58 SEPTEMBER 2019 ÇPlane&Pilot
stationary airliner and bounced off the nosewheel tires.
The driver had been creeping along the centerline of the
runway, attempting to locate the immobile airplane, and
couldn’t see the huge shape in the fog. The dual nose tires
were sitting precisely astraddle the runway centerline.
Do you suppose that captain learned how to make
a precision approach to a blind landing on that fate-
ful morning? No. He trained for it constantly, seeking
perfection in the simulator and actual flight, just in
case such skill would be needed someday. He may have
been out of options, but he wasn’t out of luck. He made
his own luck.USE IT OR LOSE IT
Manual flying isn’t a lost art unless we let it be. To keep
sharp, we need to stay in practice, and that means
flying more than occasionally in order to maintain
predictable performance. My habit is to hand-fly the
aircraft unless workload dictates otherwise. I need
the practice, and staying in actual touch with the air-
plane allows a bonding that wouldn’t
occur otherwise. That’s not to say I
won’t use the autopilot in appropri-
ate situations—it’s a tool but only a
tool, not a replacement for the human
element. Certainly, the automation
should be employed when one has to
divert attention to look up information
or enter data. If the METAR is sitting
at minimums, it makes sense to use
every bit of capability, including flying
a coupled approach.
Even when flying on autopilot, we
can improve our precision flying abil-
ity by paying close attention to the
autopilot’s actions. Take note of how
it anticipates a course interception
by small, early increments of control,
avoiding an overshoot; so should we
when it’s our turn to fly. A smooth
altitude capture isn’t a matter of driving the aircraft up
or down to a number and grabbing hold of it. Instead,
the autopilot is aware of the closure rate, modifies pitch
attitude accordingly, and stops gently in level flight, on
target. There’s a lesson there for each of us if we want
to be a precision pilot.
How can you tell if your skills need honing? There
are lots of ways, but a sure sign is chasing the instru-
ment indications instead of anticipating them. When
observing pilots doing recurrent training, I often see
jerky movements rather than fluid control use. I advise
the struggling pilot to use half as much input, starting
earlier, and to apply a scan pattern of the sources of
information on the panel, rather than fixating too long
on one indication.
Instead of turning control over to the autopilot, youcan instead fly manually in flight director mode, though
you need to remember to keep your scan sharp, cross-
checking the rest of the displayed indications and not
hyperforcusing on the flight director. As with all auto-
mation, the pilot has to remain in charge of setting up
the guidance, so the flight director’s attitude cues will
be leading him or her right where the aircraft should
go. As with fully automated flight, small, incremental,
anticipatory control input is the key to precise results.
The pilot’s muscles are simply replacing the servos of
the autopilot.NO SUCH THING AS NON-PRECISION
I’ve never cared for the term “non-precision approach.”
Any approach to a landing, whether it’s done in the
clear or with electronic guidance, should be conducted
with precision. Without enhanced electronic vertical
and lateral guidance, we’ll simply execute the descent
in a stabilized manner, setting up the aircraft to reach
certain targets at key positions, ones that ensure a stress-
free landing. Even if you do get clear of
clouds and spot the airport from 10
miles out, don’t let that get in the way
of your quest for precision. If you suc-
cessfully fly the altitude and airspeed
targets, you’ll be assured a properly
aligned, stabilized final approach. And
while you’re at it, remember that zero-
zero landing story. Practice when the
weather’s fine, so the habit is formed
for when it’s not so fine.
Not all flying is by reference to
charts. For example, getting the aircraft
to the runway without a programmed
arrival path seems to be a lost piece of
creative flying. Any good pilot must be
capable of keeping the airplane under
smooth, precise control simply by
watching the landscape and applying
knowledge of the environment around
the airport. It’s at this time that basic pitch and power
criteria have to be drawn upon from prior practice; in
approach configuration, a certain amount of thrust
and a certain attitude will produce the level flight or
constant descent that is needed. One cannot seek out
these parameters on the fly, so to speak. They need to
be developed and stored in advance of need, not when
you’re twisting and turning on a visual arrival.
At the foundation of precision flying are these basic
pitch-and-power settings, applied to configurations like
initial climb, cruise climb, low-speed and high-speed
level flight, descent and approach. Knowing what power
setting is needed to hold level flight or achieve a crossing
altitude gives a familiar starting point, from which one
can modify technique slightly for turbulence or wind
shear conditions. But if you don’t know the basic settings,"I’ve never cared
for the term 'non-
precision approach.'
Any approach to a
landing, whether it’s
done in the clear
or with electronic
guidance, should
be conducted
with precision.”