User Guide

Learning To Fly with Rod Machado
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These three steps are executed in sequence every time you make a major attitude change. For
instance, if you’re in straight-and-level flight and wish to enter a climb, that’s a major attitude
change. Transitioning from a straight climb to a climbing turn is also a major attitude change. Any
combination of the basic flight maneuvers involves a major attitude change. All three steps in
sequence should take approximately 15 to 20 seconds to complete. In this tutorial you’ll work on Step
one, followed by Step two and Step three in the next two tutorials. Master each step and you’ll master
flight by reference to instruments. Let’s get started.
From the Flights menu, click Select Flight, and then choose Tutorial 10, Situation 1.
The autopilot’s altitude hold mode is activated but the wing leveler is not. You’ll notice that the
airplane is paused in flight and you can’t see anything out the windscreen. Additionally, five of the six
main flight instruments are blackened out. No, this isn’t a simulation of a cheap, poorly maintained,
discounted airplane. I’ve designed this panel especially for you.
The Most Important Instrument
Step one of the instrument scan involves one of the most important instruments on the airplane—the
attitude indicator (called AI from now on). When you select the attitude in Step one, you are looking
at the AI and nothing else. You can afford to do this because the AI provides both pitch and bank
information. Other instruments in the group give you a form of either pitch or bank information, but
not both. This is why the AI is so valuable. Before you practice Step one, however, you need to
develop something known as a wing-leveling reflex.
A wing-leveling reflex is a skill necessary to help maintain any desired attitude. Maintaining a
specific attitude isn’t an easy thing to do. Pilots are often distracted from their scan, and turbulence
frequently perturbs the airplane—both of which may induce a bank, resulting in an unwanted turn.
Skilled pilots immediately correct this unwanted bank with their wing-leveling reflex. Without thinking
about it, they reflexively move the joystick and return the airplane to the desired attitude. Unless
you’ve practiced doing this, you’ll have to think about it before reacting. While a slow reflex may work
if you’re flying a blimp, it won’t work in an airplane.
Wing-Leveling Reflex
For now I want you to do nothing more than keep the wings level using the joystick. I’ve put a little
turbulence into this simulation to help disturb the airplane from straight flight. Oh, the pain! Keep the
wings level by moving the joystick to the right or left at the appropriate time. Don’t worry about the
airplane’s pitch and don’t correct for it. The autopilot will take care of that for now since the altitude
hold mode is active. Here’s what you’ll do.
1. Press P to activate the simulation.
2. Practice keeping the wings level with appropriate joystick movements.
Practice until you’re proficient, but stop before your hand feels like it’s ready to fall off.