Learning to capture sight picture is an important element for student pilots. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
Student pilots commonly struggle with cockpit distractions, making it crucial to develop "sight picture" by focusing primarily outside the aircraft for situational awareness.
Effective flying dictates spending 90 percent of flight time scanning outside for traffic, landmarks, and assessing aircraft attitude, with only 10 percent dedicated to quick instrument checks.
Developing an accurate "sight picture" is fundamental for judging climbs, descents, turns, and is especially critical during demanding phases like takeoffs and landings, with instructors guiding this essential skill.
To the student pilots out there: Show of hands—how many of you reading this wish you had a dollar for every time your CFI told you to look outside the cockpit? I’m willing to bet the flight instructors who read this are wishing they got a buck as well.
One of the first challenges a student pilot faces is getting your eyes outside the aircraft.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![Learning to capture sight picture is an important element for student pilots. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sight-Pic-1-Large.jpeg)
