I'm so glad that you clarified the "seat of the pants" comment. I see so many pilots out there talking about their ability to "feel" the plane. I think this is self-deception. We all think that we can "feel" the plane but that is only in visual conditions. So the "feel" is being supplemented by our other senses...primarily vision. Yeah, I can convince myself that I've got a good feel for my plane because (in VFR) I generally know when I'm climbing, descending and turning without referencing my instruments. One of the best lessons I got in initial training occurred when my CFI filed IFR and took us into actual IMC. He had me look out the window and then maneuvered the plane a bit. He then asked me what the attitude of the plane was. I felt for sure that we were turning to the left. On the contrary, we were in a turn to the right. Had I been required to rely on the "seat of my pants" I would have tightened the turn to the right to correct for what I felt was the left turn and likely ended up in a graveyard spiral. I never forgot that lesson and I am truly grateful for that demonstration.
I am halfway through commercial and I have been doing a lot of night flying. Several flights with no moon, over the desert west. There is nothing to see. Just black. The few random lights look like stars. It's kind of crazy that a pilot without an instrument rating can fly in that but isn't allowed to fly through a cloud. It takes a lot of discipline to ignore everything you feel and just make the lines and numbers on your panel do what they are supposed to.
I did that for my IRA and had smoke in the cockpit near HEC between Vegas and LA. Couldn't even turn off the electrical system because the wires had arc'd and fused behind the panel. Thankfully it didn't turn into a fire but man... not even being able to see the ground was the worst gut feeling. Only time I reconsidered being a pilot.
@@jmak40gangLearning how the national airspace system works is a fun subject to study, and is quite frankly, a little more involved than what can be covered in one video. Suffice it to say that the airspace system works pretty much just like the interstate highway system. Just like when one leaves one location in their car, to travel to another location, the airspace works the same way, except in three dimensions. The three-dimensional aspect of terminal (airport) airspace is often described as an upside-down wedding cake. A view of a cross section of typical major airport airspace will show how the analogy works. Understanding the differences between classes of airspace, what is controlled airspace versus uncontrolled airspace, special use airspace, and so on, is probably the most important, but also the most difficult to grasp. It’s a very dedicated ground school lesson. There are three different types of air traffic control facilities. Control towers (ATCT), terminal radar approach control facilities (TRACON), and air route traffic control centers (ARTCC). There are 22 ARTCCs in the United States. They control the virtual highways in the sky and provide lateral and altitude separation between airplanes in the system. Each center is broken up into sectors that control different areas of the center’s region. Each sector has a frequency for initial contact that is displayed within a small zipper-looking box on low and high altitude IFR charts. This is handy information to know when planning VFR cross country flights using flight following. Being able to anticipate frequency changes when passing through different sectors, means that you can already have the next frequency dialed in, prior to being instructed to change frequencies. It’s called, “staying ahead of the airplane.” I think that there’s only so much “free” instruction that can be gleaned from RUclips. Sooner or later, student pilots have no choice but to do “ground school.” They’re going to have to be “signed off” prior to taking the written exam anyway. I agree that understanding the ATC system can seem intimidating. Once you grasp the concept, it actually makes perfect sense. Hope that helps.
