Hey all. New girl here. I got my PPL on 6/6/12, bought a 182RG and flew that like 60 hours from June to the end of August. I needed 20 hours of dual and 50 total in the airplane before I could carry passengers. So I got a local CFII to start to dabble instrument stuff with me, I loved it. So now that I'm back at home base in KCHD I am starting formal training at the same 141 school (although going 61 this time) I got my PPL at, and with my same CFI. Yesterday was lesson #1 which was scheduled to be a ground+flight. Ground went great, flight we made it to the runway and I aborted takeoff due to a company aircraft being involved in a midair and hearing it all on the radio. I was shaking so bad there was no way I could have flown, and frankly I think my CFII wanted to get back to the office. So here I am, about to embark on this journey in another hour. I'm nervous, more than I thought I would be. I've shot probably 20 approaches, have a few hours in actual and maybe 9 or 10 total under the hood. Any advice? I'm hoping to be done in 2 months flying 3-4 times per week. The midair startled me, so that's something else that is weighing on my mind. I trust my CFII 110%, but this happened to a CFII who has trip the experience of mine, and mine is a CFI because he likes it, not because he wants to go to the airlines. Any insight is greatly appreciated.
My IFR Training
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BLMike
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Mike
I had a somewhat similar situation occur to me. When returning from, literally my first cross-country after getting my PPL, there was a crash at my home airport. When preparing to land, I was told by the tower that the airport was closed, and I had to divert. This surprisingly shook me up, but the airport opened later that day and I was able to take off from the nearby airport I diverted to and return home. I then took a couple of trips around the pattern and to nearby familar locations to "settle myself". This seemed to help.
denverpilot
Tied Down
There's regular "reminders" that aviation isn't 100% safe. We've all had friends affected in one way or another and some do drop out because of it.
Most of us determine to try a bit harder to alleviate the known issues and have to leave that stress of "what if" on the ground and just fly the darn plane...
Most of us determine to try a bit harder to alleviate the known issues and have to leave that stress of "what if" on the ground and just fly the darn plane...
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
Are you stressed when you drive home? Do your level best not to become one of the statistics and have fun flying.
Typically when I drive home I'm quite relaxed and typically smile the entire way home. Has been that way since I was post-solo IIRC. I mean I've had bad flights where I feel like poo afterwards, but they're a rarity. I enjoy flying, I enjoy airplanes. I've been a line girl at an FBO for quite a few years, my family is in aviation (but never pressured me to fly, I asked for the opportunity) and it's just something I enjoy doing.
Today's lesson went really well. Once I tookoff it was immediately time for foggles, and they remained on until short final. Climbing/descending/turns/stalls/steep turns were pretty much all we did. Hopefully that knocks out lessons 1-3 and next time I can do VOR work. He said I did really really well, so that's a plus. I felt really good about it and can't wait for my next lesson on Tuesday.
The CFII who got into the midair yesterday was there too (to my surprise). When we were flying he went out in the practice area alone. He didn't waste any time, but you could tell he was different. I hope they don't revoke his ticket.
Jaybird180
Final Approach
Looks to me like he's getting back on the horse and smartly prepping for a 709.
Knowing him, he won't have any trouble with a 709 ride. He honestly is one of the top 2 pilots I know. Period.
My steep turns got better today, so did my slow flight. I put the foggles on after my runup, and didn't take them off until after we landed.. so I took off and landed completely blind. The takeoff was pretty great I think (I dont know how crooked it was, but it felt good). Then we did some stuff in the practice area and then came back. He gave me "vectors" for the pattern. Before I knew it I was on final and then he goes "alright now pull back.. back.. back.. back.." and touchdown. Mains touched every so softly, followed by the nose. Finally when tower said "turn left at N, hold short 22R" I was allowed to take the hood off. T'was fun! Tomorrow clearances (which I've done lots of with another CFII so those will be easy) and then the next two days partial panel. Hopefully next week stage check.
Thankfully you won't be making zero/zero landings on a regular basis in the real world. That's why God created Alternates and rules for using them. But it's good to have the experience for that worst-case scenario.
Good luck with your instrument training...it's the fun one!
dell30rb
Final Approach
WHAT!
I need to get into whatever you're smokin
usually my drive home is tense, stuck in traffic, can't wait to get home
Best of luck with your instrument rating.
It helps that I'm typically going against rush hour. When I do have a lesson that sends me the same direction as rush hour...
I just found out my plane will be down until at least Wednesday afternoon. I have a lesson scheduled for tomorrow evening, and Wednesday evening plus Thursday morning and a stage check Friday morning. So if I'm lucky I'll only be short one lesson which wouldn't be a big deal. But I'm afraid if I can't fly my Wednesday lesson I'll be forced to reschedule my stage check for next week since I can't fly Saturday due to family obligation.. I'm wondering if I should rent one of their planes for Wednesday if mine isn't done in hopes of keeping my stage check on... I feel like I could take my stage check today if I could and do really well on it but my CFI likes to over-prepare for stage checks, especially since this one is with the chief pilot.
So assuming that my plane isn't done for my Wednesday lesson should I
A: just do ground and hope my CFI will let me stage check
B: Rent a Warrior ($99)
C: Rent an Archer or Arrow ($136,$146)
D: Rent a Bonanza
I have time in the PA-28's (what I learned in) but no time in a Bonanza. I'd love to fly a Bonanza but not sure this is the right circumstance. Plus the Bonanza is $206/hr.
