Instrument Flying Techniques: Basic Instruments 1961 US Air Force Training Film TF1-5342a 30min

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Instrument Flying with basic instruments. USAF film from 1961 using a Boeing B-52. With nice clear closeups of the B-52 instrument panel.

US Air Force Training Film TF1-5342a

see also TF1-5342b Instrument Flying in Takeoff & Unusual Attitudes

Public domain film from the United States Air Force, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization.

There is a broadband hum in the vocal frequencies of this film which I cannot completely remove.

Flight instruments are the instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft that provide the pilot with information about the flight situation of that aircraft, such as altitude, speed and direction. The flight instruments are of particular use in conditions of poor visibility, such as in clouds, when such information is not available from visual reference outside the aircraft.

The term is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for cockpit instruments as a whole, in which context it can include engine instruments, navigational and communication equipment…

Altimeter…
Attitude indicator (Artificial horizon)…
Airspeed indicator…
Magnetic compass…
Heading indicator…
Vertical speed indicator…
Course deviation indicator…
Radio Magnetic Indicator…

Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) is an aviation flight category that describes weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by reference to instruments, and therefore under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), rather than by outside visual references under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Typically, this means flying in cloud or bad weather. Pilots sometimes train to fly in these conditions with the aid of products like Foggles, specialized glasses that restrict outside vision, forcing the student to rely on instrument indications only.

The weather conditions required for flight under VFR are known as Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). IMC and VMC are mutually exclusive. In fact, instrument meteorological conditions are defined as less than the minima specified for visual meteorological conditions. The boundary criteria between VMC and IMC are known as the VMC minima, around which are known as “marginal VMC”.

With good visibility, pilots can determine the attitude of the aircraft by utilising visual cues from outside the aircraft, most significantly the horizon. Without such external visual cues, pilots must use an internal cue of attitude, which is provided by gyroscopically-driven instruments such as the attitude indicator (“artificial horizon”). The availability of a good horizon cue is controlled by meteorological visibility, hence minimum visibility limits feature in the VMC minima. Visibility is also important to avoid terrain…

Instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR).

FAA’s Instrument Flying Handbook defines IFR as: “Rules and regulations established by the FAA to govern flight under conditions in which flight by outside visual reference is not safe. IFR flight depends upon flying by reference to instruments in the flight deck, and navigation is accomplished by reference to electronic signals. It is also a term used by pilots and controllers to indicate the type of flight plan an aircraft is flying, such as an IFR or VFR flight plan…

Instrument flight rules

Instrument flight rules permit an aircraft to operate in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in contrast to VFR. They are also an integral part of flying in class A airspace. “Class A” airspace exists over and near the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Alaska from 18,000 feet above mean sea level to flight level 600 (approximately 60,000 feet in altitude depending on variables such as atmospheric pressure). Flight in “class A” airspace requires pilots and aircraft to be instrument equipped and rated and to be operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Most jet aircraft operate in “class A” airspace for the cruise portion of their flight and are therefore required to utilize IFR procedures.[8] Procedures and training are significantly more complex as a pilot must demonstrate competency in conducting an entire cross-country flight in IMC conditions, while controlling the aircraft solely by reference to instruments.

Instrument pilots must meticulously evaluate weather, create a very detailed flight plan based around specific instrument departure, en route, and arrival procedures, and dispatch the flight.