✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #55
Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
IA.II.A — Instrument Flight Deck Management (Instrument Rating ACS)
### 1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY
Per the FAA Instrument Rating ACS (IA.II.A), the pilot must demonstrate proper instrument flight deck management by completing the appropriate checklist items and verifying the aircraft is configured for instrument flight. This includes: tuning navigational aids and communication radios; checking flight instruments; setting the altimeter; checking and setting the gyrocompass to the magnetic compass heading; setting the course; initiating glass cockpit preflight tests (if equipped); programming and verifying electronic flight bags (EFBs) are operational (if used); and confirming required documents are onboard and valid. The examiner expects a methodical, verbalized process showing the applicant can prepare the panel safely and accurately for IFR operations, including risk management like verifying chart currency and aircraft loading for performance.
### 2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES
- **Rushing the gyrocompass alignment without waiting for settling**: Students often spin the DG to match the magnetic compass but skip the 3-5 minute uncaging/settling time in flight, leading to heading drift during the checkride and real IFR confusion.
- **Forgetting to cross-check and verbally confirm altimeter setting**: Pilots grab the local altimeter from ATIS/AWOS but don't set it precisely or announce it, causing altitude busts on departure or approach—examiners ding this every time.
- **Overlooking EFB/GPS programming and battery checks**: With glass cockpits common in Cessna 172s, students assume the GPS is ready without entering the full flight plan, verifying airspace, or confirming power sources, resulting in nav errors mid-flight.
### 3. CFI PRO TIP
Teach a "Flow-Set-Verbalize" routine: Start with a left-to-right panel flow (attitude indicator first, then heading/course/altimeter, radios, then EFB/GPS), physically set each item, then verbalize "DG set to 090 magnetic, settled and steady" out loud. This builds muscle memory, catches omissions early, and impresses examiners—my students ace this task 90% faster after just two practice sessions.
### 4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
In a 2019 NTSB accident (CEN19FA128), a Cessna 172 pilot departed IFR into IMC without properly setting the DG or verifying GPS programming, leading to spatial disorientation and a fatal stall-spin just 4 miles from departure. ASRS reports (e.g., #20050123-0102) frequently cite "pre-flight instrument setup errors" as precursors to 18% of IFR navigation deviations, emphasizing how a sloppy deck scan snowballs into lost situational awareness in clouds.
### 5. DID YOU KNOW
FAA Advisory Circular 120-76D requires EFBs used for IFR navigation to have redundant power sources and be verified operational pre-flight—yet many pilots overlook this, risking "black screen" failures mid-approach. In modern 172s with Garmin GTN, a simple battery swap can prevent your entire flight plan from vanishing.
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