Psychomotor exercise · ~2 min a run · free
ILS Approach Tracker
Hold both needles centred against a continuously drifting disturbance.
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Pilot selection tests include dual-axis compensatory tracking tasks that measure your ability to simultaneously suppress lateral and vertical deviations while sustained concentration and fine-motor precision are under pressure. This exercise simulates that challenge using a classic instrument-approach display: keep the localiser and glideslope needles centred as independent random disturbances push them off course.
About this test
About this test
What this test measures
This measures dual-axis compensatory tracking and fine-motor coordination: keeping the localiser and glideslope needles centred at once while a continuous disturbance pushes each off course. Holding two independent axes together is the split-attention control demand behind flying an instrument approach by hand.
How to improve your score
- Make small, continuous corrections on both axes rather than fixing one needle and letting the other drift out to the edge.
- Anticipate the drift and counter it early, before a needle pegs, because a pegged needle keeps costing you score until you recover it.
- Use an analog stick or a smooth pointer rather than arrow keys so you can work both axes at the same time instead of one at a time.
Good to know
Good to know
Why dual-axis matters
Tracking one axis is straightforward; tracking two independent axes simultaneously requires divided attention and fine-motor coordination between both hands or both fingers. Selection batteries specifically target this split-attention demand because it predicts how well pilots manage multiple flight parameters at once.Needle colour guide
White bar = LOC (left/right). Amber bar = GS (up/down). Green crosshair = target. When a needle reaches 95% deflection it turns red as a pegged-approach warning. Your score keeps accumulating during a peg, so fast recovery is always worth the effort.Real tests use dedicated hardware
On-site selection systems run tasks like this on calibrated joysticks, rudder pedals and custom response panels that no browser exercise can replicate, so treat this as training for the underlying control skill rather than a replica of any machine. One practical tip from candidates who have sat the real assessments: practise with a mouse or a gamepad, not a laptop trackpad. A trackpad makes smooth, continuous two-axis control far harder than the real test ever would.
Frequently asked questions
What does the score measure?
What does the score measure?
Why does the needle feel like it has momentum?
Why does the needle feel like it has momentum?
Can I use a gamepad or joystick?
Can I use a gamepad or joystick?
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