IFR Currency

[ateamer]

My six-month IFR currency expired in June. Last week I did a hold and three approaches under the hood, in VFR, with a safety pilot. I need three more approaches to regain currency. Can I do them in actual on an IFR clearance, solo, or do they have to be under VFR?

 

[DrMack]

If you are not current, you cannot file and fly an IFR flight plan as PIC.

 

[alaskaflyer]

More accurately... you cannot accept an IFR clearance. You can file and fly flight plans all day long so long as you don't

 

[midlifeflyer]

You can do them in actual with an IFR clearance, so long as you have a current instrument pilot on board to act as PIC. Otherwise, not being current, you're relegated to VFR.

 

[poadeleted20]

You can also get them on the ground in a sim under the supervision of an instructor.

 

[ateamer]

Thanks. I'll do 'em in VFR with a safety pilot and make sure I stay current in the future.

 

[DrMack]

More accurately... you cannot accept an IFR clearance. You can file and fly flight plans all day long so long as you don't

What alaskaflyer said.

 

[AggieMike88]

You can also get them on the ground in a sim under the supervision of an instructor.

Good to know for my future IFR. There's a really good sim center near to me that would help with this. http://atrcsim.com/home

 

[BillTIZ]

Good to know for my future IFR. There's a really good sim center near to me that would help with this. http://atrcsim.com/home

Great idea. But I did not see any costs on the web page.

 

[Gubbins]

Great idea. But I did not see any costs on the web page.

The full motion sim is $75/hr. I just went there last week. It's a great resource. I hope they do well and stick around.

 

[spiderweb]

I recommend regaining currency--on the sim or in the plane--with a CFI-IA, rather than with a safety pilot.

 

[BillTIZ]

The full motion sim is $75/hr. I just went there last week. It's a great resource. I hope they do well and stick around.

With instructor? That would be a great price.
Even adding $55-$65 for a CFII would still be worth the price of admission considering an airplane alone is $140/hr and you can get almost twice the number and varied approaches in the SIM.

 

[poadeleted20]

With instructor? That would be a great price.

Since most flight schools seem to pay their instructors very little, typical "with instructor" rates tend to be about $35-40/hr more than the rate for the aircraft/sim. Seems to me that most FTD/ATD rates at local flight schools are about $60-75/hour with instructor. Of course, YMMV.

 

[BillTIZ]

Since most flight schools seem to pay their instructors very little, typical "with instructor" rates tend to be about $35-40/hr more than the rate for the aircraft/sim. Seems to me that most FTD/ATD rates at local flight schools are about $60-75/hour with instructor. Of course, YMMV.

Local flight school sim, I forget the exact FTD, but it's not a RedBird, is about $65/hr plus $55/hr for CFII. The FTD uses WingX Pro on large screens about 5 feet in front of the cockpit. The "enclosed" cockpit has one large LCD for the std 6 pack flight instruments, with knobs at the bottom for radial selection, etc.. Garmin 430 Nav is tied into the system. The LCD can replicate Cessna, Bonanza, simple twin, Be58P or Kingair 90.