IPC after 6 months...

[Ghery]

Passed the IR ride in September and hadn't shot an approach since. Did an IPC with my CFII this evening. ILS 17 and VOR/DME 35 into OLM. Best approaches I've flown. Felt far more relaxed than last September in the IR ride (go figure ). SEA approach was their usual helpful friendly selves. We get spoiled working with them. Oh, and it was a beautiful VMC evening. CFII was commenting how he rarely can see the ocean from where we were flying, but could see it fine today. I told him to quit rubbing it in, but it was payback for my rubbing it in when he misheard our transponder code when I was copying the clearance before taxiing. I enjoy flying with this guy, we have a good time flying together.

Anyway, I didn't forget how to fly on the gauges and the 430W does make some of it easier. Still have to keep the needles centered on you own. It was nice to see the runway in front of me when I took off the foggles after the non-precision approach.

 

[jxdrl]

That's a lot better than my flying a few months ago. We did a VOR approach with the needles centered and I was a few miles South of the field.

Turns out our receivers needed a little adjustment. They were off about 5 degrees I think. Was not fun at all. Now, our top CDI will deflect a hair to the right and the bottom a hair to the left if you are perfect.

 

[BillTIZ]

Great idea to fly with the CFII, although an IPC was not required, it would get you current without having to do 6 approaches. I'd have to look to see if there are minimum requirement of events for an IPC, or f it is the instructors prerogative.

 

[Ghery]

Great idea to fly with the CFII, although an IPC was not required, it would get you current without having to do 6 approaches. I'd have to look to see if there are minimum requirement of events for an IPC, or f it is the instructors prerogative.

I just looked. All it says is that it is to be a representative selection of items from the practical. And the practical only requires three approaches, so doing two, plus a hold, plus an intercept and track a radial (sounds like the localizer on the ILS and the final approach course on the VOR/DME to me) was a reasonable selection. Still had to plan the flight and I did that with the same tools as the checkride - DUATS. It seems to be pretty much up to the instructor.

I came away from this one feeling really good about my basic instrument skills, but also with the knowledge that I need to dig out the King DVDs again and review certain operations of the 430W. I hadn't touched it in 6 months and the knob-ology needed some help. Properly configured it makes life easy, not and you're back to the basics, which isn't bad as the other two planes in the club don't have one. The 182 is /A and the Arrow is worse - /U.

Oh, and flying with the CFII after 6 months is not a bad idea, at all. He was saying that he has another client with an ATP who flies a lot of IFR who still has him give him an IPC every year, just to make sure he isn't picking up bad habits. To me the couple of hours with the CFII is cheap insurance. I like to keep this fun, and flying unsafely isn't fun.

 

[gprellwitz]

To me the couple of hours with the CFII is cheap insurance. I like to keep this fun, and flying unsafely isn't fun.

Yup. Dying because of a poorly flown approach ain't fun either! Think I'll go do an IPC pretty soon!

 

[OTLK VFR]

Great idea to fly with the CFII, although an IPC was not required, it would get you current without having to do 6 approaches. I'd have to look to see if there are minimum requirement of events for an IPC, or f it is the instructors prerogative.

There is, look at the table in the Instrument PTS, it clearly specifies what tasks need to be completed during an IPC.

61.57(d) "...The instrument proficiency check must consist of the areas of operation and instrument tasks required in the instrument rating practical test standards."