A&B patterns

S

Skyway

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know where I could please find a diagramed picture of some A&B patterns for an instrument student of mine. It has been a very long time since I have taught an instrument student, thanks.
 
Thanks, I appreciate the help, I have this instrument student that nobody else really wants to fly with because he has a hard time with situational awareness. I thought these excercises would help alittle. I like instructing but teaching instruments can be difficult sometimes, I don't want to give up but I really don't know what else to do.
 
Skyway, just a thought. If you have or can borrow a handheld GPS, have it in track capture mode when you do these and even regular approaches, so you can show the student what his flight path actually looked like and compare it to the pattern he was trying to achieve. That kind of visual feedback can make a real difference for some pilots.

(Obviously, this also where a training devise with track capture can also come in handy).
 
Thanks again for the advice, you guys really do have some great ideas, I never get this kind of feedeback at the flightschool from other instructors, I will see if I can get a hold of a handheld.:)
 
These pattern A and B work great in Simulators where you can track and print the progress path of the student. It shows them where they went wrong and why.

I don't know if you have any acess to such things, but its a good tool for instrument lessons.
 
Unfortunately, our flight school doesn't own any flight sim or training devices, so it can make teaching instruments kind of difficult without running the hobbs time up. I do use a Jeppessen based syllabus, but I am curious as to what other instrument instructors do during the holding pattern/approaches phase of training. It just seems that my methods aren't getting through to him, and I need to revise my ways of teaching, maybe spice things up alittle, what would ya'll do?
Part of the problem is even though I am a CFII,MEII I mostly teach private students all day long, and after I got my MEII I went straight to the regionals. I do not have alot of experience teaching instruments. I do find teaching instruments is alot more fun though.
 
The A/B Patterns work fine, but in my opinion you are better off making something up each time. If you draw out a new version (somewhat like an approach plate) each time, then they don't just memorize the pattern. Add in speed and altitude changes and give them their routing for that flight. This helps because they are having to multitask through each piece. You can also increase the difficulty level each time.

If you can't get a track capture device (I think the Iphone does it too) you could always file and ask for a block of airspace, then check flight aware. Or just draw out the track as you go. It doesn't have to be perfect, just show the mistakes. Take a copy of the one you gave them and overlay with a different color or something.

Just a few ideas.
 
cop
Skyway said:
Unfortunately, our flight school doesn't own any flight sim or training devices, so it can make teaching instruments kind of difficult without running the hobbs time up. I do use a Jeppessen based syllabus, but I am curious as to what other instrument instructors do during the holding pattern/approaches phase of training. It just seems that my methods aren't getting through to him, and I need to revise my ways of teaching, maybe spice things up alittle, what would ya'll do?
Part of the problem is even though I am a CFII,MEII I mostly teach private students all day long, and after I got my MEII I went straight to the regionals. I do not have alot of experience teaching instruments. I do find teaching instruments is alot more fun though.
Click to expand...


As far as the holding stuff. I plan a route on Victor Airways, and hold at each fix along the way. Come up with a variety and you can really hit everything.

I am based in Manassas and I will go KHEF ARSNL2.CSN V453 GVE V375 FLUKY KHEF. (you can look at it on skyvector.com if you really want too )
Then I hold at each of the VOR's one timed with assiged radial. One DME on a Victor Airway, I 'll break off and hold at the Nailer NDB (if Equipped), also hold at a fix on the airway and then vectors home. This gives quite a variety and makes them use their charts, copy a clearance, fly a departure procedure, etc.. I just do a few versions of this, and then throw in an approach, once they are proficient at the hilds and tracking. you can do some partial panel too.
 
Skyway said:
but I am curious as to what other instrument instructors do during the holding pattern/approaches phase of training.
Click to expand...

I use my laptop with a flight sim type program for the first 10 or so hours of training. We meet at Starbucks. By the time we get into the airplane, they know how to fly all the approaches. To practice some of the physical skills, rather than use the A&B patterns (which makes them memorize an arbitrary pattern), I use this:

ifr%20exercise.png


I just have them fly every leg, transitioning in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, performing the appropriate holding pattern or procedure turn.
 
As the student and now as the instructor, nothing makes me want to put a bullet in my brain like pattern A/B.
 
tgrayson said:
I use my laptop with a flight sim type program for the first 10 or so hours of training. We meet at Starbucks. By the time we get into the airplane, they know how to fly all the approaches. To practice some of the physical skills, rather than use the A&B patterns (which makes them memorize an arbitrary pattern), I use this:

ifr%20exercise.png


I just have them fly every leg, transitioning in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, performing the appropriate holding pattern or procedure turn.
Click to expand...
I like it :)
 
bLizZuE said:
As the student and now as the instructor, nothing makes me want to put a bullet in my brain like pattern A/B.
Click to expand...


+1. Why waste time with a pattern A&B? I never understood this, and my instructor never tought it either. Get them out in a real world scenario, have them fly an actual course reversal, a hold in liue of, and real holds on VOR's/ADF's. I think I can understand why a pattern A&B is tought, but I also think there are other ways to teach what is in the pattern, without mindless memorization.
 
I never teach the A&B patterns. I like Tgrayson's idea with that picture for course reversals and such. When it comes to holds I just make them up on the spot. I try and keep it simple and then later on start putting it all together. By that time the students enter the approach phase and only needs to know how to read the plates and execute the proper procedures.
 
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