clipboard (with extra clips on the 3
other sides) in his excellent training manual. This seems like a good
idea to me.

Steve
PP ASEL
Instrument student

I had an excellent instructor tell me about the CRAFTS acronym almost
5 years ago, but I had forgotten all about it! Ethyl was in her 80's
and flew during WWII with the WASPs. She had both airplane and
helicopter instrument instructor ratings. She must not have weighed
more than 90 lbs, and had to sit on a pillow to see out. But she
would smack you on the right leg if you weren't using enough rudder!
In her day she taught most of the pilots in our town how to fly, but
Lord help you if you were on her bad side!

She finally retired about 2 years ago, and moved out of town with her
daughter. We miss her.

I agree with KISS principle. I'm hearing a lot of good ideas here.
My trouble for now is when I put on the IQ reducer (a.k.a. foggles) my
short term memory (and long term, and computing ability) tends to go
south, so if I don't write everything down I start doubting myself
halfway through that turn or altitude change (did he say a heading of
240 or 250?). I like the idea of using bugs and unused navigation
equipment to note the numbers.

Thanks!

On Feb 18, 9:42 pm, C J Campbell
wrote:
On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:33:49 -0800, wrote
(in article . com):

What methods do you deploy? How many folks use a kneeboard? What
kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where do
you put it? Where do you keep the charts, approach plates, and
scratch paper? How many people write down every clearance, heading,
altitude and frequency change? How do you keep from dropping your pen
(or pencil)? Is it on a string? Where do you put in when not in
use? Velcro? Your pocket?

I've read the books, but I just wonder how people cope in real life.
Rod Machado talks about using a clipboard (with extra clips on the 3
other sides) in his excellent training manual. This seems like a good
idea to me.

Sure it is. Lots of pilots use the clipboard with great success.

Personally, I just put everything into a 3 ring binder in the order that I
will use it. The binder has a clip on it to hold the approach plate. I do not
use a kneeboard. I use the clock in the airplane for a timer. If things are
not in use they go in the pocket behind the right seat. I put approach plate
binders, en route charts, etc. usually on the floor between the seats.

I do not write everything down. Instead I use bugs to remind me of things if
I need it. I write down my initial clearance and sometimes the clearance for
approach if it is complicated. Otherwise, I have better things to do than to
stick my head down in the cockpit. What I do write down goes on a small
spiral notepad that fits in my pocket.

My ideal flying togs would have pencil holders on the shirt sleeve, like AF
flight suits have.

I always enlist the aid of the right seat passenger to help with paper
handling. It helps to keep them from getting board during the flight.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On Feb 18, 9:46 pm, Roy Smith wrote:
wrote:
What methods do you deploy? How many folks use a kneeboard? What
kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where do
you put it? Where do you keep the charts, approach plates, and
scratch paper? How many people write down every clearance, heading,
altitude and frequency change? How do you keep from dropping your pen
(or pencil)? Is it on a string? Where do you put in when not in
use? Velcro? Your pocket?

In real life, I use the other seat as my desk. If somebody is sitting on
my desk, they get to hold charts, hand me things, etc. If I'm flying solo,
my flight bag goes on the seat with everything I need in it. That
generally means sectional or en-route chart, one or more book of approach
plates (I use the bound NOS books), and a small spiral notebook which I use
for copying clearances, and as a rough logbook. You can never have enough
pens, and at night, you can never have enough flashlights (I'm partial to
the 2-AA MiniMaglight.

The kneeboard thing might make sense in a single-seat fighter, but I don't
fly single-seat fighters.

I used to have nice little Radio Shack timers that I would velcro to the
yoke. Now, I suppose I've gotten lazy and/or spoiled, but I've got
count-down timers built into the GPS I use, but most of the time I don't
even use a timer, since the GPS tells you when you're at the MAP, and draws
you a picture of every hold and procedure turn that you can just follow the
purple line. If I really do want to time a minute, I usually find the
easiest thing to do is glance at my watch, and just keep going until the
same number of seconds is showing in the display as the first time. Does
any of that meet some PTS-inspired concept of best practices? I have no
idea, but it's what I do in real life and it seems to work.

Charts (be they a sectional or an en-route) tend to get wedged into a
corner of the windshield.

I write down my initial clearance, and any re-routes I get in the air.
Assigned headings just get dialed right into the heading bug (whether I'm
using the AP or not). For altitude assignements, I'll generally just turn
the #2 OBS to it (i.e. for "climb and maintain 5000", I'll twist the OBS to
050).

I also use the right seat for my desk flying VFR (when not occupied),
but I'm not sure the examiner will want to hold my paperwork for me.
Once I get past that daunting hurdle, I will enlist my passengers as
paperwork holders / runway lights caller outers / and plane spotters.

Thanks

On Feb 18, 9:48 pm, "Tony" wrote:
I use a spiral bound notebook, 5.5 by about 8 inches -- it's easy to
tuck a pencil in the spring. WX info on the top of the sheet, flight
plan under that, clearance under that. Ilist frequencies in a column
down the extreme right hand edge, fixes with eta, ata, and time over
destination down the left hand side. Clearance modifications are
recorded as they are given, and approach details make it easy to refer
to. You won't find yourself wondering if you were cleared to 3000 or
2000 if you see a down arrow and 3000 written there.

The notebook has a rubber band around it, that holds maps, calculators
and so on. You simply don't need to have a lot of paper active in the
cockpit, this system is a reasonable starting place for you to develop
your own way of doing it.

The neat thing is each notebook sheet records the details of a flight
much better than your log book entry will, and a full notebook, with
its 60 pages, can hold easily a hundred flights. I use the back pages
for FSS phone numbers, flight plan forms, that sort of thing.

