IFR Training?

[jasc15]

So pretty much every pilot i talk to strongly recommends instrument training to follow my VFR training. I haven't budgeted for this, though i suppose i could throw a few more bucks at this thing. Also, since i plan on flying VFR anyway after my PPL, it wouldnt be too much more to pay for an IFR instructor. Is it uncommon for pilots to stop at VFR?

 

[wsuffa]

So pretty much every pilot i talk to strongly recommends instrument training to follow my VFR training. I haven't budgeted for this, though i suppose i could throw a few more bucks at this thing. Also, since i plan on flying VFR anyway after my PPL, it wouldnt be too much more to pay for an IFR instructor. Is it uncommon for pilots to stop at VFR?

There is no right answer.

It depends on you, your needs, and your plans for flying in the future.

If you plan on just joyriding, renting a plane for $100 hamburger runs, etc. then IFR may not be necessary.

If you plan on doing trips, especially with family, or other flying where you have to be somewhere (or be back) at a certain time, then you will want to do the IFR.

It comes down to utility.

I see you're on Long Island - the east is particularly notorious for weather changes and cloudy periods. OTOH, the southwest (Phoenix, Abq., West Texas) tends to be clearer. That factors in, too.

So... if you plan to go down to the Jersey shore or up to Cape Cod for a weekend, and you NEED to be back Sunday night, you'll be looking at IFR training pretty fast. If you want to sightsee or have no timetables, then VFR may be OK.

 

[dmccormack]

So pretty much every pilot i talk to strongly recommends instrument training to follow my VFR training. I haven't budgeted for this, though i suppose i could throw a few more bucks at this thing. Also, since i plan on flying VFR anyway after my PPL, it wouldnt be too much more to pay for an IFR instructor. Is it uncommon for pilots to stop at VFR?

If you're going to do more than fun around-the-patch flying, an instrument rating makes sense.

That said, it's unlikely you'll want to fly IFR XC in a primary trainer.

So the question to IFR/not to IFR? is more a function of your personal commitment to flying (read dollars)

 

[CJones]

If you're going to do the IR, make sure you have the right motivation. It can be a pretty intense rating to earn. If you're not in it 100% it can make you hate flying altogether.

I flew for 5 years VFR only, covering some major chunks of land. I only got stranded two or three times in those 5 years, but my schedule at that time of my life allowed me to be gone for an extra day or two without any problems. Nowadays, I don't have that much flexibility in my schedule. IR allows me to make *some* (but not ALL) trips that I couldn't do with VFR only.

Depends on what you want to do with flying, as mentioned in previoius posts.

 

[EdFred]

It also depends on your flying schedule. My dad will (probably) never go for his instrument rating, because if the weather is nasty out, he's not going to want to go where he's headed anyway, and will wait a day or two to depart/return.

My first few trips were not schedule manipulation condusive and it prompted me to start right into my IR.

 

[gismo]

This decision need not be made on a permanent basis either. You may find that the limitations of VFR only flight don't significantly impact your anticipated use of an airplane and then change your opinion on that after some time. Many pilots (especially those with expectations that their ability to fly will provide them with reliable transportation on a schedule) choose to begin their IR training immediately upon passing their PPL checkride. Some may begin IR training simply because they enjoy the training environment and want to continue the experience at a higher level.

But for anyone who doesn't feel that way, a few years of aviation experiences might enforce or altera that perception. IOW there's no pressing need to jump right into training for another rating just because you've cleared a previous hurdle. There's certainly some long run advantage to acquiring some VFR experience prior to taking on the complexity of IFR flight, and as long as the pilot involved is willing and capable of operating within his VFR limitations I see no safety risk whatsoever (assuming that failure to complete a flight as planned doesn't result in bodily harm imparted by friends and family of said pilot whose plans are disrupted).

