The 6 T’s of instrument flight

Good pilots should always think ahead of the plane.

You should always ask yourself what’s next. What is the next thing you have to do after you have completed your current task?

Using the 6Ts will help you do just that.

The 6 T’s are:

1. TURN
2. WEATHER
3. TURN
4. THROTTLE
5. speak
6. CLUE

You may not need to perform each on every task. It just depends on the procedure you are performing. Let’s see them individually.

For this example, let’s apply the 6 T’s to flying in a holding pattern. Think about each element and what is the next element after that.

turn

• Which way are you turning in the holding pattern?
  • Standard or non-standard pattern: ie right or left turns?

Weather

• Unless ATC indicates otherwise, all arrival segments are one minute.
  • After crossing the fixed or moving wings level, start your timer for 1 minute input.
    • Remember to adjust your out leg so that the in leg is 1 minute.
    • Depending on the wind etc, you may have a LONGER 1 minute outbound leg.

TURN

• If it is a VOR based holding, you may need to turn the OBS to the entry course or departure course.
  • Are you flying TOWARD the VOR or AWAY from it? If the approach leg is flying towards the VOR, remember to make sure you have turned the OBS so that the indicator shows a “TO” indication and the correct approach course is selected.

THROTTLE

• Do you need to adjust your power?
  • If your timing is not correct for the input leg, then you need to apply power or reduce power. Remember, You are authorized two travels around the pattern to get it right.

speak

• Do you need to speak to ATC?
  • ATC may ask you to report crossing the fixed point or something similar. This one really comes into play when making procedural approaches or turns.

CLUE

• This one is pretty simple, but surprisingly, it gets forgotten a lot.
  • Remember to keep track of your course, whether it’s incoming or outgoing.

When I’m flying in a holding pattern, I ask myself each of these things, at each stage of the pattern. I constantly check each one and it keeps me on my game, staying focused and flying a good pattern.

When I get to a task that I don’t need to use, I just move on to the next one. Remember, keep it simple!

Using the 6 T’s of instrument flight will make your life so much easier the next time you get stuck in a holding pattern or fire that instrument approach to minimum in IMC.

-Shawn Hardin IFC/CFII