Definition
Opaque covers, caps, or suction-cup discs placed over individual flight instruments to block the pilot's view of them during training. Used by an instructor to simulate instrument failure or to force the student to fly using only the remaining instruments and outside references.
Plain English
Small covers the instructor puts over certain cockpit gauges so the student can't see them. This makes the student practice flying without that information.
Context Anchor
Used during flight training when an instructor wants the student to practice looking outside, handling a missing instrument, or relying on only certain cockpit information.
Why Pilots Care
Prevents instrument fixation and builds proper outside-reference scanning habits essential for safe visual flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as protective storage covers for instruments. In this training context, instrument covers are used to intentionally block the pilot’s view of selected instruments.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor placed instrument covers over the attitude indicator and heading indicator to simulate a vacuum system failure.
Example Sentence 2
With the instrument covers in place the student maintained straight-and-level flight by referencing the cowling and wingtips against the horizon.