There are two reasons why some of your fellow pilot's will try to convince you to start IR training immediately and neither might apply to you. One is that since VFR into IMC is one of the leading if not the leading fatal accident cause, it's common to assume that an instrument rating will eliminate that entire opportunity to harm yourself (and anyone with you). But the reality is that VFR into IMC is usually a judgement issue rather than a ratings issue and that same lack of judgement is likely to catch up with you even after passing another checkride. The other is that most VFR pilots that use their piloting abilities to transport themselves long distances will have had to abort or cancel a flight due to weather that could have been safely flown under IFR. And although an IR doesn't make one immune to weather (ironically it actually leaves you adversely affected by weather more often!) it does tend to improve your flight completion record significantly in many areas of the country. But when those same pilots insist that an IR is necessary, they are projecting their wants/needs onto others who may have different objectives.

So, the bottom line is: If you want/need to extend your mission capabilities ASAP to include flying with less than good VFR (and that's a lot better than 1000 ft ceilings and 3 miles visibility) then by all means begin your IR training as soon as your schedule and finances permit. But if you feel that you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of your current license and would rather do that than put a lot of time and money into the next level, that's OK as well.

 

[ghayes]

I can’t add any additional advice to the above posts, this is just an account my flying “career”.

Got my PPL just for the fun of it 11 years ago in PA. After 9 years of VFR-only flight logging about 400 hrs, I decided to get my IR. It was a hard decision, as you can see. The biggest justification I had difficulty answering is the amount of work that’s required to maintain proficiency. I’d say IFR requires a pretty high level of proficiency to really be able to use it. You don’t want to get it with the attitude “just in case” because if you don’t maintain proficiency, you might as well not bother.

I finally decided to get it because, like in Long Island, the PA weather can be socked in to VFR pilots for days, even weeks. I was flying more often than before and, frankly, getting tired of not being able to fly on perfectly good IFR days.

The IR helped that, but as was said, it doesn’t solve it with trainers. You’ve got icing for more than half the year to worry about, then t-storms the other half. Then you have fog to worry about in the NE, which normally grounds most trainers.

So now, two years later, I logged about 5 hrs actual. That’s not a lot based on how much it costs. Am I proficient right now? No … current yes, but not proficient to the point I’d feel like flying an approach in actuals. Am I sorry I got it? No, you do learn a lot that isn’t just for IMC. In fact, I started to recommend to other pilots who aren’t IR to study and take the IFR written, even if you never plan to get an IR. The written is relatively cheap (enough material is free on the FAA website) and you do, indeed, learn a lot.

 

[MikePapa]

Once you get done with your private, you are in learning mode. If you wait a while to start your IFR training, you'll have to get back into hardcore learning mode, which can be difficult for some as it was for me. I went several years, almost 500 hours, and several cross countries in every sense of the phrase before I got my IFR.

There were many times I spent sitting on the ground waiting out a stratus layer somewhere along my route that would have been easy to bust through with an instrument ticket, but I knew, understood, and planned for those instances. If you fly far enough, it's just about inevitable that you're going to have to deal with weather somewhere along the way. You shouldn't even leave home unless you're prepared to wait it out in a hotel room somewhere for a few days if necessary.

So there are obvious advantages to getting your IFR ASAP, but this doesn't always fit your budget or your life. However, if you're only going out an burning holes in the sky anyway, you might as well be doing something productive with those hours.

Whether you decide to pursue your IFR right away or not, I would strongly encourage you to learn as much as you can about the weather. In some ways, a VFR pilot needs to know more about the weather than an IFR pilot, but sadly most VFR pilots don't pursue that knowledge until you start to work on your IFR and you have no choice.

 

[Bob Noel]

I went ahead and got the instrument rating because of the extra margin it provides me. When I'm not current, I'm no worse off than any VFR-only pilot. When I'm current then I have that extra margin - I don't have to scud run.

 

[poadeleted20]

Spending time post-PPL building your experience and skill (especially XC's and radio comm at towered/C/B airports) can make IR training a lot easier.

 

[jasc15]

Thanks for the input everyone. I will probably stay with the VFR until i feel like i am limited to the extent of needing an IR. I agree, however, that it will certainly pay to study for and possibly take the IFR test, even if i dont get the rating. It can only help.

 

[ghayes]

Thanks for the input everyone. I will probably stay with the VFR until i feel like i am limited to the extent of needing an IR. I agree, however, that it will certainly pay to study for and possibly take the IFR test, even if i dont get the rating. It can only help.

And remember that written is good for two years.