Fundamental Instrument Maneuvers
Key numbers, techniques, and tolerances for the four basic maneuvers flown solely by reference to instruments.
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Questions Covered in This Set
12 cards to master
What are the Instrument ACS tolerances for basic instrument flight?
Altitude ±100 feet, heading ±10°, airspeed ±10 knots, and bank for standard rate ±5° (or ±1/4 needle deflection on the turn coordinator).
What are the four fundamental maneuvers all IFR procedures are built from?
Straight-and-level, standard rate turns, constant-airspeed climbs, and constant-airspeed descents — plus the transitions between them.
What does 'chase trends, not values' mean?
If you're 40 feet low but already climbing back, do nothing — the airplane is solving the deviation. React to where the needle is going, not just where it is.
What is the single largest cause of failed instrument checkrides?
Over-control: a large deviation gets an aggressive correction, which overshoots the other way and starts a pilot-induced oscillation.
Rule of thumb for pitch correction to fix an altitude deviation?
About 1° of pitch change per 100 feet of correction (roughly half a bar width for small deviations), yielding a 100–200 fpm trend.
How do you correct a heading deviation in straight-and-level flight?
Bank roughly the number of degrees you're off heading (10° off = 10° of bank), hold briefly, then roll out as the heading arrives.
Define a standard rate turn and its timing.
3° per second: 360° in two minutes, 180° in one minute, and a 90° turn takes 30 seconds.
How do you estimate the bank angle for a standard rate turn?
(TAS ÷ 10) + 7, or TAS ÷ 10 × 1.5 — about 15–17° at 100 kt and 18–19° at 120 kt; use half-standard rate above 200 kt.
How much lead should you use when rolling out of a turn?
About half your bank angle — at 16° of bank, begin rolling out roughly 8° before the target heading.
What is the correct sequence for a constant-airspeed climb?
Climb power first, raise the nose to the known attitude (about 5–7° up at Vy in a light single), then trim; airspeed settles in 5–10 seconds.
What is the control/performance role of the AI versus the turn coordinator?
The attitude indicator is the control instrument (set the bank there); the turn coordinator is a performance instrument used to confirm the rate.
Why is trim essential for instrument precision?
Untrimmed flight makes your arm the trim — it tires and gets distracted. Trim hands-off, then fly with fingertips, not a fist.
