Your learning goals
- Compare the control/performance and primary/supporting instrument methods.
- Select pitch, bank, power, and trim changes for a desired performance change.
- Explain why instrument lag requires a cross-check rather than chasing a single indication.
Two methods organize the same flight information
Attitude instrument flying controls pitch, bank, power, and trim using instruments when an outside horizon is unavailable or unreliable. The FAA presents two learning methods: control/performance and primary/supporting. Both use a continuous cross-check and the same aircraft controls. They differ in how the instrument information is organized.
Control/performance begins with a known or approximated attitude and power setting, then verifies the result. Primary/supporting identifies the instrument giving the most useful information for each control function in the current maneuver and uses the others to support the interpretation. Neither method permits staring at one instrument or disregarding a contradictory indication.
Two ways to ask the same control question| Method | Question | Level-flight example |
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| Control/performance | Did my attitude and power produce the desired result? | Set level-flight attitude and power; verify altitude, airspeed, and heading. |
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| Primary/supporting | Which indication best tells me whether each target is being maintained? | Altimeter for pitch, heading for bank, airspeed for power; attitude and trends support corrections. |
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Practice the method your instructor uses consistently, while understanding the other vocabulary. The underlying job remains establishing the right control condition and verifying actual performance.
IFH 6-2–6-10: learning methods and instrument roles · IFH 6-20–6-23: electronic-display methods
The primary instrument changes with the objective
Primary means the instrument supplying the most pertinent information for a particular function during the current maneuver. Supporting information corroborates attitude, detects trends, and helps apply the correction. An instrument’s role can change during entry, stabilization, and level-off.
Illustrative primary roles after stabilization| Flight condition | Pitch | Bank | Power |
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| Level flight at constant airspeed | Altimeter | Heading indicator | Airspeed indicator |
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| Straight constant-airspeed climb or descent | Airspeed indicator | Heading indicator | Applicable engine-power indication |
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| Straight constant-rate climb or descent | VSI once stabilized | Heading indicator | Airspeed indicator |
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For level flight, altitude is the pitch-performance target. If the altimeter shows a drift, make the pitch correction with the reliable attitude reference and verify the altitude trend. The VSI supports the interpretation, but a zero VSI alone does not establish the correct altitude.
For a constant-airspeed climb, pitch is adjusted to maintain the selected airspeed while the approved climb power is checked on the engine indications. For a constant-rate maneuver, the stabilized vertical-speed indication guides pitch and airspeed helps evaluate power. Pitch and power remain coupled in every case. During a transition, the roles shift as the new performance develops; do not use the stabilized table as a rigid entry procedure.
IFH 6-10: straight-and-level primary instruments · IFH 7-15–7-17: constant-airspeed and constant-rate roles · IFH 6-22–6-23: primary and supporting information
One control change can affect several indications
Pitch changes the airplane’s attitude about its lateral axis. A higher pitch at unchanged power may initially produce a climb and a reduction in airspeed. Bank redirects lift and establishes a turn; holding altitude in a turn may require a suitable pitch or power adjustment. Power changes alter the energy available and can also change pitch or yaw tendencies. Interpret these relationships as a group rather than treating each control as connected to only one instrument.
When a level-flight airspeed change is required, coordinate power and pitch. To slow while holding altitude, reduce power appropriately and adjust pitch as the airplane decelerates so that altitude remains constant. The required level-flight pitch generally rises as speed decreases in the normal training range. To accelerate at constant altitude, add suitable power and adjust pitch as speed increases. Check aircraft limitations before changing configuration, and anticipate the resulting attitude and trim changes.
Use coordinated controls, checking the slip/skid indication as well as the attitude and heading response. Large rapid control movements can create new deviations faster than you can interpret them. Make positive, smooth corrections matched to the actual deviation and trend. A small error does not demand a large change, and a growing trend should not be ignored merely because the current value is near the target.
