This tip on leveling off is excellent! You described exactly what I have been doing wrong, flown with several instructors and no one has said this. I'm going to put this into practice if the weather ever straightens out. Finally got my pp at 63 and working on my instrument.
APT -- AParTment. The apartment is UPSTAIRS. When leveling off at the apartment (cruise altitude) it's ATTITUDE, POWER, TRIM, in that order. Jason is 100% right. Students do this all the time. I find myself reminding them constantly.
Same. I was always thought to pull power, re-trim, and then do the rest of the cruise activities (lean mixture, aux. fuel pump off (if it’s not already, etc.). But I’ve experienced this phenomenon so good to know.
Good advice. I was taught, and passed onto my students, "pitch, power, trim." When I started flying the 35, I realized how helpful that is, because that thing climbs like a homesick angel. Taking off out of HPN you are pointed toward the ocean, and you have to take off, turn to your heading, hit your assigned attitude AND keep it at 200 knots...all at once. Getting the power under control is crucial, and that huge elevator surface requires trim all the time. So, by pushing the nose over in a 172 and relieving yoke pressure with the trim wheel, and reducing power a little, I was able to accelerate well and hit the number without a lot of extra work. My tip for IFR pilots is that if you don't do IFR frequently (like several times a week, in "actual") you should have someone along who can work the radio (and gear/flaps if equipped) and can take the yoke if you get a case of the Leans. Imagine.. if that doc who drilled it in a few days ago had another pilot with him, he would still be alive, and his 340 would still be in pristine condition. Always be safe and proficient. It is job one.
Good reminder on levelling off. I was always taught to go very positive on the controls and let the aircraft accelerate up cruise speed before trimming. Can always add a little gradually to reduce the pressure as you pick up speed. I only power back as I near my intended cruise...had some great instructors! Go up to the APT (attitude power trim) and down to PAT the dog (power attitude trim) Another awesome video!
I'm 3 lessons into instrument and I can vouch for the pulling on the yoke when looking down. I will practice letting go of the yoke on a look down (for the fuel selector). I have been making better use of flows, so I'm not sitting there with my finger ticking off the items on the checklist. It is a backup/double check for the flow now, so hopefully less look downs.
Great tips! On the last one, it might be driven by a lack of proper wind correction on the holding, but the tip applies for any intercept! Thanks, Jason!
It's controversial, as in I was taught to do this by one CFI and another said I should never do it, but I've found it useful when transitioning to level off to add a small amount of down trim at the start. This relieves some of the control pressure that begins building as the aircraft speeds up to cruise, and makes it easier to stay within 50 ft of the target altitude. Then once cruise is achieved (and power reduced), adjust trim as necessary for the final speed. Works for me, anyway.
(1) Whoa... that's what I was taught, level off with power and now that I'm out of practice (instrument) that happens a lot VFR. (2) I really, really try hard not to look down, ever, not even VFR. But it's a great tip and reinforcement. (3) Great tip!
another good tip to simplify and reduce workload, you are navigating with GPS so fly ground track. now you can forget about wind because your ground track is not affected by wind
#1 THANK YOU! so much this. When I took on two PPL’s they both pulled power and I asked them why. They said their former instructor taught them that. They also took 5min to finally trim and level off the plane. I Demo’d. they replicated. Problem solved. It’s a real pet peeve of mine
Pitch, Power, Trim...it is what I was taught, and what I teach now. It takes some time to get that cadence down (a couple of hundred hours for a slow learner like me :) ), but best thing ever. Had not ever thought about, or been taught the idea of looking down can cause a turn even though I know we turn to where we look. The obvious "doh" moment for me -- of course spatial disorientation. Thanks for sharing this video
1 and 2 are just as important to VFR as to IFR. DEFINITELY going to pay attention to these, especially the first one! Thanks for all the great content, I've learned a lot from you, just need to get a grip on timing my flare!
We always taught levelling off right from the get-go, but it was ATTITUDE PERFORMANCE POWER TRIM, so you know when to reduce power as you reach the expected airspeed in level flight. This is just one of many important items that, when done correctly, makes flying so easy, thus allowing the pilot to concentrate more on situational awareness in all its forms.
Three very good points Jason. I was taught to level off leaving the power on until you get your cruise speed before bringing back the power & then trimming. The turn thing i think we have all done that,i know i have.
I just started on instrument and wasn’t expecting to have issues leveling off because I had been doing exactly this while flying VFR. What I didn’t realize is that I was using (probably as I should) the horizon for cues on my climbing and overall attitude. Well, you can’t do that with foggles on. I couldn’t figure out why I was struggling to hold altitude all of a sudden, then my instructor figured out that I was largely ignoring my attitude indicator. Once he had me focus on using the attitude indicator to find and hold an appropriate degree of pitch, my altitude holding improved instantly.
