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Feature Article: How We Got Pattern A and Pattern B
These patterns have been for many years a part of the Instrument
Flying Handbook as among the first lessons in acquiring the aircraft
control required for instrument flying. Prior to WWII few aircraft
were equipped beyond an airspeed indicator, compass, altimeter,
and at most a needle and ball.
During WWII the gyroscopic instruments began to be installed on
all training aircraft. However, the use of these instruments was
sadly neglected for two reasons. First, the instructors had mostly
learned during an era of `seat of the pants, wind on the cheek'
flying. Secondly, they were placarded to be caged during maneuvers.
Until shortly before the end of the war, instrument instruction,
was most cursory. A pilot would often be sent overseas with fewer
than ten hours of instrument flight instruction and perhaps another
ten in a Link Trainer.
Hundreds of pilots were lost because instrument skills were thought
to be exclusively an airline pilot skill area. Airlines, viewing
schedules as profits, had moved ahead in training and instrumentation.
A good case could be made for the statement that more pilots were
lost in WWII due to weather flying than due to combat. Hard at
work to correct this situation was a Joe Duckworth. He learned
to fly at Kelly field in the late twenties. As a reservist he
flew with Eastern Airlines and had acquired thousands of hours
of instrument time and an understanding of the importance of instrument
flying. Shortly before the war began Duckworth returned to active
duty. He was assigned as director for training at a multi-engine
facility in Mississippi. Duckworth found flying was being taught
as though there were no gyroscopic instruments.
Combat returns were indicating that weather constituted a life
and death hazard comparable to combat. Duckworth initiated an
instructional program which first evaluated flight instructors
and secondly standardized teaching programs. The most immediate
result was a 40% reduction in night flying accidents. The relationship
between the absence of visual reference at night and instrument
flying was quite apparent to Duckworth. "Needle, ball, and
airspeed" was the original instrument system. From this,
with the invention/installation of the artificial horizon and
directional gyro, Duckworth developed attitude flying instruction
based upon a scan of the full panel of instruments. The pilot
first needed to learn to fly the aircraft performance envelope
using the instruments. Then these skills were applied to the flight
maneuvers required to fly the radio range stations of the day.
To train pilots in flying this way Duckworth devised the "Pattern
A", "Pattern B", and the "Vertical S".
Duckworth had found a system that would enable survival in weather.
Next he developed a program for instructors. Their enthusiasm
and acceptance of the attitude flying system soon began to be
felt and heard throughout the training command. A head to head
competition between the worst of Duckworth's students with
the best of the "needle, ball and airspeed" students
was held. The results convinced, General Hap Arnold the commander
of the Air Force, to open an Instrument School just for instructors.
Col. Duckworth became the commander of the base and its program.
For the last two years of the war flight instructors were sent
to Duckworth from all parts of the training command for a months
duty. These instructors in turn would return to base and establish
training programs for more instructors. By the end of the war
no pilot was graduated from the Air Force Training Command who
was not proficient as an instrument pilot.
Last Modified December 21, ©2025 TAGE.COM
