AOA Recommendation

[z987k]

For not just flying the damn airplane. It's a very useful tool to have. But unless it's in your field of vision when you're making that steep descending turn, trying to spot the runway under the wing, it's useless.

But here comes the debate...

I would agree. If it's not heads up, it's worthless.

 

[MikeD]

For not just flying the damn airplane. It's a very useful tool to have. But unless it's in your field of vision when you're making that steep descending turn, trying to spot the runway under the wing, it's useless.

But here comes the debate...

Your indexer lights would be, normally atop the dash, so you look through them in some way when you're looking at the runway. The actual gauge that would on the panel, you wouldn't be using for pattern or landing.

 

[mshunter]

I would agree. If it's not heads up, it's worthless.

Gonna be hard to see the HUD when you're looking for the runway, getting slow, twisted like a pretzel looking for the runway, not looking out the front.

I'm all for it. But it shouldn't be a crutch to get slack on teaching basic flying skills.

Also, @MikeD

 

[MikeD]

Gonna be hard to see the HUD when you're looking for the runway, getting slow, twisted like a pretzel looking for the runway, not looking out the front.

I'm all for it. But it shouldn't be a crutch to get slack on teaching basic flying skills.

Also, @MikeD

Used to do it all the time. Easy enough crosscheck, no different than crosschecking any other instrument while rounding the 180 from a downwind to a final, except you're just crosschecking a colored light on an indexer, as opposed to interperting a number on an aispeed gauge or a HUD tape or such.

It's merely a reference. And should be used as such. It's not a replacement for basic flying skills if those don't already exist.

 

[Deleted member 27505]

Keep it simple, just don't suck at spelling: Angel should be a high number. Angle should be a low number.

 

[Hacker15e]

Gonna be hard to see the HUD when you're looking for the runway, getting slow, twisted like a pretzel looking for the runway, not looking out the front.

Guys do it all the time, every day, in airplanes that have AOA indexers and HUDs. Crosscheck is a skill.

It is even harder when you're pulling Gs and doing defensive BFM, and your jet's performance metric (e.g. how you know you're doing your max performance turn, which is what keeps you alive) is AOA.

This guy has a helmet mounted display for his weapons, but still has to occasionally crosscheck his HUD to monitor his altitude, airspeed, etc.

 

[bunk22]

Naval aviators use AOA for everything, it's a great device to have. Like above, it's a scan pattern, not difficult to develop. The basics of landing on an aircraft carrier are meatball, line-up and angle of attack. I will assure you that as far as landings go, landing on the boat is one of the more difficult things to do but isn't done without an AOA indicator. We flew AOA for everything, it works, it is an awesome piece of equipment that certainly should be implemented into more GA aircraft. It's not rocket science and can get you out of a bad situation...and into a bad one as well but that's what cross check is for.

 

[mshunter]

Used to do it all the time. Easy enough crosscheck, no different than crosschecking any other instrument while rounding the 180 from a downwind to a final, except you're just crosschecking a colored light on an indexer, as opposed to interperting a number on an aispeed gauge or a HUD tape or such.

It's merely a reference. And should be used as such. It's not a replacement for basic flying skills if those don't already exist.

Guys do it all the time, every day, in airplanes that have AOA indexers and HUDs. Crosscheck is a skill.

It is even harder when you're pulling Gs and doing defensive BFM, and your jet's performance metric (e.g. how you know you're doing your max performance turn, which is what keeps you alive) is AOA.

This guy has a helmet mounted display for his weapons, but still has to occasionally crosscheck his HUD to monitor his altitude, airspeed, etc.

I don't disagree with either of you. But many times when I was a CFI, teaching in glass panel aircraft, getting a student from other instructors, I'd have to turn everything off because the student had been taught to use all the "gee-whiz" stuff as a crutch. It's a great idea to put AOA into just about everything aviation. But it needs to be properly integrated, or nothing will change. It's not a cure all. It's another tool in the box.

 

[Flyinthrew]

I don't disagree with either of you. But many times when I was a CFI, teaching in glass panel aircraft, getting a student from other instructors, I'd have to turn everything off because the student had been taught to use all the "gee-whiz" stuff as a crutch. It's a great idea to put AOA into just about everything aviation. But it needs to be properly integrated, or nothing will change. It's not a cure all. It's another tool in the box.

You guys are all in violent agreement. @mshunter just wants to make sure we're not teaching guys to fixate on the gauge. Everybody else is saying don't let the scan break down. I'm a huge fan of AOA flying in most phases of flight.


I just don't understand the pretzel in the approach turn thing. The runway isn't going anywhere and you know which way the wind is blowing.