Cessna 172 pilots...i need some tips?

Question

Hi,

I just started my flight training...now I am practicing straight level flight, descending and climbing with my instructor.

I don`t find it hard, but I look at the instruments too much. I know I should look outside of the cockipit 90% of the time in VFR flying, but I keep looking at the instruments.

I also keep climbing and banking in straight level flight. I can`t tell if I am banking by looking on the artificial horizon, because the angle is too small...but my instructor sure notices it all the time. I don`t have this problem when I make turns, I never lose altitude...but I keep gaining altitude in level flight. It is a small pitch, but after some time it the altitude gain becomes significant.What can I do to minimize these errors?

I know I cannot be a perfect pilot after 2 hours of training, but I want to do my best.

Any tips?

Any tips regarding climbing and descending are also welcome.

Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

It sounds like you need to work on pitching the aircraft a little better, But than again Im not there so I can not tell you for sure. If your wondering what the problems you are have are, Just simply ask your instructor. He or she will be glad to tell you i bet. And the advice is way more acurate than that on Yahoo! answers. Dont be discuraged your only a beginer it sounds like your doing fantastic! Email me if you need any questions or just want someone to talk about avation with. I dont bite.... [e-mail]

Answer 2

Flea is 100% right. I teach my students the same: proper trim & light control pressure.

Answer 3

If you drape a shop rag over the instrument panel you'll be forced to use outside references. After 5 or 10 minutes of straight and level and a few turns, take away the rag. You'll find that your speed and altitude will have changed very little, if at all. Try it sometime. It works.

Answer 4

Hello , I had the exact problems you mentioned when I started , my eyes were glued to the Instruments , I hoped my instructor would look out for traffic ;) . Trim was something I knew about but did not use for the first couple of lessons , resulting in exhaustion from constantly applying very stiff and uncomfortable control pressure. Eventually , your body will become accustom to flight and you will actually feel the small differences in bank , or climb/descends.

My suggestions would be don't play with the throttle all the time , you will need to re-trim more often , leave it at a constant power setting , trim the aircraft to level flight and apply minute control pressure. Try to "feel" the changes in attitude instead of being glued to the Instruments , but do occasionally refer back to them , happy flying.

Answer 5

A new pilot tends to grip the wheel/stick way to tightly and is unable to feel the small pressures needed to fly correctly. Also most pilots do not use the trim tabs enough.. When your in straight level flight Trim the aircraft.... I teach my students to set up straight level  by flying with their thumb and 1st finger on their left hand & trim off the pressure. That way the aircraft flys itself with only occasional adjustments.

Answer 6

i had that problem...i usually felt if i was going up or down...so just try to feel it

Answer 7

For your experience, you are doing great. Just relax and see the change come over your flying.

When flying VFR, the horizon should be your reference at all times.  At your cruise speed, with wings level, check your nose relative to the horizon. Keep it there and trim off any pressure you may be holding. Relax your hands on the controls. The minute pitch changes are probably being induced by your tension. Use instruments only as a quick reference to confirm all is well, but stick to the horizon as a reference.

With a bit more experience you will come out of all these 'teething troubles' and start enjoying your flying.

Happy landings.

Answer 8

Start with straight and level flight by using the instruments, just like you always do...

Then take a look outside of the aircraft and see what your nose looks like, in relation to the horizon, then remember that picture.  

That should help significantly with the straight and level flight.  

You still need to scan the instruments, but if you keep the nose at a certain spot on the horizon, you will get the same results for the same configuration, almost every time.

Same with the wings... they will each be the same distance from the horizon when in straight and level flight.    Just check the wings every now and again, and you will quickly see any small bank that you were not able to 'feel'.

Listening to the engine, and air passing the aircraft helps as well.   It should remain constant.   If it gets louder, or quieter, you know a change has occured.

Now, as far as these constant changes, or banks, or loss/gain of altitude, that is absolutely normal.  That's actually why we scan our instruments all of the time.    The important thing is that you identify them and correct for them before he has to point them out.  

