Logging Instrument Time

[2nd505th]

As a student I'm almost at the required 15 hours with a CFII. I know I could continue this route to 40 hours and feel likely that I will need at least another 10 with a CFII. But how to I acquire the rest, barring a flight simulator?

1) Does it requires a instrument rated safety pilot?
2) A VFR safety pilot - but we never file an IFR plan - so does it count?

Any suggestions? The thought was to try to accelerate and reduce some costs.

Appreciate any suggested paths.

 

[WannFly]

you need be wearing foggles, flight condition can be VMC as long as there is a safety pilot

 

[EdFred]

As a student I'm almost at the required 15 hours with a CFII. I know I could continue this route to 40 hours and feel likely that I will need at least another 10 with a CFII. But how to I acquire the rest, barring a flight simulator?

1) Does it requires a instrument rated safety pilot?
2) A VFR safety pilot - but we never file an IFR plan - so does it count?

Any suggestions? The thought was to try to accelerate and reduce some costs.

Appreciate any suggested paths.

I did all 40(.2) with a CFII. The safety pilot does not need to be instrument rated, and you don't need to fly the hours with a safety pilot under IFR. Just go practice with a view limiting device on AND a safety pilot.

I still lobby for all the hours with a CFII. He make me work HARD once I could fly under the hood.

 

[midwestpa24]

As a student I'm almost at the required 15 hours with a CFII. I know I could continue this route to 40 hours and feel likely that I will need at least another 10 with a CFII. But how to I acquire the rest, barring a flight simulator?

1) Does it requires a instrument rated safety pilot?
2) A VFR safety pilot - but we never file an IFR plan - so does it count?

Any suggestions? The thought was to try to accelerate and reduce some costs.

Appreciate any suggested paths.

A. Safety pilot does not have to be instrument rated. Anyone with a valid pilot certificate and medical will do (unless they ever get around to updated the reg for basicmed).

B. You can't file IFR unless at least one of you is instrument rated. Hood time under VFR works just fine.

C. Given you are currently being taught by a CFII, I would highly recommend you turn to your CFII for questions about your training versus some guy on the internet. Unless of course you don't trust your CFII, in which case I'd find a new one.

D. Yes only 15 of the required 40 hours have to be flown with a CFII. You may do the other 25 with a safety pilot. My only advice IF you are going to go that route, is be selective of who is your safety pilot. You may learn bad or dangerous habits from flying with someone, which in turn may require you to do more flying with the CFII to correct. A good safety pilot with a little experience or CFII will be able to help challenge you to continue to learn during those other hours, versus just building time for the sake of building time.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I’m on hour 25, all with a CFI, planning to complete it all with my CFI.

(Edit: sorry, saw your goal of accelerating and lowering costs after I posted).

 

[chemgeek]

I would highly recommend doing all your training with a CFII, seeking out all the actual you can get during training, benefiting from your instructor's experience in evaluating in-flight weather decision-making. That's what I did, and it was a huge confidence-builder for flying IMC on my own. I learned a lot flying actual IMC on several XC training trips. We even got to experience a real missed approach to my home field during that stretch. I DID NOT want to be one of those instrument rated private pilots who was afraid to use their rating.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Appreciate any suggested paths.

You've already gotten the regulatory answers. Here's a practical suggested path - discuss it with your CFII. There's a couple for reasons for that. First, they will be able to answer your questions - they are very very simple ones.

But more important, IMO, flight with a safety pilot is the instrument student's version of primary student solo. It's best done in coordination with the instructor to practice what was learned. Completely on your own, unless you are one of the few exceptional human beings out there, it is waaaaaaaay too easy to acquire and reinforce bad habits without guidance. And I'm not talking about aircraft control. That's only about 20% of instrument training. The other 80% is about understanding rules, procedures, and ATC communications.

 

[Piper18O]

The years have taught me that far too often we tend to be penny wise but end up being dollar foolish. If your instructor is able to fly with you on your schedule for the most part, I think you would be wise to get all your time with him. He will probably help you develop all of your skills much more efficiently and probably more quickly. It may or may not cost you a couple hundred dollars more, but I would wager to say that even if it does, it will probably turn out to be money well spent. Plane expense isn't cheap nowadays, and if it takes you an extra 5 hours of flight time, you are probably not going to be any money ahead at all. Besides, good flight instructors today are probably not getting rich instructing. They deserve to make a decent living in times like this anyway. Often, many are probably providing a service to us because of their love for flying. We all need to support all aspects of aviation whenever we can, while we still can. I would imagine that you will be glad you did, when it is all said and done.