Flight by Reference to Instruments (Instrument Rating – Airplane, Area of Operation VI)
Flight by Reference to Instruments (Area of Operation VI)
This domain tests whether you can control the airplane and stay within ACS tolerances with nothing but the panel: straight-and-level flight, constant-airspeed climbs and descents, turns, unusual attitude recovery, and partial-panel flying after a vacuum or gyro failure.
Scan and the pitch/power relationship
Use a cross-check centered on the attitude indicator, with quick, small eye movements to the airspeed, altimeter, heading indicator, and VSI; never fixate on one instrument. Pitch plus power equals performance: set pitch, then power, then trim. In a climb, raise the nose and add power; in a descent, reduce power and hold enough back pressure to keep airspeed from running away.
Turns and the magnetic compass
Standard rate is 3° per second, so a 90° turn takes 30 seconds at a bank of roughly TAS/10 + 5 degrees. Lead the rollout by about half the bank angle. The compass is reliable only in level, unaccelerated flight: ANDS (accelerate north, decelerate south) and UNOS (undershoot north, overshoot south), with turning errors worst on north/south headings and acceleration errors worst on east/west headings.
Worked example
Climbing at 500 fpm to 5,000 ft. The altimeter and VSI lag, so begin leveling off at 4,950 ft - 10% of the climb rate. As you lower the nose, add cruise power and trim; airspeed then accelerates, so let it stabilize before fine-tuning power. Waiting for the altimeter to read 5,000 before reducing pitch overshoots the altitude by roughly 50–100 ft.
Partial panel and unusual attitudes
After a vacuum failure you lose the attitude and heading indicators; fly the turn coordinator, airspeed, altimeter, VSI, and compass, using timed standard-rate turns. Nose-low with airspeed increasing: reduce power, level the wings on the turn coordinator, then raise the pitch smoothly without pulling into the buffet. Nose-high with airspeed decaying: lower the nose first, then add power.
Traps that cost marks
Chasing the altimeter instead of holding an attitude; rolling into turns on the compass; overbanking in partial panel; forgetting to lead the level-off; and adding power before lowering the nose in a nose-high recovery.