The black hole thing you mention turning towards water or empty desert is the same as inadvertent IMC. Good point about feeling the airplane VMC is much different than feeling our earth surface inner ear balance system. It is not the airplane, but what we used to call vertigo is the same. Yes, we have to trust and fly the instruments. And it is the transition that is so dangerous. All my 400 hours IMC were hand flying, but all had a student or second pilot as in the Huey. I can't say anything about autopilot flying as I have never flown with one, but the second pilot makes IMC hand flying almost twice as safe. We can overcome, with iterations of IMC, the situational awareness. We get quite comfortable with the correctness of the instruments. Vertigo, unwell feeling in stomach, we never out live. It comes with fatigue and general health issues. It comes seldom, but we will get sick if we continue serious instrument hand flying without a break when it comes. Taking turns is the safer way to fly. Confidence with the instruments works against us in our cars, however. We hit heavy snowfall on a night trip by car. I was getting vertigo and had to have my wife drive. Snow is the most disturbing weather condition because of the motion distraction. The exact hash line on the heading indicator functions like the centerline extended between our legs on short final. If we do not allow movement, the wing must be level. If we bank, the exact angle of the turn and bank needle (little airplane coordinator is less accurate) is a good clue along with the AH and DG speed of movement. Primary instruments was turn needle, ball, and airspeed in my day, but they changed the use and definitions over the years. The main thing is to keep your scan going and absorb all situational awareness possible. While slower and less accurate than other instruments, the AH or attitude indicator is the big picture. Tiny steps and precision are important, but we need to get the big picture right (generally.) Something you might cover, is digital indications vs analog. Since sensing trend is critical to instrument flying, we old guys are a little weak on numbers getting larger or smaller.
Am I the only one who isn’t having a problem hearing the audio? Here’s a thought, buy some better ear buds. I just retired from 35 years as an aircraft mechanic for a major airline. My hearing is fine, because I took care to protect it. Ever since Sony invented the Walkman, people have been pumping excessive noise directly into their ears. Hearing loss is irreversible. But it is preventable.
I'm so glad that you clarified the "seat of the pants" comment. I see so many pilots out there talking about their ability to "feel" the plane. I think this is self-deception. We all think that we can "feel" the plane but that is only in visual conditions. So the "feel" is being supplemented by our other senses...primarily vision. Yeah, I can convince myself that I've got a good feel for my plane because (in VFR) I generally know when I'm climbing, descending and turning without referencing my instruments. One of the best lessons I got in initial training occurred when my CFI filed IFR and took us into actual IMC. He had me look out the window and then maneuvered the plane a bit. He then asked me what the attitude of the plane was. I felt for sure that we were turning to the left. On the contrary, we were in a turn to the right. Had I been required to rely on the "seat of my pants" I would have tightened the turn to the right to correct for what I felt was the left turn and likely ended up in a graveyard spiral. I never forgot that lesson and I am truly grateful for that demonstration.
Been really enjoying your content man! Im not a pilot but I’ve been learning good information. Ik others thrive for this kind of stuff.
Thanks so much glad to have you here !
Dude!!! Your approaching Cindy Holman levels of info!!! Love it!! Thanks!
I appreciate that!
I am halfway through commercial and I have been doing a lot of night flying. Several flights with no moon, over the desert west. There is nothing to see. Just black. The few random lights look like stars. It's kind of crazy that a pilot without an instrument rating can fly in that but isn't allowed to fly through a cloud. It takes a lot of discipline to ignore everything you feel and just make the lines and numbers on your panel do what they are supposed to.
I did that for my IRA and had smoke in the cockpit near HEC between Vegas and LA. Couldn't even turn off the electrical system because the wires had arc'd and fused behind the panel. Thankfully it didn't turn into a fire but man... not even being able to see the ground was the worst gut feeling. Only time I reconsidered being a pilot.
Thanks Munden good stuff!
Any time!
could you do a video on airspace/ the national airspace system? seems such a daunting topic
Don’t feel like reading? 😂 there’s hundreds, his time is better served doing the exact content he’s been doing
@@jmax8692 sorry just a suggestion as i know alot of new pilots struggle with that, didnt know you were his advisor
@@jmak40gangLearning how the national airspace system works is a fun subject to study, and is quite frankly, a little more involved than what can be covered in one video. Suffice it to say that the airspace system works pretty much just like the interstate highway system. Just like when one leaves one location in their car, to travel to another location, the airspace works the same way, except in three dimensions.
The three-dimensional aspect of terminal (airport) airspace is often described as an upside-down wedding cake. A view of a cross section of typical major airport airspace will show how the analogy works. Understanding the differences between classes of airspace, what is controlled airspace versus uncontrolled airspace, special use airspace, and so on, is probably the most important, but also the most difficult to grasp. It’s a very dedicated ground school lesson.