It’s not only looking down that will cause a lot of corrections. If you’ve never flown that particular airplane, if you concentrate on your altitude, or even if you are fiddling with the NAV system to try to get something set up. The airplane will always wander away from its heading altitude which most of the time causes fixation of trying to correct one of the problems while exacerbating the other. I have learned to basically learn what power setting I need, what pitch I need and to anticipate what the aircraft is doing for the effect of wind. If you are a renter it is a good idea to make sure that all systems are working before you takeoff. There’s nothing like trying to shoot a VOR/DME approach and find out the DME is not working or the clock on the panel won’t switch to stopwatch mode. I even had a plane where the GPS had no approaches for the airport that actually has 5 separate approaches. Not only was the GPS out of date(legal for practice in VFR) but the was obviously no card in the data port. I was told this aircraft was the starship for IFR training!
Great video, I’m about to pick up my instrument training this week after a few years break due to life throwing curve balls. Some great tips here and I appreciate it!!!
i still remember taking dual in Aeronca Champ in 1957 out of a Rocky Mt. NC airport. Instructor was always very clear about APT and PAT sequence for any change in climb/descent/level flight. He seemed to have an excellent grasp of aerodynamics and the physics (forces/accelerations/rates) involved in flight. Having been a motorcycle rider for most of the last 50 of my 86 years, I wholeheartedly agree with the point about being careful to keep your line of sight aimed toward your destination - Bad things happen if you don't.
I watched this some time ago and put it to practice when flying. Levelled off then reduce power, maybe trim. Did well, but on a cross country flight, levelled off at 3500, all is well then couple of minutes later back up to 4000ft. Thermals, bloody thermals. I was continuously levelling off and fighting the thermals.
Unfortunately, the technique of leveling off for cruise is something that is not properly taught during ppl training. I believe it is because there are not a whole lot of times where you are actively cruising during private training and those concepts are neglected. With that being said, I too struggled with that and it started to hurt me when it came to IFR training. It honestly took until stage III of instrument training to be properly taught the the technique of “pitch down and power through 100kts, then pull your power”. Ever since then I have become a leveling off pro! Great video!
Michael, Way back post training I had a simmilar issue; probable cause - just not enough practice in the basic training. I independently worked on the issue, and can 100% vouch for Jason's tips,, that is the Finest solution!
As an instructor, I have seen my IFR students have the most success with suction cup mounted iPads that keep their scan near their instruments. This way they're not looking down at their kneeboard.
What is that "kneeboard" setup at 4:40? It looks very low tech but very practical. Is that a standard clipboard with a velcro board to mount the iPad, and the checklist is sandwiched between?
Does the American training syllabus teach P.A.S.T for climb initiation and A.S.P.T. to level off in a climb? Power Attitude Speed Trim to enter the climb and Attitude Speed Power Trim to level off. Addresses #1 at rhe primacy opportunity.
If you move your head your vestibular system gets disturbed.. And a disturbed "sensor" won't pick up on you inadvertently initiating the turn.. Because the fluid is already moving.. it won't register the additional motion.
About leveling off - they say, power for altitude, pitch for speed. If you find you're climbing after pulling the power to level off, you didn't pull enough power. The plane will fly just fine at climb speed, but it will not be very efficient. If you pitch for faster speed and don't adjust the power, you will start to climb again, as you described. Unless I totally misunderstood...
Jason is the CFI, but what works for me is pushing forward when you hit cruise altitude, letting airspeed increase to close to cruise speed, setting the cruise power, then trimming out the forward pressure. And just to be safe, checking the altitude again after the airspeed is at cruise change, adjust trim again if you need to, then don't think about trim again until you have to do a descent or whatever maneuver might require a trim change.
Using power to level off is by far the worst technique I’ve seen. It lacks all finesse and basic flying technique. Here in Australia the most commonly thought way to level off is by using the pneumonic ASPT: Attitude - set the straight and level attitude for the aircraft (~1/3 ground in the windscreen, or 0° pitch for IFR); Speed - wait for speed to increase to or close to the cruise speed; Power - set the cruise power configuration; Trim - trim off the control forces. Regardless of whether your flying VFR or IFR, this basic procedure will practically ensure that the aircraft is is in a stable configuration. A common fault is setting power before the desired speed is reached. By allowing speed to increase, you’re essentially allowing the aircraft to get up on the “plane” (like a boat). I’d be curious to hear the thoughts of others, or even your own, Jason. Cheers!
"let go of your grip" if you are holding on to the yolk with 2 hands you're doing it wrong. and if you have a "grip" on the yolk you are doing it wrong too. you lightly hold the yolk with a few fingers, you are not flying an Extra.
"Let go of the Death Grip! " , my instructor would shout 😄 Hold the yoke the same way you would hold a hot tea cup. It's a 3 finger affair. Benefits are twofold : 1) It alleviates the urge to overcontrol 2) Teaches you how to use trim properly
Few ways to combat spatial disorientation is to move your eyes first before your head. Also, watch out for the leans and coriolis effect when getting vectors. If you encounter spatial D communicate with the other crew member or ATC. Rely on your instruments. Great video!
Is your daughter excited about flying? Or is she just happy because she's spending time with you? Understandably, she's a pre-teen, so it's all very subjective.
