Scudrunners

So:


A question for all you aviators and instructors.


Why does TC allow those goofy hoods to be worn during instrument flight training, they give a very unorthodox view of everything.


We had a far better method of blocking all outside vision when we used two stage amber for instrument training flights.


Can anyone here give one credible reason why they do not use two stage amber anymore?


Come on you people start my year out right by convincing me I am wrong in my opinion.

What exactly is two stage amber?  Yellow windscreen/purple glasses or something else?

[quote]What exactly is two stage amber?  Yellow windscreen/purple glasses or something else?[/quote]

Took the words right out of my post....

Two stage amber is putting thin sheets amber plastic in the windshield and the side windows of the airplane.


The pilot being trained wears blue tinted glasses with side shades also blue.


Everything inside the airplane looks the same as always except is tinted blue.


When the pilot wearing the blue glasses looks outside everything is black.....


The pilot giving the instructions will see everything outside tinted amber.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


It is the perfect method of restricting outside vision for the pilot being trained.


It was the method used we were being trained to fly on instruments but for some reason it was replaced with those goofy hoods.


I suspect the reason it was abandoned was it took some effort to install and remove the amber sheets...yup, I am convinced it was that simple the instructors were just plain to lazy to put it in and remove it.


Remember TC flight training methods are driven by ex flight instructors.

Train in actual IMC. They don't I suspect due to a lack of qualified instructors competent in IMC.

Of course it is better to train in actual IMC.


However if you are operating a flight training business you will go broke waiting for IMC.


Using two stage amber gives you the same results and it is not weather limited.


As an aside when I was taking instrument re rides with the regulator I refused to wear a hood because it is unorthodox.


I only had one inspector refuse to give me the ride unless I wore the hood.


I called Ottawa and informed them of the problem and told them I was on a fire bombing contract and needed the ride so could they send an inspector with some common sense.


There was one there the next day.

How would someone who is required to wear eyeglasses on their medical be able to wear the tinted glasses comfortably without distorting vision?

You wear blue tinted glasses that fit over your glasses.


Exactly the same as wearing safety glasses over your glasses.


As to comfort they are way more comfortable than that goofy hood you people wear.

I am well aware that few here hve ever heard of using two stage amber because it has been a long time since it was used.


However I am sure there are a lot of people here who will examine this question and come to the same conclusion I have.


Two stage amber works just fine to imitate IMC...so why don't we use it?


I am interested to see if any instructors will come up with a reason not to.

I never had a great deal of experience with the amber/blue, but IIRC it was a bugger to get it all fitted in the windscreens nicely. Maybe ok if you could put it in once and leave it there.
In the late 60s, Home oil outfitted their twin dornier (cessna like thing) to do all their IF renewals.

I have not had an IF ride in a real plane in some years , but even 15 years ago we were doing rides with a baseball
Cap with the visor pulled down low.
I am a bit surprised to hear pilots are taking rides with hoods or foggles or whatever.  Maybe an ok idea for an initial ride.
If you need to see out to pass a ride you are setting yourself up for a whole bunch of grief in real IMC where there is not a do over if you lose control.

As to your last question...Your  idea costs the FTU money.  Hoods are a revenue source. 
And I believe most renewals are done in the sim or where pilots have gotten some real world IMC under their belts, and the ride is about procedures and not basic IMC flying.
Next question!
And it may be in our present world without common sense that TC has a policy that a hood must be worn for rides.  ...no idea if that is correct or not.

I don't recall much enthusiasm for this system.