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Instrument Scan

A good instrument scan is probably one of the most critical skills of instrument flight. Instrument flight includes a basic instrument scan, the interpretation of the instruments correction, and then aircraft control based on the interpretation of the instruments scanned. Without a correct instrument scan, the next two steps of the process cannot be completed accurately and can cause disaster.

For most pilots, there are three major errors to look out for during their instrument scan. They are as follows:
Fixation: This is the focusing of attention on one instrument instead of continuing an instrument scan. Fixation means the pilot only uses the one instrument for flight information. An instrument pilot must remain aware of their focus and continue a systematic instrument scan to remain safe during flight.

Emphasis: Instead of relying on a combination of instruments for airplane performance information, some pilots emphasize a single instrument. This is different from fixation because the student may still continue an instrument scan of other instruments, but is devoting too much attention to a particular instrument.

Omission: The last common error made during and instrument scan is the omission of an instrument during the scan. It is important to continue the instrument scan to include all instruments pertinent to flight that are operable.
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