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- May 18, 2007
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jsstevens
After taking (and passing) the written twice, training for the practical multiple times, being signed off for the practical twice, today I finally took and passed the practical instrument test.
As posted in the Student Pilots: Who are we and where do we stand? thread, I signed up for an IR intensive training at CRAFT Flight School in North Charleston at KCHS. I've posted brief writeups of each day of training except today...
As of Friday the plan was: take Saturday off to rest, fly today and do some knowledge Q&A in preparation for the check ride Monday. It was a good plan. But the DPE texted my CFI yesterday and asked if we could do the ride today at 11. So the new plan was I studied on my own yesterday, we met, checked the airplane log books this morning, and did a practice flight.
Basically we did the most likely check ride approaches. I was terrible. Altitude control was awful. On the ILS I busted full scale below the glide slope (just above DH!). I got more and more nervous. CFI kept saying "You're just nervous. Everybody does this. Shake it off." TO put this in perspective, I didn't bust an approach all week until today. So I waltzed into the oral portion thinking I was doomed.
Orals went quite easily (much to my surprise!). He asked me to go back over 3 years and tell him what I'd need to be able to carry passengers in day, night and IFR. (flight review, 3 landings, 6 approaches, holds and tracking, if too long, IPC, etc.). He asked if I needed a total of 6 landings or not? No, 3 at night would count for all. We chatted about weather planning and sources of weather. He then asked me to pull up an RNAV approach chart, said we're 5 miles out from the initial fix, walk him through how I'd set up to do the approach. Get ATIS (altimeter, winds), set up CTAF, load approach and activate, set baro minimum). There was a fair amount more conversation about decision making but not really specific questions as such.
Then he walked me through the ride. Take off from runway 24 at Summerville (KDYB), climb out, do unusual attitudes, track a VOR, ILS 23 Z into Low country (KRBW), land (full stop), take off out to MUTCY (the IAF for the RNAV 05 into KRBW), if traffic is light enough, fly the RNAV 05 and circle to 23. Then back to KDYB for the RNAV 06, land and were done.
And that's pretty much how it went. While it wasn't my best day, (altitude control in the DA-40 is sooo different than a Skyhawk!) I did well enough to pass. Once we were done he gave me a half dozen things to work on which were all valid and useful.
Do I feel ready to go fly in IMC? Not immediately. I think I'd be OK punching through clouds, but not low approaches. Though all this is currently moot since I don't have access to any airplanes right now.
I was very pleased with CRAFT. They are well organized and professional. The CFI assigned (Jack O'Neill) was great. Knowledgeable, helpful and encouraging.
John
As posted in the Student Pilots: Who are we and where do we stand? thread, I signed up for an IR intensive training at CRAFT Flight School in North Charleston at KCHS. I've posted brief writeups of each day of training except today...
As of Friday the plan was: take Saturday off to rest, fly today and do some knowledge Q&A in preparation for the check ride Monday. It was a good plan. But the DPE texted my CFI yesterday and asked if we could do the ride today at 11. So the new plan was I studied on my own yesterday, we met, checked the airplane log books this morning, and did a practice flight.
Basically we did the most likely check ride approaches. I was terrible. Altitude control was awful. On the ILS I busted full scale below the glide slope (just above DH!). I got more and more nervous. CFI kept saying "You're just nervous. Everybody does this. Shake it off." TO put this in perspective, I didn't bust an approach all week until today. So I waltzed into the oral portion thinking I was doomed.
Orals went quite easily (much to my surprise!). He asked me to go back over 3 years and tell him what I'd need to be able to carry passengers in day, night and IFR. (flight review, 3 landings, 6 approaches, holds and tracking, if too long, IPC, etc.). He asked if I needed a total of 6 landings or not? No, 3 at night would count for all. We chatted about weather planning and sources of weather. He then asked me to pull up an RNAV approach chart, said we're 5 miles out from the initial fix, walk him through how I'd set up to do the approach. Get ATIS (altimeter, winds), set up CTAF, load approach and activate, set baro minimum). There was a fair amount more conversation about decision making but not really specific questions as such.
Then he walked me through the ride. Take off from runway 24 at Summerville (KDYB), climb out, do unusual attitudes, track a VOR, ILS 23 Z into Low country (KRBW), land (full stop), take off out to MUTCY (the IAF for the RNAV 05 into KRBW), if traffic is light enough, fly the RNAV 05 and circle to 23. Then back to KDYB for the RNAV 06, land and were done.
And that's pretty much how it went. While it wasn't my best day, (altitude control in the DA-40 is sooo different than a Skyhawk!) I did well enough to pass. Once we were done he gave me a half dozen things to work on which were all valid and useful.
Do I feel ready to go fly in IMC? Not immediately. I think I'd be OK punching through clouds, but not low approaches. Though all this is currently moot since I don't have access to any airplanes right now.
I was very pleased with CRAFT. They are well organized and professional. The CFI assigned (Jack O'Neill) was great. Knowledgeable, helpful and encouraging.
John
