Definition
Operating an aircraft solely by reference to instruments when one or more of the primary flight instruments has failed or been intentionally taken out of service, requiring the pilot to fly using only the remaining serviceable instruments.
Plain English
Flying in cloud or low visibility when one or more of your main flight instruments has stopped working, so you have to control the aircraft using the instruments you still have.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument training, simulated instrument failures, and radar approach discussions where a pilot may need to fly accurately without the usual full instrument display.
Derivation
Partial' means incomplete or only part of something; 'panel' refers to the instrument panel in front of the pilot. So 'partial panel' literally describes flying with only part of the instrument panel available.
Why Pilots Care
Enables continued safe flight and approach when primary gyros are lost, directly affecting emergency decision-making and survival.
Grounding Statement
If one main cockpit instrument stops giving useful information, the pilot must shift attention to the remaining instruments and keep flying smoothly.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “partial panel” means a less important or shortened kind of instrument flying. It means the pilot is missing one or more normal instruments and must fly using the remaining reliable ones.
Example Sentence 1
After the attitude indicator failed in cloud, the pilot transitioned to partial panel instrument flying using the turn coordinator, altimeter, and airspeed indicator.
Example Sentence 2
After the attitude indicator failed, the instructor had the student practice partial panel instrument flying to the missed approach point.