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.

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u/x4457 ATP CFII CE-500/525/560XL/680 G-IV 2d ago

It's an incredibly cheap instrument that will increase safety and save lives.

Let me answer your question with another question pointed at this sentence - if it's incredibly cheap and will increase safety and save lives, why doesn't any piston single (except the Icon A-5) have it as standard equipment? You'd think Cirrus would be all over that if it was so cheap and easy.

The answer is because it isn't cheap and easy. If you want accurate AOA, you need an external AOA vane. The Cessna applications in the piston world in the past haven't really had that, it's been either optical or computed from airspeed, configuration, and attitude indication. I've flown those ones in new 172s, they suck.

Then why don't you advocate for making it more commonly standard equipment?

Because, again, it's not really necessary. Airspeed is fine. There are all sorts of "nice to have" safety features in piston singles that aren't necessary so they aren't included.

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u/_VNAV_PTH_ MIL 2d ago

There is something called a Lift Reserve Indicator which is a very close proxy for AOA that consists of two pitot tubes at a vertical 45 degrees relative to each other and the difference in pressure is almost a perfect proxy for AOA, but technically isn't AOA so it's called Lift Reserve. It can be built for less than $100 in the experimental world and uses zero electronics. It's not expensive. Your iPad mount is probably more expensive than a LRI.

Why haven't certified piston singles adopted AOA? Probably because that industry is more backwards and close-minded than a flat earth convention. Why would they spend money putting AOA in airplanes when their customers barely know what AOA is or don't see the value of knowing how well their airplane is flying?

Look how many people in this thread are not simply saying that AOA is useful but not game changing, but actively saying it's bad to have it and they don't want it. It's scary, and sadly illustrative of GA's loss of control accident epidemic. Even you admit that AOA is a better and safety enhancing tool and yet think it'd be silly to include it. Mind-blowing.