There are three different types of air traffic control facilities. Control towers (ATCT), terminal radar approach control facilities (TRACON), and air route traffic control centers (ARTCC). There are 22 ARTCCs in the United States. They control the virtual highways in the sky and provide lateral and altitude separation between airplanes in the system. Each center is broken up into sectors that control different areas of the center’s region. Each sector has a frequency for initial contact that is displayed within a small zipper-looking box on low and high altitude IFR charts. This is handy information to know when planning VFR cross country flights using flight following. Being able to anticipate frequency changes when passing through different sectors, means that you can already have the next frequency dialed in, prior to being instructed to change frequencies. It’s called, “staying ahead of the airplane.”
I think that there’s only so much “free” instruction that can be gleaned from RUclips. Sooner or later, student pilots have no choice but to do “ground school.” They’re going to have to be “signed off” prior to taking the written exam anyway. I agree that understanding the ATC system can seem intimidating. Once you grasp the concept, it actually makes perfect sense. Hope that helps.
The black hole thing you mention turning towards water or empty desert is the same as inadvertent IMC. Good point about feeling the airplane VMC is much different than feeling our earth surface inner ear balance system. It is not the airplane, but what we used to call vertigo is the same. Yes, we have to trust and fly the instruments. And it is the transition that is so dangerous. All my 400 hours IMC were hand flying, but all had a student or second pilot as in the Huey. I can't say anything about autopilot flying as I have never flown with one, but the second pilot makes IMC hand flying almost twice as safe. We can overcome, with iterations of IMC, the situational awareness. We get quite comfortable with the correctness of the instruments. Vertigo, unwell feeling in stomach, we never out live. It comes with fatigue and general health issues. It comes seldom, but we will get sick if we continue serious instrument hand flying without a break when it comes. Taking turns is the safer way to fly. Confidence with the instruments works against us in our cars, however. We hit heavy snowfall on a night trip by car. I was getting vertigo and had to have my wife drive. Snow is the most disturbing weather condition because of the motion distraction.
The exact hash line on the heading indicator functions like the centerline extended between our legs on short final. If we do not allow movement, the wing must be level. If we bank, the exact angle of the turn and bank needle (little airplane coordinator is less accurate) is a good clue along with the AH and DG speed of movement. Primary instruments was turn needle, ball, and airspeed in my day, but they changed the use and definitions over the years. The main thing is to keep your scan going and absorb all situational awareness possible. While slower and less accurate than other instruments, the AH or attitude indicator is the big picture. Tiny steps and precision are important, but we need to get the big picture right (generally.)
Something you might cover, is digital indications vs analog. Since sensing trend is critical to instrument flying, we old guys are a little weak on numbers getting larger or smaller.
Strange that the attitude indicator isn't even on the list of primary pitch instruments. Am I missing something?
This reminds me of Atlas Air Flight 3591 sole cause of crash was pilot spatial disorientation / somatosensory hallucination.
He was just incompetent in general and had no business being behind the controls of a 767, let alone a glider.
Audio is really soft on this one chief
@@JoshSmeda I know, there’s nothing I can do about it until my new microphone comes this Wednesday.
@@CFIIMundenis the input turned up all the way?
@@CFIIMunden I like the content but impossible to hear. Glad the new mic is coming. Have a good one.
@@CFIIMunden What audio interface do you have? No mic gain setting on it?
Am I the only one who isn’t having a problem hearing the audio? Here’s a thought, buy some better ear buds. I just retired from 35 years as an aircraft mechanic for a major airline. My hearing is fine, because I took care to protect it. Ever since Sony invented the Walkman, people have been pumping excessive noise directly into their ears. Hearing loss is irreversible. But it is preventable.
Can you please obtain a better microphone
Yes, I’m getting a better one. It’s on the way.
Thanks Munden good stuff!