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## Feel of the Airplane 

The ability to sense a flight condition, such as straight- and-level flight or a dive, without relying on cockpit instrumentation is often called “feeling the airplane.” Examples of this “feel” may be sounds of the airflow across the airframe, vibrations felt through the controls, engine and propeller sounds and vibrations at various flight attitudes, and the sensations felt by the pilot through physical accelerations. 

Humans sense “feel” through kinesthesis (the ability to sense movement through the body) and proprioception (unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation). These stimuli are detected by nerves and by the semicircular canals of the inner ear. When properly developed, kinesthesis can provide the pilot with critical information about changes in the airplane’s direction and speed of motion; however, there are limits in kinesthetic sense and when relied upon solely without visual information, as when flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), ultimately leads to disorientation and loss of aircraft control. 

Developing this “feel” takes time and exposure in a particular airplane and only comes with dedicated practice at the various flight conditions so that a pilot’s senses are trained by the sounds, vibrations, and forces produced by the airplane. The following are some important examples: 

• Rushing air past a cockpit creates a distinctive noise pattern and as the level of sound increases, it likely indicates that the airplane’s airspeed is increasing and that the pitch attitude is decreasing. As the noise decreases, the airplane’s pitch attitude is likely increasing and its airspeed decreasing. 

• The sound of the engine in cruise flight is different from that in a climb and different again when in a dive. In fixed-pitch propeller airplanes, when the airplane’s pitch attitude increases, the engine sound decreases and as pitch attitude decreases, the engine noise increases. 

• In a banked turn, the pilot is forced downward into the seat due to the resultant load factor. The increased G force of a turn feels the same as the pull up from a dive, and the decreased G force from leveling out feels the same as lowering the nose out of a climb. 

Sources of actual “feel” are very important to the pilot. This actual feel is the result of acceleration, which is simply how fast velocity is changing. Acceleration describes the rate of change in both the magnitude and the direction of velocity. These accelerations impart forces on the airplane and its occupants during flight. The pilot can sense these forces through pressures into or out of the seat; or shift the pilot from side to side in their seat as the airplane slips or skids. These forces need not be strong, only perceptible by the pilot to be useful. An accomplished pilot who has excellent “feel” for the airplane is able to detect even the smallest accelerations. 

A flight instructor should direct the beginner pilot to be aware of these senses and teach an awareness of their meaning and their relationship to the various conditions of flight. To do this effectively, the flight instructor must fully understand the difference between perceiving and reacting to sound, vibrations, and forces versus merely noticing them. A pilot who develops a “feel” for the airplane early in flight training is likely to have less difficulty advancing in their flight training. 

## Attitude Flying 

An airplane’s attitude is determined by the angular difference between a specific airplane’s axis and the natural horizon. A false horizon can occur when the natural horizon is obscured or not readily apparent. This is an important concept because it requires the pilot to develop a pictorial sense of this natural horizon. Pitch attitude is the angle formed between the airplane’s longitudinal axis, which extends from the nose to the tail of the airplane, and the natural horizon. Bank attitude is the angle formed by the airplane’s lateral axis, which extends from wingtip to wingtip, and the natural horizon. [Figures 3-3A and  3-3B]  Angular difference about 

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