Instrument Training

The early afternoon of September 19th brought some new challenges. My instructor and I began some instrument training. I expected to get up into the air and put on my "foggles" and have a go at it. The "foggles" are a "view limiting device" used in instrument training. They are glasses that only allow you to see the instrument panel of the airplane. My instructor had other plans. He explained that instrument pilots are allowed to make a "Zero-Zero" takeoff. That means that if the visibility is zero and the clouds are on the ground you can still take off by flying on your instruments. As we lined up on the runway he told me that we were going to make an instrument takeoff and to put on my foggles. It was unexpected and stress inducing. I surprised myself with my takeoff and subsequent flying by instruments only. We discussed the process of instrument scanning to check and cross check that you were flying properly. Before I started flying I thought that it would be easy to fly by instruments only. Besides the fact that even if you could not see you would be able to tell your position in space. You would be able to tell if you were turning or banked or climbing of descending. Your senses would give you that information. This is simply not true. Because you are moving in three dimensions and flying induces some g forces on you, it is nearly impossible to tell you attitude by feel alone. In fact, your body misinterprets the forces and unless you rely on on your instruments you will soon enter an unrecoverable situation and either overstress your airframe or crash. Basic instrument skills for VFR pilots are taught in case of an unintended entry into IFR conditions. It should be enough to keep you safe and allow you to get put of trouble. Once we got up to a safe altitude we practiced stalls and slow flight by instruments only. After that we worked on turns around a point and steep turns before returning to Tipton. We arrived back at the airport I made a so-so landing and told my instructor that I wasn't very satisfied with it. We went back around in the pattern and I came down for landing. I was interested in showing my instructor that I could make a really good landing. Unfortunately the second landing was worse than the first as I ended up coming down a little too hard. So much for a second try.