I would say, as a start, look at the nose and wings, and see how they look, in comparison to the horizon, and fly them.  

This also works at most stages of flight.  Descents, climbs, turns... steep turns...In fact, when I am doing a steep turn, I consider the nose to be my 'primary instrument' for altitude.   It works that well.

It's important not to forget the importance of the instrument scan, but using outside information (the aircraft's 'parts' in relationship to the horizon line) will make a world of difference.

Answer 9

Issa,

Stay calm and don't worry.  Everyone has this problem to some extent.  You'll get there soon enough.  Meanwhile, it's the instructor's job to point out the problems so you can learn.  

First thing - Make sure your seat is adjusted properly fore/aft and for height.  You'll probably have to try a few different positions until you find what's right for you.  But the most important way to tell matches up with what comes next.

Second thing - Trim the controls to as near zero pressure as you can.  When you don't have it trimmed right or the seat is in the wrong place you end up pushing / pulling the controls all through the flight.  That makes it easy for you to stray off altitude.

Third thing - Review the part about right rudder during a climb and left rudder during a descent.  If you don't keep the ball centered you'll tend to roll a bit as the airplane seeks to balance the yaw.

Fourth thing - You have to look at the instruments part of the time.  Develop a scan the includes inside and outside.  You can't be looking outside all the time unless you don't mind the occasional fuel starvation or engine overheating.  Once you become more familiar with flying and instruments you'll be able to take in the instrument information more quickly.  It will come to you.

Fifth thing - When you find a comfortable position for your seat and have the airplane nice and level spend some time noticing where the horizon hits the glare shield and the windshield posts on both sides for the windshield.  Knowing where the horizon is supposed to be in relation to the airplane enables you to look outside and know your aircraft's attitude without spending so much time looking at the instruments to verify everything is going right.  You will also be able to practice this during climb out and descent to landing, though the position of the horizon relative to parts of the airplane will be different in the different phases of flight.

Sixth thing - Ask your instructor about all of these things.  It's why you call him an instructor.  He's there to help.

Seventh thing - Stop worrying.  You're doing fine for two hours.

Answer 10

It sounds like you have a combination of problems, which is typical for someone who is just getting started. Congratulations to you for trying to work on these issues when you're not in a plane though. That's the way to get the most out of the time you have in the plane.

First of all, the artificial horizon, as you noted, is not the right instrument for correcting slight bank. If the ball is in the center, the rate of turn indicator and heading indicator are what you want to use for that.

But that's really besides the point. Your problem is not so much that you're looking at the instruments too much (if you were, you'd be flying well, just into any other planes out there). The problem is that you fixate on a single thing, perhaps thinking you will get it 'just right'. This causes you to lose the big picture.

Fortunately, in VFR flight, you do have one instrument that can give you pretty much the whole big picture in one glance, and that's the window. Look out it. Glance at the VSI, and if it says you're in level flight, burn the horizon position into your brain. When you're heading the right way, find something ahead of you and keep flying towards it.

One thing that may help a lot is if you remember that you are using the instruments just to get a visual reference. You need the instruments to get you straight and level so you can burn what that looks like into your brain and match it visually. You need the instruments to see if your heading is right so you can find a visual reference to fly towards.

To catch banking in level flight, fly towards something. To catch gradual climbing, glance at your altimeter and VSI from time to time. And *always* trim. Keep a loose grip on the yoke, and trim the plane all the time. If you are pulling with 10 pounds of force, you won't notice if you increase to 11 or drop to 9. But if you are pulling with a half an ounce, you'll notice a pound.

If you find you're overcorrecting, let go of the controls (not literally, just remove all input forces). Since you trimmed the plane (right?) and the 172 is a very gentle and stable aircraft, it will return to straight and level flight all by itself.

Good luck, and don't expect to master everything all at once.