Control Performance

Question 1

What is basic attitude instrument flying?

Answer 1

the control of an aircraft’s spatial position by

using instruments rather than outside visual references.

Question 2

Define control and performance

Answer 2

Aircraft performance is achieved by controlling the aircraft attitude and power
(AOA and thrust to drag) to produce the desired performance

Question 3

Three categories of instruments in control performance

Answer 3

The three general categories of instruments are control, performance, and navigation instruments

Question 4

Define control category and what instruments are involved

Answer 4

Display immediate attitude and power indications and are permit precise
adjustments
Control is determined by reference to the Attitude Indicator and Power Indicators

Question 5

Define performance category and what instruments are involved

Answer 5

Indicate the aircraft’s actual performance
Performance is determined by reference to the Altimeter (AI), Airspeed Indicator (ASI),
Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI), Heading Indicator (HI), and Turn Coordinator (TC)

Question 6

What is the navigation category and instruments involved

Answer 6

Indicate the position in relation to a selected NAVAID facility or fix
Determined by course indicators, range indicators, glide-slope indicators and bearing points

Question 7

What are the procedural steps in control performance

Answer 7

Establish
Trim
Crosscheck
Adjust

Question 8

Describe the established step

Answer 8

Establish an attitude / power setting on the control instruments which result in the desired performance
Known or computed attitude changes and approximate power settings will help reduce workload

Question 9

Describe the trim step

Answer 9

Trim until control pressures are neutralized.

This is essential for smooth, precise control and allows attention to be diverted elsewhere

Question 10

Describe the crosscheck step

Answer 10

Crosscheck the performance instruments to determine if the desired performance is being obtained
Involves seeing and interpreting
If a deviation is noted, determine the magnitude and direction of correction necessary

Question 11

Describe the adjust step

Answer 11

Adjust attitude and / or power setting on the control instruments as necessary

Question 12

What three controls are achieved when in the Establish procedural step?

Answer 12

Pitch Control
Bank Control
Power Control

Question 13

How do you achieve Pitch control?

Answer 13

Changes are made by changing the pitch attitude by precise amounts in relation to the horizon

Changes are measured in degrees or bar widths

The amount of deviation from that desired will determine the magnitude of correction

Question 14

How do you achieve bank control?

Answer 14

Changes are made by changing the bank attitude by precise amounts in relation to the bank scale

Normally use a bank angle which does not exceed 30o

Question 15

How do you achieve power control?

Answer 15

Made by throttle adjustments and reference to the power indicators

A small amount of attention is necessary to ensure the power setting remains constant

From experience, you know how far to move the throttles to change the power a given amount

Make power changes primarily by throttle movement and then crosscheck the indicators

DO NOT FIXATE on the indicators while setting the power

CE – Applying control inputs without reference to the AI

Question 16

How do you achieve trim control?

Answer 16

Trim the plane for hands off flight
CE – Not trimming or over / under controlling
CE – Trim frequently and in small amounts

Question 17

Why do we do an instrument crosscheck?

Answer 17

The pilot maintains an attitude by reference to instruments that will give the desired performance

It is impossible to establish an attitude and have performance remain constant for a long period of time

It is therefore necessary to constantly check the instruments and make appropriate changes

Question 18

What are the types of crosscheck

Answer 18

Select Radial Crosscheck
Inverted V crosscheck
Rectangular Crosscheck

Question 19

Describe the select radial crosscheck

Answer 19

Eyes never travel directly between the flight instruments, but move by way of the AI

Begin with the Attitude Indicator, scan an instrument and return to the AI before moving on to another

Question 20

Describe the inverted V crosscheck

Answer 20

Moving your eyes from the Attitude Indicator to the Turn Coordinator, up to the Attitude Indicator, to the Vertical Speed Indicator, and back to the Attitude Indicator

Question 21

Describe the rectangular crosscheck

Answer 21

Move your eyes across the top three instruments and drop down to scan the bottom three

This gives equal weight to each instrument, regardless of its importance to the maneuver

However, this method lengthens the time for your eyes to return to a maneuver’s critical instrument

Question 22

What are the crosscheck errors and descriptions

Answer 22

CE - FIXATION
Staring at a single instrument (Attitude Indicator is the most common)
This occurs for a variety of reasons and eliminates the crosscheck of other important instruments

CE - OMISSION
Omitting an instrument from the crosscheck
May be caused by failure to anticipate major instrument indications following attitude changes

CE – EMPHASIS
Putting emphasis on a single instrument, instead of the necessary combination of instruments
Chasing the VSI is common or emphasizing pitch or bank instruments. You may naturally tend to rely on the instrument most understood

Question 23

How do you “adjust”

Answer 23

Make the adjustments necessary in relation to the Attitude Indicator, then go through the process again

The amount of deviation from the desired performance will determine the amount of correction needed

Restrict the Attitude Indicator’s to 1 bar or ½ bar width up or down

Use a bank angle that approximates the degrees to turn, not to exceed 30o

CE – Incorrect interpretation of instruments and improper controls to correct
Example: Using the rudder to fix heading