Got my IR wet today

[ChemGuy]

Well more like moist. About .3 in and out of some light puffy cb.
Nice intro since ceilings were 4k+ and not hard imc the whole way.
It's a little different without someone to slap your wrist if you get out of hand.

Now to keep building on that.

 

[Somedudeintn]

Congrats! I hope to be finishing my IR training in a few months and will be looking forward to logging some actual without a CFII in the right seat!

 

[Kritchlow]

The title sounds a bit naughty...

 

[AustinPilot]

Feels good! I did my training over the winter and got a fair bit of IMC. I sorta miss it after flying all summer through nothing more than little broken layers.

 

[jordane93]

The title sounds a bit naughty...

 

[frfly172]

Congrats,your going to enjoy the new freedom.

 

[azure]

The title sounds a bit naughty...

Heh...

Congrats to the OP!

 

[OkieAviator]

Good plan. Being instrument rated all of 3 days I'm looking for some 2k ceiling days to do some XC IFR flights. Today would be good, but with some possible thunderstorms not going to try it.

 

[azure]

Good plan. Being instrument rated all of 3 days I'm looking for some 2k ceiling days to do some XC IFR flights. Today would be good, but with some possible thunderstorms not going to try it.

Everyone has their own comfort level, but consider that you will probably never be more proficient than you are today. You are absolutely capable of flying a precision approach to minimums, or the DPE would not have signed you off.

Now a forecast of embedded thunderstorms is a very good reason to stay out of the clouds, regardless of your experience level!

 

[overdrive148]

Good plan. Being instrument rated all of 3 days I'm looking for some 2k ceiling days to do some XC IFR flights. Today would be good, but with some possible thunderstorms not going to try it.

 

[jordane93]

Everyone has their own comfort level, but consider that you will probably never be more proficient than you are today. You are absolutely capable of flying a precision approach to minimums, or the DPE would not have signed you off.

Now a forecast of embedded thunderstorms is a very good reason to stay out of the clouds, regardless of your experience level!

Yep. My personal minimums are the minimums prescribed on the approach plate. The day after I got my ticket I shot an approach almost down to minimums.

 

[Triggerhappyjack]

I was probably flying in some of the same clouds. Did a short XC from LZU to CZL and back.

 

[beestforwardspeed]

Everyone has their own comfort level, but consider that you will probably never be more proficient than you are today. You are absolutely capable of flying a precision approach to minimums, or the DPE would not have signed you off.

Now a forecast of embedded thunderstorms is a very good reason to stay out of the clouds, regardless of your experience level!

Absolutely right on the money Azure!! When I first had my ticket, I wanted my first flight to be only in ceilings high enough to not need an approach, but its silly to think that because although my confidence is higher now than back then, my skills were at their best right after I passed.

 

[BigBadLou]

Glad to hear that you had some fun.

I am also waiting to finish my IR training (too hot to fly in 105F down here in TX in the summer) and hoping for some good ceilings toward the end of my training so that we can shoot some approached in real soup with the CFII.

 

[OkieAviator]

Everyone has their own comfort level, but consider that you will probably never be more proficient than you are today. You are absolutely capable of flying a precision approach to minimums, or the DPE would not have signed you off.

Now a forecast of embedded thunderstorms is a very good reason to stay out of the clouds, regardless of your experience level!

I'm very much about mitigating risk. While obviously I have confidence I am able to fly approaches to minimums, I prefer to gradually get to that point while solo. So flew in some IMC today, high ceiling but got to experience flying in the clouds and it was a bit different than wearing the foggles. Overall very fun and look forward to some lower ceilings and then shooting some approaches solo.

 

[azure]

I'm very much about mitigating risk. While obviously I have confidence I am able to fly approaches to minimums, I prefer to gradually get to that point while solo. So flew in some IMC today, high ceiling but got to experience flying in the clouds and it was a bit different than wearing the foggles. Overall very fun and look forward to some lower ceilings and then shooting some approaches solo.

