Bummed Out

[Terry]

Hi Everyone:

I passed my written instrument in January of 2005.

I had a difficult time with the ground school. I had a difficult time with the material. I had a difficult time with the class. (ASA Instrument Course)

Almost quit the class but a CFI friend of mine kept encouraging me and I finished the class.

After the class I purchased King's Instrument Course on video cassette.

After that I purchased Gleim's Instrument tutorial on CDROM.

I passed the written with a 90%.

Saved up money and started my IFR flying lessons. At the time our runway was closed for repaving. So........no IAP, no VOR except a few times. So my first lessons were slow flight, turns, headings, slow flight, turns, headings, slow flight turns, and headings. (Get the idea?)

Well, funds went low, enthusiasm went down, and student became frustated and finally quit.

I was flying all of my IFR on the simulator at home. I did go up with a safety pilot and he was amazed at how much I knew but how little I had done. Absolutely no radio work, no IFR anywhere except slow flight, turns, and headings.

Now, I am looking at my written expiring in January of 2007, 20 hours of hood time and no experience except slow flight, turns, and headings.

As you can tell I am still "bummed out." Any suggestions? I am now flying once a month to keep current and do well my VFR.

Should I let the IFR go or suck it up and finish? I know ultimately the decision is mine. Would just like some input from some others who understand.

Terry

P.S.> Did I mention that I had a lot of practice with slow flight, turns, and headings?

 

[TMetzinger]

Terry,

If you've now got the funds, then you should go for it. I highly recommend saving money until you can afford to fly at LEAST three hours a week and follow a structured syllabus. That will ensure you get instruction that's both complete and efficient. Trying to do the IR a little bit at a time generally doesn't work - you're training a whole new set of stimulus-response patterns and repetition is important.

Best wishes,

 

[gprellwitz]

Oh, I'd say you should definitely go for it. In Kansas you should have plenty of opportunity to do it during the summer, and it will give you a great sense of accomplishment. All the more so because you actually had to work for it!

It sounds like you've kept the spark of interest (and even some proficiency) alive through Flight Sim. The instructor will make sure you haven't picked up any bad habits and beat them out of you if you have.

See if you can take a couple of weeks this summer and make a CFII your close companion and get it done!

My wife and I got our instrument knowledge tests done in April 2005, so we're dealing with some of the same self-questioning.

 

[Shipoke]

Welcome to the club Terry, i took my written Feb 2005.have same problem "No Money".
I will finish up my IR if it kills me(figure of speach).
Stay with it and "GET-R-DONE"
Dave G.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I highly recommend saving money until you can afford to fly at LEAST three hours a week and follow a structured syllabus. That will ensure you get instruction that's both complete and efficient. Trying to do the IR a little bit at a time generally doesn't work - you're training a whole new set of stimulus-response patterns and repetition is important.

Terry,

The above advice is golden.

I know how you feel. My IR was a start-stop mess due to finances and schedule. It seemed like it would never end until it finally did (I passed my checkride yesterday ).

Instrument flying is difficult. First you have to tell your brain that the sense of balance you have that's worked for you since you first stood up isn't telling you the truth any more, and learn to trust the instruments. Then, you have to learn NOT to trust the instruments, and to cross-check them. Both of the above depend not only on seeing the instruments, but interpreting them. This skill must be practiced regularly for a long time before it really starts to stick. It'll get rusty very quickly in the beginning, so a once-every-other-week schedule just won't cut it. Time on the computer with a good flight simulator and yoke setup will help, though.

You also have to learn the system. There's an entirely new set of knowledge and procedures for IFR flying. Everything from "What does 'established on the approach' really mean, and when can I descend?" to lost comm, required reports, and much more.

Be prepared for all of the frustration, hard work, and payoff that you got from the private to be multiplied by a factor of 10. There's nothing nearly as humbling as instrument training! However, the payoff is excellent. When you see the approach lights appear out of the murk right in front of you and successfully complete a flight on a day that 2/3 of pilots are stuck on the ground, it'll all be worth it. When you are on top of a solid undercast enjoying the view of the puffy white landscape beneath you and the clear blue sky above, thinking about how the tens of thousands of ground pounders (and even VFR pilots) below you are having a crappy gray depressing-weather day, it'll all be worth it. When you see your first glory, when you triumph over the challenges, and when you get that instrument ticket... It'll all be worth it.

There... Motivated now?

 

[spiderweb]

My general advice is to get the IR, but I have some questions:

1) Are there airports near you with IAPs? I don't understand why your CFII didn't go there with you, if there is something close by.

2) If there is NOT an airport with an IAP close by, can you go somewhere where there IS one? This might mean chosing a big flight school somewhere and finishing up in a week or two.

3) Do you have the money to do this? I guess you should answer that question first.

In my case, I was taking the occasional lesson, but couldn't put it together without starting to concentrate the lessons. I was probably halfway through, and I knew I needed to fly three times a week for a few weeks to get ready. I didn't have the money at hand, so I took out a six-month loan. I liked that method, because I didn't have to worry about the money (while I was still training). I made sure that I had enough left to fly three IFR flights immediately after the rating, just to solidify things. Then, as I paid my loan off, I just flew less frequently. Now it is paid off, and I fly my normal 6-10 hours per month.

I tend to be negative, always feeling that I can't do something. I have to "yell" at myself to straighten up, fly right, and get going. It worked, and I'm very happy. Having the instrument rating has made my flying much more useful, and it is my opinion that serious pilots need this rating.

 

[AdamZ]

The IR is a great rating I'd stick with it if you can. I did mine very traditionally at a 141 school. perhpas your CFI is not motivated. I don't knnow much about them I have heard both good and bad but how about taking an intense " Finish up Course" there are seveal offered all over the country some will even send a CFI to your location. Some folks on the board must have some info on this.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

I don't see why you continued to do so much slow flight, etc. useing up resources but that's air in the slipstream at this point. With all that experience and all your past and continued sim time, the rating is well within your grasp in another 20 hours or so, well before the end of prime summertime IFR training WX. Don't sweat it, just keep at it in a more structured way.

 

[grattonja]

Finish up. You won't regret it. A. You'll be a better pilot overall for it. B. No more getting stuck by minor weather. No boomers or ice, but those pesky lows that can sit for days won't ground you ever again.

Jim G

 

[Len Lanetti]

I remember wondering when I'd start working on approaches and other more interesting stuff after what seamed like a lot of basic attitude flying under the hood. I don't remember how many hours I did A and B patterns and the like but I don't think it was a much as 20 hours. Maybe you have accumulated that much because of stopping and starting or for other reasons such as IAP being notam as out of service or such.

Something that I think is interesting about the instrument rating is that the pilot taking instruction already knows how to fly. The flying is all about fine tuning skills and learning set procedures. Does the school you are using work from a syllabus? If so, ask to see it. If not, perhaps a discussion with your CFII and perhaps a change of school is in order.

Len

 

[gismo]

Should I let the IFR go or suck it up and finish? I know ultimately the decision is mine. Would just like some input from some others who understand.

Terry

P.S.> Did I mention that I had a lot of practice with slow flight, turns, and headings?

I think you'd better do some more slow flight, turns, and headings (just kidding).

I can relate because I ended up taking the written twice due to a lack of progress/motivation after the first time around. Taking the test a second time definitely gave me serious motivation to finish the rating before a third test was necessary but the real push came when I got stranded due to easily flyable IMC a couple times.

Do you currently or are you wanting to fly cross country trips? If so an IR would be very desireable and definitely worth the effort, but if not maybe you'd be better off spending your training dollars on a commercial rating or a tailwheel endorsement. Both involve stick and rudder skills which you might find more enjoyable.

I'm also wondering if you got stuck with "slow flight, turns, and headings" because the CFII felt you needed more polish on the basics before going on to the complicated stuff like approaches and holds. If you were able to fly the A and B patterns or other similar maneuvers within acceptable limits then it would have been time to move on, but there's not much point attempting to tackle approaches before you've developed an adequate scan so it's possible that you were stuck there for some reason. And if that was the case I'd say it still could be due to the CFII's lack of ability to teach you that skill and therefore time to try another.

 

[jdwatson]

I certainly understand about funds. Corporate America downsized my Bride and she was the bread-winner here.

The instrument rating was by far my favorite rating. The challenge of the rating cemented my love for flying.

I'm a huge fan of COMM1's Clearances on Request and IFR Radio Simulator. Nothing like COR will get your copying & read-backs in shape. I also like to drive over to KRDU (Class C) and dial-up clearance delivery freq and copy clearances for a while. Doing the exercises on both CDs will get your used to the phrase-ology of the controllers.

Don't give up. IMHO, nothing will make you a better pilot like the Instrument Rating. The weather knowledge alone makes it worthwhile, add the precision control you will have... there's nothing like it.

 

[Terry]

Thanks everyone!

I am going to sit out a couple of months and build funds and then finish up the course.

I may use the same CFII or change to another. I will talk to the original CFII and see how the conservation goes. We are friends and I can honestly tell him how I feel. (Of course he may have knee jerk reactions but I'll make sure I am at a safe distance and not under the hood. )

I had a syallabus, somewhere, and will get him to using it. Also, I felt he had too many irons in the fire, cell phone, friends, late for appointments, and even cancelling a couple of appointments.

That said, I feel he is a good instructor but just trying to shuffle too many things at once.

I live in a rural area. Actually rural, would be an improvement. There is another CFII with a different company but I hate to start with another CFII in the middle of my training.

I may be a little slow to "catch on" due to my age but if that was the case it was never brought to my attention. I have over 50 hours of instrument on my simulator and fly to minimums.

Sooooooooo thanks for all your encouragement and advice.

I will finish up before I have to take the written again.

Terry

P.S.> I live so far out of town, that when we hunt, we hunt toward town.
Taco Bell is not a telephone company.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

deleted.

 

[jdwatson]

Nothing like immersion to get the job done. It might prove to be cheaper too. Didn't someone on this board recently do that with GATTS ?