Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes
Lesson Plans

Introduction:

Attention:

  • Research a mishap case study:
  • Discuss how the initial conditions developed into an incident/accident/mishap
  • Relate similar personal experience of the same type of incident/accident/mishap

Motivator:

  • Unusual attitude recoveries teach pilots to understand the human system's susceptibility to spatial disorientation and how to recover if required
  • One of the leading causes of fatal general aviation accidents is the loss of control-Inflight
  • Pilots training, therefore, requires a thorough understanding of unusual attitudes and unusual attitude causal factors
  • While prevention is the first step, it does not eliminate the risk to pilots
  • It is then paramount that pilots know how to detect an unusual attitude properly
  • Once an upset or unusual attitude is confirmed, pilots can next apply the proper recover

Overview:

Topic:
Time:
Introduction:
0:05
Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes:
0:10
Review (quiz):
0:05
Case Studies:
0:05
Total Ground Time:
0:30

Required Materials:

  • Paper, Pen, Marker, Whiteboard

Instructor Actions:

  • Review Airman Certification Standards

Student Actions:

Instrument Rating - Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes Lesson Plan:


Instrument Rating - Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes Knowledge:

The applicant demonstrates understanding of:
  • IR.IV.B.K1:

    Procedures for recovery from unusual attitudes in flights
  • IR.IV.B.K2:

    Prevention of unusual attitudes, including flight causal, physiological, and environmental factors, and system and equipment failures
  • IR.IV.B.K3:

    Procedures available to safely regain visual meteorological conditions (VMC) after flight into inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions or unintended instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC)/(UIMC)
  • IR.IV.B.K4:

    Appropriate use of automation, if applicable

Instrument Rating - Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes Risk Management:

The applicant is able to identify, assess, and mitigate risk associated with:
  • IR.IV.B.R1:

    Situations that could lead to loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) or unusual attitudes in-flight (e.g., stress, task saturation, inadequate instrument scan distractions, and spatial disorientation)
  • IR.IV.B.R2:

    [Archived]
  • IR.IV.B.R3:

    Operating envelope considerations
  • IR.IV.B.R4:

    Interpreting flight instruments
  • IR.IV.B.R5:

    Assessment of the unusual attitude
  • IR.IV.B.R6:

    Control input errors, inducing undesired aircraft attitudes
  • IR.IV.B.R7:

    Control application solely by reference to instruments
  • IR.IV.B.R8:

    Collision hazards
  • IR.IV.B.R9:

    Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation

Instrument Rating - Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes Skills:

The applicant exhibits the skill to:
  • IR.IV.B.S1:

    Use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation to identify an unusual attitude (including both nose-high and nose-low) in flight, and apply the appropriate flight control, power input, and aircraft configuration in the correct sequence, to return to a stabilized level flight attitude
  • IR.IV.B.S2:

    Use single-pilot resource management (SRM) or crew resource management (CRM), as appropriate

Re-Motivation:

Closure:

  • Advise students that this lesson will be used as a starting point for the next lesson
  • Assign study materials for the next lesson

Conclusion: