I'm in the clouds now

snoboy

snoboy

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Aug 17, 2012
Messages
176
Location
Maple Valley Wa
Display Name
snoboy
Home Airfield
KRNT Renton Wa
Happy to say after a year and a half of training I passed my IFR checkride today. WOW what a big weight off my shoulders. I can't say I aced it, in fact I thought I'd blown it at one point getting the needle right at but not exceeding 3/4 scale. I sorta over corrected then re over corrected. I basically muscled it back to center the needle and was waiting to hear..."I'm sorry" but I kept on flying and before I knew it I was on my home RNAV approach setting up for a circle to land. I extended the flaps and I thought "I'm really gonna make it". Once taxied back my Examiner said "well take off your glove so I can shake your hand, you made it" Awesome.

Mike
 
snoboy said:
Happy to say after a year and a half of training I passed my IFR checkride today. WOW what a big weight off my shoulders. I can't say I aced it, in fact I thought I'd blown it at one point getting the needle right at but not exceeding 3/4 scale. I sorta over corrected then re over corrected. I basically muscled it back to center the needle and was waiting to hear..."I'm sorry" but I kept on flying and before I knew it I was on my home RNAV approach setting up for a circle to land. I extended the flaps and I thought "I'm really gonna make it". Once taxied back my Examiner said "well take off your glove so I can shake your hand, you made it" Awesome.

Mike
Click to expand...

Congratulations! The IR is a serious and challenging goal, and you persevered!
 
Congrats! How frequent were your lessons such that you could complete the IR in a year and a half?
 
Congrats!!! Out of the 3 checkrides I've taken it was by far the hardest.
 
Congrats. Use the ticket, it is some of the most fun flying I do, unfortunately, the weather in Florida is often too nice to do any true IFR.
 
snoboy said:
Happy to say after a year and a half of training I passed my IFR checkride today. WOW what a big weight off my shoulders. I can't say I aced it, in fact I thought I'd blown it at one point getting the needle right at but not exceeding 3/4 scale. I sorta over corrected then re over corrected. I basically muscled it back to center the needle and was waiting to hear..."I'm sorry" but I kept on flying and before I knew it I was on my home RNAV approach setting up for a circle to land. I extended the flaps and I thought "I'm really gonna make it". Once taxied back my Examiner said "well take off your glove so I can shake your hand, you made it" Awesome.

Mike
Click to expand...

Way to go, congrats.
My old CFII would say, "Now you're a real pilot".
 
Congratulations! I am just staring on that journey myself.
 
There should be 'pomp and circumstance' for the IR ticket. Well deserved!
 
bem411s said:
There should be 'pomp and circumstance' for the IR ticket. Well deserved!
Click to expand...

I hear that...

I started training Monday in our 182RG. A beautiful airplane that really hauls the mail. It has a wonderful avionics suite consisting of:
260 HP 3 blade McCauley
Retractable
State of the art avionics stack: GPS / WAAS / NAV / COM: GNS 480
Alamo engine/prop modification
Multifunction Display: GMX 200
Engine Monitor: JPI EDM-711
Audio Panel: GMA 340
Transponder: GTX 330
#2 NAV/COM: SL30
Autopilot: S-Tec System 50
Traffic Information System (TIS)
XM Weather
StormScope

I got checked out in it VFR a few years back but I'm already learning that it's IFR capabilities are where it really shines.
 
snoboy said:
I hear that...

I started training Monday in our 182RG. A beautiful airplane that really hauls the mail. It has a wonderful avionics suite consisting of:
...
State of the art avionics stack: GPS / WAAS / NAV / COM: GNS 480
...
Multifunction Display: GMX 200
...
#2 NAV/COM: SL30
Autopilot: S-Tec System 50
Traffic Information System (TIS)
XM Weather
StormScope

I got checked out in it VFR a few years back but I'm already learning that it's IFR capabilities are where it really shines.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a great airplane to be flying IFR! I have a similar avionics suite: GNS 480, GMX 200, SL-30, S-Tec 30 plus ADS-B, XM weather, StormScope (and a Sandel eHSI). The airplane though is a relatively underpowered 177RG... I wish it was a 182RG!

Do you have an instructor who really knows the 480? If not (or even if so), you might want to check out the GNS480 users group on Yahoo if you haven't already. The 480 is a great unit, more capable in some ways than the 430 or 530, but it has a completely different buttonology and it also has some quirks that can show up as gotchas at the worst possible time if you're not prepared. I've posted about a couple of my experiences with it here. Most CFIIs have never flown with one, or don't know it that well if they have. My first CFII just watched me and never bothered to learn it, and only my finish-up CFII was ambitious enough to really try to learn its ins and outs. By then, of course, I was close to the checkride and he was playing catch-up. So I am pretty much self-taught with the unit, which is possible but definitely makes the 480 seem less user-friendly than the better-known 430.

One of the users group 480 experts has also written an excellent manual that fills in a lot of the gaps in the Pilots Guide. He is close to releasing a new edition of the manual.
 
azure said:
That sounds like a great airplane to be flying IFR! I have a similar avionics suite: GNS 480, GMX 200, SL-30, S-Tec 30 plus ADS-B, XM weather, StormScope (and a Sandel eHSI). The airplane though is a relatively underpowered 177RG... I wish it was a 182RG!

Do you have an instructor who really knows the 480? If not (or even if so), you might want to check out the GNS480 users group on Yahoo if you haven't already. The 480 is a great unit, more capable in some ways than the 430 or 530, but it has a completely different buttonology and it also has some quirks that can show up as gotchas at the worst possible time if you're not prepared. I've posted about a couple of my experiences with it here. Most CFIIs have never flown with one, or don't know it that well if they have. My first CFII just watched me and never bothered to learn it, and only my finish-up CFII was ambitious enough to really try to learn its ins and outs. By then, of course, I was close to the checkride and he was playing catch-up. So I am pretty much self-taught with the unit, which is possible but definitely makes the 480 seem less user-friendly than the better-known 430.

One of the users group 480 experts has also written an excellent manual that fills in a lot of the gaps in the Pilots Guide. He is close to releasing a new edition of the manual.
Click to expand...

Fortunately for me my Instructor lives and breaths the 480 as he also has one in is personal 1959 Comanche. Also Lucky for me I have no experience with anything except a KLN94 and the GNS480 and 480 makes more sense to me. I've heard a few instructors say they didn't really like it but I seem to click with it fairly well.
Good stuff you gave me there azure I appreciate it. I'll be flying this airplane a reasonable amount as it will be the plane I begin flying Angel Flight missions with.
 
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