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While performing the instrument cross checks…

Asked by: 2100 views Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Instrument Rating, Student Pilot

Hello everyone,

When performing a Radial Cross Check on instruments, is there any order you need go from AI and scan first?

 

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1 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Sep 29, 2016

    Not really. There are multiple ways to scan. You can Google and find references to the radial scan (which goes by a bunch of different names), T-Scan, inverted V scan, different scans for different flight attitudes, etc. Then, there are personalized variations on those themes.

    IMO, one is not inherently superior to the other,s although one may work better for some people than the others. The important things to me are:

    1. You need to understand each instrument, what it is telling you, and its limitations.

    2. The scan involves a cross-check of more than one instrument providing the same information. That’s to detect instrument errors and resolve discrepancies.

    3. The scan is sustainable for those days you need to be on the gauges for a long time.

    4. The technique you use is consistent so it doesn’t break down under pressure.

    #3 and 4 are really the same. When you learn a scan technique, it may be difficult and tiring at first. But the goal is to practice enough that it becomes natural and you use it without thinking.

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