An IMC training day!

[LDJones]

I love this time of year for instrument training, when you have a stretch of relatively benign IMC conditions.

One of my former instrument students is now working on her commercial. She needs complex time so I suggested we take the Apache/Geronimo twin on a cross-country to build some complex time while starting on her multi-engine rating. So we planned a several hundred mile trip today which ended up being 5.7 hours with almost 3.0 of actual instrument, the rest on top, with three solid IMC instrument approaches, along with her first icing encounter (not unusual in the juicy cloud tops before breaking out on top...and with a nice "out" up in the sunshine.) It was great experience for her. She must have enjoyed it as she texted me a bit ago asking if we could do it again tomorrow!

We got back just in time for me to fly with another instrument student who will probably take his check ride next week at the rate he's going. We logged another 1.4 of night IMC on a 1.6 hr flight with three approaches and a fairly long hold, all in the soup. It's a great confidence builder, plus there's nothing like seeing the approach lights slowly emerge from the grey grunge on an approach.

I'm ready to sleep.

 

[Marauder]

I love this time of year for instrument training, when you have a stretch of relatively benign IMC conditions.

One of my former instrument students is now working on her commercial. She needs complex time so I suggested we take the Apache/Geronimo twin on a cross-country to build some complex time while starting on her multi-engine rating. So we planned a several hundred mile trip today which ended up being 5.7 hours with almost 3.0 of actual instrument, the rest on top, with three solid IMC instrument approaches, along with her first icing encounter (not unusual in the juicy cloud tops before breaking out on top...and with a nice "out" up in the sunshine.) It was great experience for her. She must have enjoyed it as she texted me a bit ago asking if we could do it again tomorrow!

We got back just in time for me to fly with another instrument student who will probably take his check ride next week at the rate he's going. We logged another 1.4 of night IMC on a 1.6 hr flight with three approaches and a fairly long hold, all in the soup. It's a great confidence builder, plus there's nothing like seeing the approach lights slowly emerge from the grey grunge on an approach.

I'm ready to sleep.

Sounds like a fun day! Out east, we're not going to have such a fun day...

 

[LDJones]

Sounds like a fun day! Out east, we're not going to have such a fun day...

Yeah, I looked at that this morning before I left and pitied half the country that is dealing with that mess. But this, too, shall pass!

I have two friends that are stuck in FL and need to make it back to MN in a Eurocopter EC120. Not envying them at the moment.

FYI, I canceled last nights flight with student two because it was 300-1/2 and a 100' margin was not sufficient enough to justify an optional training flight.

 

[Marauder]

Yeah, I looked at that this morning before I left and pitied half the country that is dealing with that mess. But this, too, shall pass!

I have two friends that are stuck in FL and need to make it back to MN in a Eurocopter EC120. Not envying them at the moment.

FYI, I canceled last nights flight with student two because it was 300-1/2 and a 100' margin was not sufficient enough to justify an optional training flight.

I'm supposed to fly tomorrow to bring my plane home. With winds predicted to gust to 60 knots, it'll wait... I feel bad for the folks with that strong frontal line coming through. That is some intense weather.

 

[asechrest]

As a VFR-only dude, this sounds terrifying. Well, maybe incredibly daunting is a better description. Glad you had a good flight!

I love this time of year for instrument training, when you have a stretch of relatively benign IMC conditions.

One of my former instrument students is now working on her commercial. She needs complex time so I suggested we take the Apache/Geronimo twin on a cross-country to build some complex time while starting on her multi-engine rating. So we planned a several hundred mile trip today which ended up being 5.7 hours with almost 3.0 of actual instrument, the rest on top, with three solid IMC instrument approaches, along with her first icing encounter (not unusual in the juicy cloud tops before breaking out on top...and with a nice "out" up in the sunshine.) It was great experience for her. She must have enjoyed it as she texted me a bit ago asking if we could do it again tomorrow!

We got back just in time for me to fly with another instrument student who will probably take his check ride next week at the rate he's going. We logged another 1.4 of night IMC on a 1.6 hr flight with three approaches and a fairly long hold, all in the soup. It's a great confidence builder, plus there's nothing like seeing the approach lights slowly emerge from the grey grunge on an approach.

