Challenge
Instrument scan challenge
A mixed instrument scan route using current original heading, altitude, and aircraft-state interpretation tasks.
- Skill
- Instrument reading
- Duration
- 3 minutes
- Access
- Paid access
What it trains
- Heading
- Altitude
- Aircraft state interpretation
What the debrief covers
- Best instrument type
- Weakest instrument type
- Next instrument drill
How to approach it
- 1Use a consistent scan: start at the attitude indicator, move out to one instrument, then return to the centre.
- 2Read the value and then the trend: is the reading steady, rising or falling?
- 3Cross-check related instruments; a climb shows on both the altimeter and the vertical speed indicator.
Common mistakes
- Fixating on one instrument and missing a change elsewhere on the panel.
- Misreading the altimeter's thousands and hundreds when the needles are close together.