Scan Polishing

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Friday, January 21, 2022 at 11:46 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

View-limiting devices (hoods) can make instrument training more challenging than actual IFR or simulator conditions due to peripheral distractions and obstructed instrument views, which can surprisingly be beneficial for skill development.
The traditional teaching of personal minimums can be too rigid, as real-world scenarios sometimes require flexibility or exceeding them for advanced training, provided proper risk mitigation is in place.
The "dive and drive" non-precision approach is increasingly being replaced by approaches with vertical guidance, and descending below the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) too early, even with visual cues, presents significant dangers that require thorough risk mitigation.

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I read your article, “Polishing Your Scan: Our Top Five Tips” (December 2021), twice. As always, it was well-written and thoughtful. I have to say my experience with view-limiting devices seems to be the opposite of that suggested in the article. Compared to flying with a view-limiting device, I find it easier to maintain precise parameters when I’m actually in solid IFR or in a simulator/AATD with zero outside visibility. In solid weather, all of a pilot’s attention is on the instruments.

I’m a CFI-I and I’ve noticed that my instrument students also maintain better parameters in the zero-zero world of the AATD compared to flight with a view limiting device. Secondly, I find that the outside peripheral vision available with a view-limiting device is often a negative. It can be a distraction that degrades the instrument crosscheck somewhat similar to flying under a cloud deck with ragged bottoms.