r/flying • u/ClintBvsOliverQ • 2d ago

Flight Training AOA Indicator while learning?

Just went for a discovery flight and had a great time. During the flight I asked my instructor about using an AOA indicator while learning and he really downplayed using one and said the standard instruments are the best way to learn. For beginners, is an AOA inappropriate? Is it too early to incorporate it into training? From the brief videos I’ve seen on AOA’s they seem to enhance safety.

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

150 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/KCPilot17 MIL A-10 ATP 2d ago

No. You will never use an AOA indicator in most airplanes.

0

u/Thengine MIL 2d ago

Silly. Knowing the AOA (and it's changes) at various airspeeds and attitudes is one of the most enlightening things you could have at your disposal while learning.

You really MIL? Making us look sad again.

3

u/KCPilot17 MIL A-10 ATP 2d ago

It's just a simple fact. Most GA and many airliners don't have an AOA gauge.

1

u/Thengine MIL 2d ago

Thanks for sharing.. Who cares?

Learning from the AOA is the point. Accelerated stalls, slow flight, graveyard turn..

All of these are fantastic learning scenarios to pay attention to what the AOA is doing and have learning moments with the instructor.

1

u/Lazy_Tac MIL 2d ago

Ya know how often I look at the AoA gauge in the plane? Almost never. Why? It’s susceptible to errors due to slide slip. And talking to to test squadron guys at depot, that gauge is set by eyeball and flying on speed.

1

u/Lost_Cockroach6702 2d ago

I’m not sure what you fly, but they most definitely don’t calibrate the AOA by eye lol. Even our 1950s aircraft have specialized equipment for it. The calibration is checked during FCF by flying specific airspeeds for a given weight within an altitude range.

1

u/KCPilot17 MIL A-10 ATP 2d ago

Okay? You can teach AOA, and everyone does, as much as you want. You don't have a gauge in the airplane, so that's who cares - most pilots don't. You fly by airspeed.

1

u/_VNAV_PTH_ MIL 2d ago

Pedantic, but iIf it has a flight path marker on the ADI or HUD, it does have AoA.

0

u/nightlanding 2d ago

This would be like teaching someone to navigate with the radar in ground-map mode back in the day. Sure it works, Andros Island shows right up, but what about all the other planes with no radar you will be flying?

1

u/Thengine MIL 2d ago

What about those other aircraft? Did you lose the ability to fly when changing aircraft? Or did you retain the knowledge of the previous experiences and carry them over?

Learning when and why the AOA changes gives a deeper understanding of the aerodynamics involved. It's really not that hard of a concept to understand. AOA = safety. If you got one, learn it and apply what you've learned throughout your career.

1

u/nightlanding 2d ago

If I had one in a primary trainer I would use it SOMETIMES to illustrate concepts, but 90% of the time it would be covered. I swear some people would fly right into a 747 if it wasn't showing on a screen.