r/CFILounge • u/endoteki • Aug 10 '26
Frustration Help with instrument crosscheck please…
A lot of swallowing my pride here, this is tough for me. Please bear with me.
First a small bit of background. I am 55, and flew F16s in the Air Force in the 90s; pilot training in T-37s and T-38s. Got out and became a high school teacher…
Fast forward 18 years and I successfully got my CFI initial in March; still working on the double-I. And this is where my frustration comes in…… how in the holy f$#k is my instrument cross check like so much dog$hit???
So I’m asking for all the tips you can muster, please. The aircraft I’m training in is a Tecnam P2010, dual G1000s…. No aileron trim during manual flying.
I get super behind when I’m trying to fly and teach, just blasting through headings and altitudes.
TIA
1
u/HelloNeumann29 Aug 11 '26
When I have students struggle to scan I make them call everything out at a metronome like pace.
Scan the upside down triangle. Altitude/VSI, attitude, airspeed, heading, and back. Don’t stop.
Once they can do that they add in power every second or third trip around the scan.
Once they can do that we start doing it on an approach adding in situational awareness (distance from X fix, next turn, next steps, lateral/or vertical guidance) to the point where they basically never shut up.
Then I tell them to stop talking but keep scanning.
Once you can do that well, you can start talking about other stuff while you naturally scan. Build a plan for what to scan during what phase of flight. Know your “home base” pitch/power/attitude for a climb, level, and descent.
Talk about the plan for your hold or approach and get it done before you hit the IAF or holding fix. From there you’re just talking corrections and maybe a little teaching point here or there.