I'm ready to sleep.

 

[LDJones]

As a VFR-only dude, this sounds terrifying. Well, maybe incredibly daunting is a better description. Glad you had a good flight!

As you train for it, the terror goes away and the challenge of it becomes a passion. Flying a well-executed approach to minimums is sorta akin to those landings so perfect that you're not sure if you're actually on the ground yet even though you are.

 

[asechrest]

As you train for it, the terror goes away and the challenge of it becomes a passion. Flying a well-executed approach to minimums is sorta akin to those landings so perfect that you're not sure if you're actually on the ground yet even though you are.

I guess I could see that. What really drew me in to flying after my first few lessons was the challenge of landing an airplane. The challenge of flying continues to be my favorite part.

 

[35 AoA]

When I first started instrument training, it was in the PNW this time of year. Absolutely perfect environment. Able to break out at 5-6k, no convective activity, not a whole lot of icing, and ceilings that were consistently low enough to be challenging while still being predictable. Basically that nice fall/early winter blanket layer that lacks much rain. To this day, I think my most satisfying flights involve manning up on a gloomy day, low ceilings, maybe some rain.....launching and climbing on top to a beautiful sunny day, then shooting a PAR or something at the end of the flight right back down underneath it into the gloom. Kind of a weird fetish or whatever, but I think it kind of highlights the freedom of flying. Actually, one of my favorite flights in recent memory was launching into real low weather, going in at a few hundred feet, and never breaking out until I got above 38k. Tooled around alone for a while as there was no real useful mission we could accomplish as a flight with that weather, dropped back into it, picked up some light icing (enough to raise the hairs on my neck anyway), hit some decent turbulence on the approach, and basically broke back out over the rabbit lights in driving rain and put her away for the night. Strange thing to like, but I do. Enjoy your training, IMC flying is the bread and butter of a professional aviator.

 

[LDJones]

I guess I could see that. What really drew me in to flying after my first few lessons was the challenge of landing an airplane. The challenge of flying continues to be my favorite part.

There are parallels in many sports. That sweet feeling of connecting perfectly with a golf ball that sails straight down the fairway for 300+ yards. That feeling keeps you coming back, hoping to experience it again!

Thankfully, flying adds the practical, utilitarian value of travel while striving for that perfection.

 

[LDJones]

When I first started instrument training, it was in the PNW this time of year. Absolutely perfect environment. Able to break out at 5-6k, no convective activity, not a whole lot of icing, and ceilings that were consistently low enough to be challenging while still being predictable. Basically that nice fall/early winter blanket layer that lacks much rain. To this day, I think my most satisfying flights involve manning up on a gloomy day, low ceilings, maybe some rain.....launching and climbing on top to a beautiful sunny day, then shooting a PAR or something at the end of the flight right back down underneath it into the gloom. Kind of a weird fetish or whatever, but I think it kind of highlights the freedom of flying. Actually, one of my favorite flights in recent memory was launching into real low weather, going in at a few hundred feet, and never breaking out until I got above 38k. Tooled around alone for a while as there was no real useful mission we could accomplish as a flight with that weather, dropped back into it, picked up some light icing (enough to raise the hairs on my neck anyway), hit some decent turbulence on the approach, and basically broke back out over the rabbit lights in driving rain and put her away for the night. Strange thing to like, but I do. Enjoy your training, IMC flying is the bread and butter of a professional aviator.

I can relate. Back in law school days when the doldrums of winter with their long, grey days would hit, I'd head out to the airport, file for a local IFR flight, then climb a thousand feet to bask in the blue skies and sunshine for half an hour. I'd then shoot the approach feeling reinvigorated, put the plane away and head back to the library for more studying!

 

[35 AoA]

BTW reading comprehension sucks for me. Enjoy your student's instrument training.

 

[LDJones]

BTW reading comprehension sucks for me. Enjoy your student's instrument training.

I understood!

So today we went back out in the twin, but in nice VFR for some multi training and complex time building. We throttled back to save gas and enjoy the view. She's got another four plus hours of x-c time in her logbook.

 

[jordane93]

i love flying ifr so much better than vfr. ever since i went through the clouds for the first time, ive been hooked