IFH 6-4–6-10: pitch, bank, power and trim · IFH 7-8–7-12: level-flight power and airspeed changes
Trim the established condition and allow the response to develop
Trim relieves the sustained control pressure needed to maintain the selected condition. Establish the desired attitude with the normal flight controls first, then adjust trim to relieve the force while retaining the cross-check. Using trim alone to chase attitude can produce erratic control. Reassess trim after changing power, airspeed, attitude, or configuration.
When the airplane is out of trim, attention diverted to a chart or radio can become an unintended pitch change. A tight grip also makes it harder to sense the pressure that needs to be relieved. Smooth control and appropriate trim reduce workload; they do not eliminate the need to check the airplane.
Separate instrument lag from aircraft response. A conventional VSI takes time to settle after a change in vertical motion. Airspeed takes time to change because the airplane must accelerate or decelerate. A power indicator may show the new setting before the resulting airspeed stabilizes. Electronic processing and trend displays have their own behavior, described in the installed-equipment manuals.
After a correction, check for the expected direction of response and keep monitoring. Do not stack several identical inputs before seeing their combined effect. Equally, do not wait passively if airspeed, altitude, or attitude is becoming unsafe. The cross-check supplies the evidence for a measured follow-up correction.
IFH 6-8–6-10: trim control · IFH 6-5–6-7: VSI and airspeed interpretation and limitations · IFH 6-21: establish power and allow performance to stabilize
Work a level-flight speed reduction
Study example: you are holding 5,000 feet and heading 180° at 120 KIAS. The instructor requests 100 KIAS at the same altitude and heading. These are illustrative targets within an assumed suitable operating range; use the actual aircraft’s limits and procedure in training.
- Plan: identify the selected speed, verify that it is appropriate for the aircraft and configuration, and retain the altitude and heading targets.
- Establish: make a suitable power reduction, check the engine indication, and adjust pitch through the deceleration to hold altitude. Include bank and coordination so that concentration on speed does not permit a turn.
- Interpret: if altitude starts to fall, the existing attitude is not producing the required level-flight performance. Make an appropriate pitch correction while continuing to check airspeed and power. Do not react only to a lagging VSI.
- Stabilize: as airspeed approaches 100 KIAS, refine the power setting so the speed settles rather than continuing to fall. Relieve sustained pressures with trim and verify altitude, heading, airspeed, and coordination together.
Control/performance describes the attitude and power changes followed by performance checks. Primary/supporting describes altitude as the pitch target, heading as the bank target, and airspeed as the power-performance target once stable. Both descriptions lead to the same coordinated control task.
IFH 7-8–7-12: airspeed changes in straight-and-level flight · IFH 6-2–6-10: methods and trim
Know the aircraft before trusting the setting
Expect compatible indications after stabilization. A steady climb should show increasing altitude; a stable constant-speed condition should not show continued acceleration; a wings-level condition should not produce a continuing heading change without another cause. An unexpected trend requires interpretation, while a failure flag or inconsistent attitude reference requires a reliability assessment.
A familiar-looking pitch display can be unfamiliar in its scale, symbols, limitations, or source. Locate the actual horizon reference, bank index, airspeed and altitude trends, coordination cue, power indications, and failure warnings before flight. Know which standby instruments use independent sources. Do not copy a setting from another model or assume an electronic display cannot fail.
Common errors include correcting with trim before establishing attitude, changing pitch repeatedly while the VSI is settling, treating airspeed as a power-only indication during a climb, and concentrating on a precise engine number while omitting altitude or heading. Use a brief control-performance explanation to diagnose each error: what changed, what should respond, and what evidence confirms the result?
This lesson prepares ACS IV.A.S2 reasoning. Your instructor must evaluate the actual cross-check, interpretation, control application, and trim in the aircraft or an appropriate training device.
IFH 6-24–6-28: display familiarization and scan errors · IFH 11-7–11-8: failures and reliable references · ACS IV.A, printed page 10
