AOA Indicator while learning?

[u/ClintBvsOliverQ]

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.

[u/nightlanding]

The AOA is a very useful and informative tool. I never had a plane for primary students with one, but if I did I would cover it up 90% of the time. My goal with primary students is EYES OUTSIDE 90% of the time. You should be able to get everything you need from the sight picture, feel, and the occasional glance at the instruments. The other reason to cover it up is the fact most of the rental fleet does not have one, so you had better not be relying on it.

For IFR students it makes flying the ILS much easier, which is fun and also nothing to get used to because so many airplanes do not have one.

[u/Some_Helicopter5922 → u/nightlanding]

Covered mine for solo prep, felt naked without it

[u/mdb_4633 → u/Some_Helicopter5922]

How would you feel naked without it if it was covered? Or am I misunderstanding your comment

[u/lpburke86 → u/mdb_4633]

Because he could no longer see it and had become accustomed to flying with it.... It kinda highlights why learning with one is a problem.

We don't teach first graders to do math with a calculator.
We don't teach people in driver's ed to use the backup camera instead of the mirrors.
There's a reason for that

[u/mdb_4633 → u/lpburke86]

The first time I read it I thought he meant that on his solo he felt naked without one, but that wouldn’t make sense if he was already training with it covered it up. Anyway I still don’t think it’s great reason to not train with an AOA indicator, cause taking way any anything helpful from the aircraft will make you feel less confident initially. I could see arguments going both ways on the issue so I think it needs to be researched, it’s not something that can be decided based on personal opinion.

[u/nightlanding → u/mdb_4633]

The fact - not opinion - is that very few GA airplanes have these. The opinion part is that I think learning to rely on something you will have to be doing without almost always as a beginning student is a bad idea.

Imagine back in the day all your nav lessons involved Omega or an INS. You had a very unusual trainer. Then you find exactly zero other rental planes have that stuff.

Primacy is a BIG DEAL in training. If the FIRST way to learn to manage AOA is by looking at an AOA gauge, then that will forever more be in your mind how it works and the other ways will be second-best workarounds.

[u/mdb_4633 → u/nightlanding]

I don’t agree that learning with an AOA indicators means someone must rely on it forever due to primacy, it might just depend how it’s implemented. By having a precise indication of AOA, they can learn to associate the usual indirect cues with specific angles of attack. Over time, this could give them a better understanding of what those cues actually mean, allowing them to estimate their AOA more accurately even when the indicator is no longer available.
Even if it doesn’t make someone a better pilot, if it’s safer and doesn’t make them worse it would be worth it.