CFIIs: How Do You Teach Task Management

While browsing another thread, I realized a problem with instrument students like myself, that when I start briefing an IAP, reading a chart, or playing with the GPS, I lose my scan and have to make small corrections to get back on track.

So, how do you like to teach task management in the cockpit? Is it a matter of knowing how to brief an approach/read a chart to get the information you need to keep your eyes on the instruments? Is it knowledge of how to use your GPS/nav equipment so you are not fumbling with it?

trim the airplane before you begin everything else.

One of the greatest issues I've seen is pilots flying the airplane with a death grip and not trimming. If you are not looking at the instruments there is little point in holding the yoke/stick and doing so with anything other than fingertips leads to heading and/or altitude excursions.

also, after trimming, lighten up your grip on the control yoke so you're not unknowingly yanking on it. Once trimmed, most airplanes aren't going to wander off course or altitude very much on their own in only 5 or 6 seconds while you're setting a radio or talking to approach.

edit: Blackhawk beat me to it.

flyguy and I briefly discussed this. One issue is people losing their scan when reading a chart, tuning frequencies etc. It's a type of fixation, but definitely in the wrong place.

As I mentioned in another thread, I teach a 3-second/1-second rule. No more than 3 seconds away from the flight instruments when en route and no more than 1 second when on the approach, even if it means going back and forth one number at a time when changing a frequency or GPS waypoint.

The other one is, when returning to the instruments, to go immediately to the attitude indicator.. Lost vacuum/partial panel issues aside, that't the first place you will see whether you are in the correct attitude.

I don't only teach it for instrument flight. Getting back to the big attitude indicator (a/k/a "window") after no more than 3 seconds is just as important when visual.

One of the things I have learned is that knowing how to brief an approach right and knowing how to use my nav equipment has helped, down to knowing how many clicks it will take to get to the next frequency assigned. I am starting to realize these little habits are helping me out. I had a friend tell me as soon as I hear my tail number during en route, immediately put your hand on the knob to change frequencies and start changing while reading back the next freq.

As far as trim, I agree with all of you on that.

Not a good idea with certain radios- like the old Cessna/ARC radios. Had a guy tell me once that the old Cessna radios were worth a lot more for the gold they had in their circuit boards than they were as radios

True, I was referring mostly to a GNS 430/530 and other newer dual comms.

One thing I get my students to do is look charts, checklists, IAPs holding them right next to the instruments, that way they are not looking down to their kneeboard. This helps a lot, especially with checklists and briefings. Their eyes only need to move a few inches to get right back onto their scan, and they can still complete tasks really quickly and efficiently. Also, +1 for the trim. That makes a huge difference.

Give them a lot of things to do, and giggle as it falls apart. They usually figure it out.

Do a few flights without the hood on in VMC....

Departures, Arrivals, Approaches, Vectors, Holds, etc... It gets them to relax, they can see the speed at which things REALLY happen, so there's no need to rush. I found that sometimes it helps if the student can VISUALLY put themselves into the system. Setting up approaches in the GPS, tuning the radios, getting out charts will all become second nature much sooner. Using the autopilot can help too, but its better to have them hand flying if this is early on in their training. Watching a student fall apart under the hood is not teaching, because the learning actually stopped a long time before that.

TwoTwo - excellent suggestion. It's also a way to limit the tendency to overcontrol. When you can SEE that only small corrections are necessary, it's easier to bring that into your non-visual flight on the gauges.

I emphasize that the brief is part of the scan. Just as you don't focus on one instrument for a period of time, don't focus on the brief solely. Small corrections will be necessary, but if you brief a couple items, look up and give the panel a scan, then continue.

"3-second rule, subpart A"

Thanks for the help guys, well see if the man likes it next week.

This, but first thing first.

You do not set up your cockpit while doing the approach briefing. Use the chart to set up everything how you'll like it. You do not hit a single button during the approach brief. SECOND, It is briefed in parts: freq, plan, profile, mins, missed. Third, you do NOT read THE ENTIRE CHART! You read it out how you are going to fly it. I don't care about the other IAF, I don't care about the glideslope if we're doing LOC. I don't care about the MAP for jets. Read it how you will fly it.

