It's not just the view, though with experience you get to recognize rates of
change, there's also sound and control feel. But I think everyone
(including myself) steals the occasional peek at the airspeed indicator as
well.


"son_of_flubber" wrote in message
...
Why are pilots so committed to the idea that they can reliably judge
airspeed by looking at the sight picture over the nose? What if the runway
tilts up and it is surrounded by hills and trees?

The only time that I bet my life on the sight picture is when I'm on a
steep final, I'm holding the air brake at a constant setting, and I'm sure
that the glide angle and the touchdown point are stable and unchanging.