Definition
The rate at which a pilot moves their visual attention from one flight instrument to another while interpreting the indications. An effective cross-check speed is fast enough to detect changes promptly but slow enough to read each instrument accurately before moving on.
Plain English
How quickly your eyes move from one instrument to the next as you scan the panel. Too fast and you miss what the instruments are showing. Too slow and a problem develops before you notice it.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying discussions, especially when controlling power and watching how the airplane responds in straight-and-level flight.
Derivation
“Cross-check” means checking one thing against another. Here, it means comparing several instruments instead of trusting only one. “Speed” means the rate of that checking, not the airplane’s airspeed.
Why Pilots Care
In instrument flight, the panel is the only source of attitude and performance information. If the cross-check is too slow, deviations build before you catch them. If it is too fast, you look without truly seeing — both lead to poor aircraft control.
Intuition Check
Do not read “cross-check speed” as the airplane’s speed. Here, it means the speed of your instrument scan — how fast you check and compare the instruments.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor noticed the student's cross-check speed was too slow, which is why the heading drifted ten degrees before being corrected.
Example Sentence 2
Any deviation from cross-check speed during level flight prompts an immediate power adjustment after confirming the vertical speed indicator.