Terry
Line Up and Wait
Hi everyone,
I earned my instrument rating at 61 years old. It was hard and it was tough.
I started first with a young instructor teaching a ground class. I was lost through much of the ground school portion. I was able to take my written and pass with a 98% but I had memorized all the correct answers and still did not fully understand the instrument rating.
I went up a total of 3 times with this young instructor. The 2nd time up was at night, under the hood, and we flew right into a thunderstorm about 3 miles out of the airport. I took the hood off and said, "Let's get this plane on the ground!" He agreed, took the airplane, and we landed and taxied back to the hangar. He did not charge me for that time.
The next time up, he was busy texting and seemed to be disconnected from the training lesson. We landed and I never went up again. In his defense, maybe because I was old enough to be his grandfather, he thought I knew what to do.
I had a difficult time learning the GPS. Bendix/King. So, I took a CFII friend with me and he flew while I played with the GPS and I flew and he helped me with the GPS. Once I got the GPS down, 90% of my IFR problems went away. It took a tremendous work load off of me when I finally mastered the GPS.
Well, my written expired and I studied again with King's and with ASF and with Sporty's. Retook the written exam and made a 92% but this time I understood what I was doing.
Three years had passed and I knew if I didn't get this IFR training completed, I would be forced to quit for good.
I called PIC. My instructor came out of Garland, Texas. He had 8500 hours and was very calm and relaxed. (6500 was dual instruction)
The first day we went over items on the simulator, mainly finding myself, and figuring out where I was in respect to VOR's and airports.
The next day we started flying in the airplane. The weather was cold, freezing fog, very windy, and the roughest weather I have ever encountered. On one occasion, I had my hood come off from being bounced around in the airplane.
The first 2 days it was so rough that I could barely control the airplane. After flying all day I would have trouble walking and was swearing I was going to quit. I became really frustrated one time and told my instructor if he could do a better job to take the controls and show me how. He took the controls and within 3 seconds it was smooth and stable. (show off
)
The 3rd day it finally "clicked" and the airplane started cooperating. For the 1st time I was ahead of the airplane and was comfortable flying in IMC. Now, he said, let's go do some approaches.
My first ILS was in fog with a three hundred foot ceiling and 1 mile visibility. I nailed it. From then on it was down hill.
He stayed another 2 days at my request and 1 month later I passed my IR check-ride. The day of my check-ride the wind was 25 to 35 and gusting to 45. My examiner asked if I wanted to perform a checkride in these conditions and I said yes. Fortunately the wind was right down the runway.
I had a 1 1/2 oral and a 2 hour check ride.
What I rambled on so long for is that us older pilots take a little longer to learn the bells and whistles. Personally, I fly IFR just fine without a GPS. I am not used to all the latest gadgets. Frankly, the less I have to look at and adjust and set the better off I am.
For me, having my ducks all lined up BEFORE I fly in IMC is critical. If it is too bad, I put the flight off. I keep my minimums to 800' and 3 miles.
Now, I haven't flown IFR enough so that is why I decided to take a retired friend to sit in the right seat until I get my confidence back.
Yes sir, an OLD dog can learn a NEW Trick.
Terry
I earned my instrument rating at 61 years old. It was hard and it was tough.
I started first with a young instructor teaching a ground class. I was lost through much of the ground school portion. I was able to take my written and pass with a 98% but I had memorized all the correct answers and still did not fully understand the instrument rating.
I went up a total of 3 times with this young instructor. The 2nd time up was at night, under the hood, and we flew right into a thunderstorm about 3 miles out of the airport. I took the hood off and said, "Let's get this plane on the ground!" He agreed, took the airplane, and we landed and taxied back to the hangar. He did not charge me for that time.
The next time up, he was busy texting and seemed to be disconnected from the training lesson. We landed and I never went up again. In his defense, maybe because I was old enough to be his grandfather, he thought I knew what to do.
I had a difficult time learning the GPS. Bendix/King. So, I took a CFII friend with me and he flew while I played with the GPS and I flew and he helped me with the GPS. Once I got the GPS down, 90% of my IFR problems went away. It took a tremendous work load off of me when I finally mastered the GPS.
Well, my written expired and I studied again with King's and with ASF and with Sporty's. Retook the written exam and made a 92% but this time I understood what I was doing.
Three years had passed and I knew if I didn't get this IFR training completed, I would be forced to quit for good.
I called PIC. My instructor came out of Garland, Texas. He had 8500 hours and was very calm and relaxed. (6500 was dual instruction)
The first day we went over items on the simulator, mainly finding myself, and figuring out where I was in respect to VOR's and airports.
The next day we started flying in the airplane. The weather was cold, freezing fog, very windy, and the roughest weather I have ever encountered. On one occasion, I had my hood come off from being bounced around in the airplane.
The first 2 days it was so rough that I could barely control the airplane. After flying all day I would have trouble walking and was swearing I was going to quit. I became really frustrated one time and told my instructor if he could do a better job to take the controls and show me how. He took the controls and within 3 seconds it was smooth and stable. (show off
)The 3rd day it finally "clicked" and the airplane started cooperating. For the 1st time I was ahead of the airplane and was comfortable flying in IMC. Now, he said, let's go do some approaches.
My first ILS was in fog with a three hundred foot ceiling and 1 mile visibility. I nailed it. From then on it was down hill.
He stayed another 2 days at my request and 1 month later I passed my IR check-ride. The day of my check-ride the wind was 25 to 35 and gusting to 45. My examiner asked if I wanted to perform a checkride in these conditions and I said yes. Fortunately the wind was right down the runway.
I had a 1 1/2 oral and a 2 hour check ride.
What I rambled on so long for is that us older pilots take a little longer to learn the bells and whistles. Personally, I fly IFR just fine without a GPS. I am not used to all the latest gadgets. Frankly, the less I have to look at and adjust and set the better off I am.
For me, having my ducks all lined up BEFORE I fly in IMC is critical. If it is too bad, I put the flight off. I keep my minimums to 800' and 3 miles.
Now, I haven't flown IFR enough so that is why I decided to take a retired friend to sit in the right seat until I get my confidence back.
Yes sir, an OLD dog can learn a NEW Trick.
Terry
No rubbing it in about us being old coots.
