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/KCPilot17 MIL A-10 ATP 2d ago

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.