Ex:
We'll be flying the GPS 35L into Grand Forks international today. SCAN. GPS1 is set up for the GPS35L and is currently tracking us to the (IAF). We have Approach in Com1, Tower in Com1 stby, and ground in com2. SCAN. Once we cross (IAF) we can expect to be at 3500 and turn on course, 259 deg to (FIX). After arriving at (FIX) we'll be going to 2000 and tracking to (FIX) on 349 deg. Once we cross (FIX) we will have the gear down, flaps standby and 90 knots. SCAN. As we are tracking to RW35L we will make our descent to be at 1250' by 1.0 dme as read on GPS1. If we don't have the runway in sight by .5 dme, we will execute a missed approach. SCAN. We will take the gps out of obs mode and track our course to (FIX) climbing to 3000 feet. Once there we will hold with 5nm legs with an inbound course of 170. I expect a parallel entry. Any questions?

This walks them through what they will do, lets the SIC know what their plan is so the SIC can support and remind the PIC. The pilot should have a general idea of what they will do before you takeoff. At least for the first 5-6 lessons. They setup the cockpit how they need, they brief the approach as to how they will do it, and this gives them 2 chances to think through the approach before they fly it. The briefing is the check and balance to their setup to ensure everything is right. If they are programming things while briefing, they are doing it wrong and need to execute a hold to get some time to focus.

It is always better and faster to take your time and do it right the first time, then to rush it, mess up and do it twice. No joke, I have been in a hold for 20 minutes while a student sets up the approach, and more than a few 15min holds on stage checks where students are trying to grasp what is next. They are new, they don't have 200 approaches under their belt and sometimes they just need that time. I have never had a single student unsat for taking too long to set the approach up, but I have unsat plenty of students that rushed through and either went way past full scale or blew through their minimums. Let them learn.

The only thing I disagree with is I do like to initially have the pilot use the autopilot without hood while doing intial approaches. I believe pilots should be taught how to use autopilots (if installed), and think the initial approaches are a good to to show them how autopilots handle approaches.
Also I try to introduce cockpit management lesson #1. When we do BI (I am a firm believer in getting BI nailed before moving on), I have them run their checklists- climb, cruise, in range, etc. During BI I will have the pilot do things such as reprogram the GPS, get something out of the bag in the back, file a PIREP with a FSS. Things he might do during an instrument flight. I have them fly patterns- google A, B instrument pattern- and I'll have them brief it. Just some ideas.

Sorry, BI? Basic Instrument?

Also, yes, autopilot is ok, but I really find that people fall back on it too fast. I've always taught instrument in aircraft without autopilots and when pilots get one they really go to town on it. So I do teach Basic instrument, then approaches, without autopilot. When they get to multi-engine single engine approaches under the hood I noticed a difference between autopilot primary and secondary students. The secondary ones tended to do better. Then again, personal preference.

Experience has shown me that the autopilot is a tool that must be learned like anything else, and it is a tool that can save a pilot in a pinch. Yes, some pilots turn into "autopilot junkies", but that does not mean one should ignore it. I remember one pilot who I was training for a 709 ride- he got overwhelmed in a situation with PHX approach. I asked him why he did not just turn on his autopilot and take a deep breath. He responded he was never taught to use it. JFK Jr. would be here today if the CFI who checked him out had bothered to show him how to use an autopilot. Personally I think that CFI should have gotten a 709 ride.
Introducing an autopilot late in instrument training makes it an afterthought and often pilots don't get to learn the strengths and weaknesses. I kind of find the argument to be similar to those who say you can't teach stick and rudder in a glass cockpit, or those who say stick and rudder can't be taught in scenarios. It's not an either or situation. Teaching the autopilot from day one gives the instrument student a grasp of what it can do, but it does not mean they only learn to fly with the autopilot. They must be able to do both... and IAW the PTS they must fly an approach with the autopilot if the airplane has one.

Agree. Also, when used properly, the autopilot can be used as an effective aide to learning basic attitude flying-the student can see the size of the corrections used by the autopilot to follow a course. They can also learn from the autopilot when it does not work well-such as the needle chasing that your average KrAP140 does in the last 200' of an ILS.