Its a lot of work...

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UngaWunga

Pattern Altitude
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Oct 27, 2014
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UngaWunga
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to get two words added to your airman certificate. "INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE"
With the winter weather, getting sick, airfield taxiways turning to mud, scheduling issues when switching to a new instructor... thought I'd never get it completed.

For those that are still training, when you take the checkride if anything goes wrong with an approach GO MISSED.
We had the localizer on my last approach fail after I had verified the morse code and was aligning us on course. I spent too much time trying to diagnose the issue, checking the instruments in the plane, when I should've just gone missed as soon as I noticed it. Still passed, but we had a good discussion about it on the ground afterwards. We still had plenty of altitude before the DA, and were in beautiful clear blue ski conditions, but I needed to treat the situation as if I was in a cloud and not a training environment where I could just lift my head a few degrees and see the runway under the foggles.

I still have a lot to learn, but glad I've gotten this far.
 
Congratulations, it's a challenging rating to get.
 
Congrats that’s one useful rating.
 
Racerx said:
Not what I wanted to hear even if I knew it.
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I did the written test before I started flying with an CFII. Once we started flying, all the stuff I had to memorize actually made sense. A lot of the rules are there for a reason, and once you start flying one approach after another, you can see why. Especially if you get a little actual flying through clouds. First time we did an approach through a stratus layer sitting 1500' AGL to find a runway sitting right where you expect it... pretty damn cool.
 
UngaWunga said:
First time we did an approach through a stratus layer sitting 1500' AGL to find a runway sitting right where you expect it... pretty damn cool.
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"Everything is centered and the needles are frozen. Why is the runway out the left window? Oh yeah, crosswind crab." :)
 
This is one of the more demanding check rides, congratulations!

One of the advantages is that you now get to dispatch in conditions where many others have sit on the ground.
 
UngaWunga said:
I did the written test before I started flying with an CFII. Once we started flying, all the stuff I had to memorize actually made sense. A lot of the rules are there for a reason, and once you start flying one approach after another, you can see why. Especially if you get a little actual flying through clouds. First time we did an approach through a stratus layer sitting 1500' AGL to find a runway sitting right where you expect it... pretty damn cool.
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This was actually my plan as well. Recently found out a guy that used to work for me, his younger brother just got his cfii. His brother warned me he's only 19. Not sure that bothers me.
 
Racerx said:
This was actually my plan as well. Recently found out a guy that used to work for me, his younger brother just got his cfii. His brother warned me he's only 19. Not sure that bothers me.
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There's a difference in the education you will likely get from a newly minted cfii and a guy with experience and comfort flying in the system in actual IMC.
 
FORANE said:
There's a difference in the education you will likely get from a newly minted cfii and a guy with experience and comfort flying in the system in actual IMC.
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If I got along well with the inexperienced guy and he was willing to learn with me, it’d probably be worthwhile.

Plus, @Racerx always has POA to tell him what the kid is doing wrong. ;)
 
I got my instrument rating ages ago. I don't fly IFR any more. My current airplane doesn't have an autopilot and without one, IFR in actual conditions is just too danged much work. I'm also retired, so I really don't have anyplace I need to be at a set time. I can wait out weather until flying is enjoyable. The last time I shot an approach in actual conditions, GPS hadn't been invented yet. So it's been a while! Despite my lack of currency, I still get the insurance discount for having the rating. I do concentrate on instrument work when I do a flight review, but I'm not interested in taking an IPC and getting current again. There is just too big a gap between current, and proficient and I don't have the will, or the need to close that gap.
 
Congrats! and thanks for posting. On my list of things for this year to try, if all works well.
 
Albany Tom said:
Congrats! and thanks for posting. On my list of things for this year to try, if all works well.
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Yes it is a lot of work, time and money.
It's all I did for 15 months, is instrument train. 2 different schools and 4 different CFIIs.
I got signed off in Sept for the check ride and didn't take it until a week before Xmas 10 years ago. Had to cancel 3 times because of weather. The day of my check ride I flew to the airport where the DPE worked out of and took the oral in the morning and the weather cleared just enough at around noon time to be able to take the flight portion. The DPE said it had to be VFR for her to fly with me for the instrument check ride. I thought that was weird.
Then I scud run back to my home airport 5 miles away. Thought I may had to file IFR to get home.

And like said above it's hard to stay current when you fly a 172 because I don't fly in bad weather much. Luckily my best bud is a long time CFII and does IPC with me a couple times a year.
 
Gary Ward said:
it's hard to stay current when you don't fly in bad weather much.
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Like Gary says, that right there is a big concern with the instrument rating. If we're not using it with some regularity we're not going to get and or maintain proficiency.

Some say they like instrument flying. For me it's work.
 
I actually really enjoy it. I try to maintain a high level of proficiency by flying a couple approaches a month in actual, weather permitting. Then when I go on a long trip I don't have to worry about if I'm sharp enough. That Florida trip involved IMC and approaches going both directions. Makes the airplane so much more usable if you want to travel.

Congratulations! It is a big accomplishment. I agree that popping out and being aligned with the runway is one of aviation's great thrills. If you think it's cool at 1500', wait till you do it at 300' ;)
 
Jim K said:
Congratulations! It is a big accomplishment. I agree that popping out and being aligned with the runway is one of aviation's great thrills. If you think it's cool at 1500', wait till you do it at 300' ;)
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One thing we discussed during the oral exam was personal limitations. I'm based at an untowered airport, no local weather reporting except for a weather station someone stuck on top of their hangar to send data to weather underground. It only reports winds. Short runway, houses and trees all around, so my personal limits require at least 2k' AGL at the class D airport 10 miles away and further inland to take off. No approaches here, either. But there's a bunch of other airports in the area with approaches that can be useful. No autopilot in the plane, so I have no desire to spend a long period of time in solid IMC. Once I get a few higher ceiling approaches in actual IMC under my belt I may reassess. I need to practice filing, picking up clearances... well actually everything. :lol:

I do plan on filing on VFR days to get more practice with being in the system.
 
Yes, building personal confidence from experience is key.

Glad you pointed out the hand flying. A great skill to maintain. If not already familiar, within the acceptable range of intercept angles is 90* in addition to the traditional 30*. Reason for allowing 90* is that GPS guidance is predictive and autopilots easily handle this turn when coupled to a GPS. Hand flying a 90* intercept is still workable, but more work and less precise. So, when shooting an approach for real, might consider commenting to ATC about hand flying and requesting the 30* intercept angle well ahead of turning toward IA / IAF.
 
Congrats. I love my instrument rating. I file IFR almost exclusively. Then I dont have to worry about where the clouds are above 3000 feet, unless it's summer and I need to avoid the bumpy ones. Enjoy!
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Then I dont have to worry about where the clouds are
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or what airspace I'm in. Or whether that MOA is active. Or whether that Restricted are is active. Or if that TFR is active. Or if there's going to be a hole in that cloud layer. Or if ceiling at my destination is going to be VFR or not...
 
Jim K said:
or what airspace I'm in. Or whether that MOA is active. Or whether that Restricted are is active. Or if that TFR is active. Or if there's going to be a hole in that cloud layer. Or if ceiling at my destination is going to be VFR or not...
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soooo, all the fun stuff.....
 
Jim K said:
or what airspace I'm in. Or whether that MOA is active. Or whether that Restricted are is active. Or if that TFR is active. Or if there's going to be a hole in that cloud layer. Or if ceiling at my destination is going to be VFR or not...
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Yeah that too.
 
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