I won't fault anyone for caution, that's for sure!

I don't know what it's like in OK, but here if I pass up a chance at flyable IMC I regret it because it might be a long time before the next opportunity comes up. A couple of Sundays ago we had persistent low ceilings throughout the morning, but unfortunately I was committed to a hike (couldn't cancel, as 3 people were counting on using my car for spotting purposes). And that was the only opportunity in the last two months!

Well, until today, sort of. The forecast was for persistent BKN-OVC010 or so, I got up at 0500 and was out the door by 0800 (being in a community hangar, I have to wait for the FBO owner to arrive to pull me out). By the time I was in the air, it was already scattering out!

I refused to accept defeat and begged ATC for a clearance to Concord, NH, where the reports said it was still socked in. I got there in a half hour and did manage to get a couple of approaches in before the field went VFR, but frankly I hesitate to log them as I was in and out of the clouds. Ditto for the approach I shot after that at Rochester, NH.

It's kind of the story of my life here as an instrument pilot, chasing the low weather to no avail and never really getting in any good instrument practice.

All that to point out that it's very difficult to stay proficient by shooting approaches in actual, at least in many areas, because of lack of flyable IFR weather. I suspect the southern plains might have a lot of convective weather and very little that's benign enough to fly in. If that's the case, and good weather comes along and you don't feel confident enough to do it by yourself, grab a CFII but whatever you do, don't let the opportunity pass!

 

[azure]

Absolutely right on the money Azure!! When I first had my ticket, I wanted my first flight to be only in ceilings high enough to not need an approach, but its silly to think that because although my confidence is higher now than back then, my skills were at their best right after I passed.

Yup. Fortunately I had a good CFII who knew I was capable and encouraged me to do a solo run in hard IFR a week after getting my ticket. Back in Michigan I had many good flights shooting approaches by myself in weather low enough that sometimes I couldn't get back in at home base.

Here it's just dismal. It's very rare that I can get up in actual, so I've done two IPCs already to stay current and I still feel that my skills are not up to where they should be - though not to the point where I'm afraid to go up in it, not yet anyway. But I know for 100% certain that I was at my best right after the checkride.

 

[Kritchlow]

Personally I'm not a fan of a day 1 approach to minimums. I remember my first true minimums approach. My heart was racing that's for sure. Ceiling indefinite 0, 1800 RVR. Runway 6 KBDL in a C310. I obviously did a bunch with a hood, but there's just no way a hood simulates 1800 RVR.

I think it's damn smart to ease into it. And yes, I think an experienced instrument pilot is likely sharper than a brand new guy. Ymmv.

 

[azure]

Personally I'm not a fan of a day 1 approach to minimums. I remember my first true minimums approach. My heart was racing that's for sure. Ceiling indefinite 0, 1800 RVR. Runway 6 KBDL in a C310. I obviously did a bunch with a hood, but there's just no way a hood simulates 1800 RVR.

I've only done a couple to absolute minimums, so I don't have anywhere near the experience you have. My first was the ILS 4 at KPHN. I don't remember what the vis was, it was OVC002 so getting in would have been a lucky break. I was spring loaded to miss, and when I didn't see the runway I missed. Unless there is pressure to get in, I don't see why anyone's heart should be racing. But I don't fly professionally, and I always carry more than enough fuel, so I've never been in that kind of situation.

I think it's damn smart to ease into it. And yes, I think an experienced instrument pilot is likely sharper than a brand new guy. Ymmv.

Sharper? Of course, I have no doubt of that, flying is a constant learning experience and I'm sure the more experienced guy knows the system better and has the better knowledge of weather and other hazards, probably the better spidey sense for situations that can deteriorate quickly as well. But that doesn't mean that a freshly minted IR should be afraid of low IFR as long as it's otherwise benign (no icing, no convective weather, no low-level turbulence or wind shear). Be sure you have plenty of outs, carry as much fuel as you can, and above all don't let yourself get pressured into pushing lower than the regs allow.