No kneeboards for me, at least half my flights are business related
and I don't want my suit pants to look like I had something strapped
to the leg.

Try it even VFR, it works just as well, and you'll notice how easy it
is to take notes and the like. You'll probably organize the pad
differently than I do, but once you decide on how you want to record
things, do it that way all of the time, it will, I promise you, make
things a lot easier as you gain experience.

Figure out a better way and then tell us about it!

wrote:
What methods do you deploy? How many folks use a kneeboard? What
kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where do
you put it? Where do you keep the charts, approach plates, and
scratch paper? How many people write down every clearance, heading,
altitude and frequency change? How do you keep from dropping your pen
(or pencil)? Is it on a string? Where do you put in when not in
use? Velcro? Your pocket?

I've read the books, but I just wonder how people cope in real life.
Rod Machado talks about using a clipboard (with extra clips on the 3
other sides) in his excellent training manual. This seems like a good
idea to me.

Steve
PP ASEL
Instrument student

I like the idea of a spiral notebook! Not only do you get rid of the
loose sheets, you have a built in pencil holder. I'm not sure I
understand how you use a rubber band to hold maps, calculators, etc.
while you are using it. Do you only use one page for each flight and
just open it to that page, or is the rubber band just used for
transporting the accessories to the plane?

On Feb 18, 11:41 pm, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN"
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote:
wrote:
What methods do you deploy? How many folks use a kneeboard? What
kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where do
you put it?

I've got a kneeboard that I bolted an analog stopwatch to (on the clip).

I've been thinking about using an analog stopwatch, rather than the
digital models. I sure like an analog watch better, and it seems
like it would easier to note the passage of one minute using this
device. Do they still sell them?


As for clearances, I write the original one. After that I usually just go by
memory unless there's a multipart change or I'm in an unfamiliar area where I
don't know where places are without resorting to a chart. But I seldom write
down a frequency, heading or altitude change. I can keep them in my head.


Not me, at least not reliably. I hope that I get smarter and can
devote more brain cell cycles to short term memory once I get better
at flying the plane by reference to instruments! In the mean time
it's safer for me to write everything down. These responses are
giving me hope that this won't always be the case!

Flip flop radios are particularly handy for frequency changes: old frequency on
one side, new on the other. If nobody's at home on the new, just flip it back
to the old.

Unfortunately, not with KX-170B's. :-(

I keep my flight case between the seats or on the unoccupied front seat if I'm
alone.

Not much room between the seats in a Warrior or Dakota. I'll have to
settle for the lap of my passenger (or instructor, but probably not
the examiner).


--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

wrote in message
oups.com...


Not me, at least not reliably. I hope that I get smarter and can
devote more brain cell cycles to short term memory once I get better
at flying the plane by reference to instruments! In the mean time
it's safer for me to write everything down. These responses are
giving me hope that this won't always be the case!


The more you fly the more you will come to anticipate what to expect. That
makes remembering things far easier than when you are a student. This
change is akin to learning a new language. As a native English speaker I
don't have to decode every utterance of someone and match it up with the one
right word in an English dictionary. Once you engage in conversation you
will take special note of the important words with meaning. If you were to
try to have the same conversation in another language you would have to
devote vast mental energy to every syllable and try to rapidly assemble the
collection of syllables into words as you scrambled to remember the English
meaning of those sounds. That would be a lot of hard work for anyone doing
the same thing. Most of the problem you are is having to rapidly recognize
and decode unusual items with almost no ability to anticipate what is coming
next.

--

Scott

How many folks use a kneeboard?

I do. Zuluworks Zuluboard with binder rings, so that approach plates go
in there, too. I take them out to the yoke clip when I know which one I
need. I put STARs, Approaches and SIDs in one plastic pocket each. The
Zulupad form is nicely tailored too IFR flying, too.

What kind of timer (analog or digital stopwatch) do you use, and where
do you put it?

The ASA stopwatch. I know, it's expensive and kitchen timers do the
trick. But I use the ASA timer for holds, approaches, fuel tank
switching and getting "the time" both in Zulu and local. All that in one
gimmick - that's worth the money to me. It goes on the velcro top of the
ASA yoke clip I use. It does cover part of the panel, but one can easily
work around it.

Where do you keep the charts, approach plates, and
scratch paper?

Kneeboard and the side pocket in our plane, right by the knee. That's
where the laminated checklists go, too. I clip them to the yoke until
take-off, because that's when there is much to read.

How many people write down every clearance, heading,
altitude and frequency change?

Full clearances, yes. Headings, altitudes, transponder codes and freqs,
no, unless they are part of a clearance I'm writing down anyway (CRAFT
is a nice acronym for that: Clearance limit, Route, Altitude, Freq,
Transponder). But we have a transponder with buttons.

How do you keep from dropping your pen
(or pencil)? Is it on a string? Where do you put in when not in
use? Velcro? Your pocket?

The Zuluboards have these nice big pen holder pockets. Really neat, they
work well in turbulence. For dropping protection, I have several pens in
those pockets.

One thing I haven't figured out yet is where to put the handheld backup
GPS (we have a Garmin 430 in the plane). I would NEVER fly without at
least a handheld GPS in IMC (if there is none in the panel - if there
is, I still like the backup). The cost of that safety device has become
trivial, with the Lowrance Airmap 500 or 600c. One can put it on the
yoke, and I would if it were my primary GPS, to have it in the scan. But
in my set-up, it then gets obscured by anything on the yoke clip.


--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

How about flashlights attached to your head? Or your headset?


I've got one attaching to the headset, tinted green. Priceless! It was
called Navihawk or some such, but I think they have gone out of
business.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)