Clinic Aimed to Promote Safe Aircraft Control

The EAA Pilot Proficiency Center hosted an angle of attack (AOA) training clinic during the 2024 Oshkosh Airventure. The event aimed to teach attendees about what AOA indicators are and how they can be used to improve flight safety.

AOA indicators have been around from the beginning. Even the Wright brothers had their own makeshift version: a piece of yarn fastened to the leading edge of the wing. As flight has grown more advanced, aviators realized how crucial AOA indicators are and began to install them in modern aircraft. However, many existing pilots are unaware of how these instruments truly work.

“The legacy aircraft that almost all of us had flown when we began, they don’t have angle of attack instruments,” stated Wally Anderson, an EAA Safety Committee Member.

To help change this fact, the EAA introduced an AOA clinic. Visitors could stop by the Pilot Proficiency Center, located at the EAA Aviation Museum, to watch a presentation explaining different AOA situations. Then, an instructor would assist them in practicing these scenarios on one of the center’s twelve Redbird LD simulators.

The Advanced Aviation Training Devices (AATDs) feature a replica of the Garmin GI 260 AOA indicator system, producing both visual and audible cues when a critical angle is reached.

Now that the EAA has configured an AOA indicator on the AATD, Redbird President and COO Charlie Gregoire has agreed to offer the scenarios and training materials to current simulator owners at no additional cost.

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