So assuming that my plane isn't done for my Wednesday lesson should I
A: just do ground and hope my CFI will let me stage check
B: Rent a Warrior ($99)
C: Rent an Archer or Arrow ($136,$146)
D: Rent a Bonanza
I have time in the PA-28's (what I learned in) but no time in a Bonanza. I'd love to fly a Bonanza but not sure this is the right circumstance. Plus the Bonanza is $206/hr.
If you feel prepared, just do some ground review and "chair flying" with your CFI tomorrow. Hopefully your plane will be ready for Wed. and Thur. and your stage check Fri. Put the rental $$ towards your repair bill.
That is what I was thinking too. I'm comfortable with my flying for the stage check, but like I said I think my CFI wants to make sure I'm double-prepared since it's with his boss. The repair I'm guessing will be in the neighborhood of $350.. so $3 hours with one of their midgrade airplanes I suppose. If I rented a Warrior it actually only costs $25 more an hour.. which with the discount on the instructor for using their planes makes only a $10 difference an hour, or $30 potentially total. Man, it sure is uneconomical to be an owner
Man, it sure is uneconomical to be an owner
I've cycled through aircraft ownership four times now. Every time I owned I'd say, "Geez, it's cheaper to rent!" Then, when I rented, the hassle, the unairworthy (or close to it) rentals, and general inconvenience drove me back to some form of ownership.
It's never cheap, but nothing like te freedom of your own aircraft.
It's totally worth it to not have to rent.. not have some stranger landing it who knows how hard who knows where. Granted, I know little about first 30 years of my planes life.. but it looks way less sad than any of the trainers I flew that were older.. with 10x more hours too.. And I can leave my crap in my plane!
poadeleted20
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Don't be changing horses in the middle of this stream. Wait for your plane, and if that delays the stage check, so be it. In the mean time, do whatever training you can, either a "skull session" or in the sim (if they have one).
No sim at my school, they believe in teaching in the airplane which I do agree with. My CFI and I decided to cancel for today. Tomorrow if the plane isn't done we're gonna do a double ground since I had ground already scheduled. I always feel a little bad though, since he's only getting paid when he's with a student.
poadeleted20
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After a couple of thousand hours giving instrument training in sims and airplanes, I believe in teaching/learning on the ground (including the sim) and practicing in the airplane. Much more efficient, it seems to me, in terms of both time and money. YMMV, but that's how we at Professional Instrument Course get folks through IR training in 10 days with no prior instrument training other than the 3 hours for Private.
Threefingeredjack
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Threefingeredjack
I am not an instructor...but i have been a victim of some very devious ones in my past. I second your observation about training in sims. I liked the ability to be able to freeze the machine, back up and go over the parts of procedure that were troublesome. I imagine the same utility would apply to a GA simulator.
poadeleted20
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It does, as does the ability to craft the scenario to the training objective, and to avoid wasting time while the trainee flies the plane from the completion of one procedure to the beginning of the next, not to mention avoiding the inevitable "unables" from ATC like when you need precision approaches but the wind is blowing opposite the only ILS around.
FWIW, my personal observation is that the only instructors who don't like the sim as a tool for instrument training are the rookies trying to build flying time, but that's another story.
I'm pretty sure my CFI isn't interested in building time, he's already played the airline game and is 62.
For me personally I just don't think I'd get good use of a sim. I need the reality and the reality checks of being in a real airplane.It certainly is challenging, but I don't know if I would call it fun.
Radna, I understand your wanting to fly rather than a sim. All of my training was in airplanes, none in sims. That being said, I didn't have a sim available so am not able to really make a comparison. Cap'n Ron, the airlines and (I think) the military all seem to favor sims, so there must be something to it. I can see the advantage as long as the sim is realistic and not a computer key board, especially if the real airplane has computer screens instead of "real" instruments
.poadeleted20
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No question that you need that, but you don't need it until you have your instrument interpretation, techniques, and procedures down, and that's where the sim is most valuable. I figure I can save about 50% on flying time and uncountable fatigue with a good sim on an IR course. Helps safety, too, because when you have the fundamental skills organized in the sim before the flight, I have more attention free to look outside for collision avoidance when we get in the plane. Frankly, with a 62 y/o retired airline guy, I'm surprised he isn't more sim oriented -- perhaps the school has, for whatever reasons, chosen not to make the investment and he's stuck with the situation.I'm pretty sure my CFI isn't interested in building time, he's already played the airline game and is 62.
ja_user
Pattern Altitude
I did 10 hours in a PcAtd as part of my IFR, along with 30.3 dual. The sim was a POS, but saved me countless hours in the plane, as I already had orginization and procedures/flows down. That and I could fly the 10 hours in four lessons, with no fatigue, to minimums or missed on each and evRy approach... Sure it didn't fly like a plane, but that isn't why you use it...
Before I started my training at the school where I got my PPL, I had the opportunity to fly with a couple of CFIIs that I've known awhile. One was family friend one was a friend of mine whom I had become friends with working at an FBO. I did instrument flights while I was getting checked out for insurance in my plane so I pretty much got the flows and stuff down without spending any extra money since I had to be there anyway. It was great experience that is already saving me time and money now that I'm starting from "lesson 1". It's gonna get even more helpful the more advanced the training gets.
Stage 1 check went really well last week!! Today started VOR navigation which went really well also, I used my HSI/430 as my primary VOR and always tuned in my regular VOR as a backup. Finished it off with a not-so-smooth landing.. oh well, gotta make sure the gear is staying strong, right?
Gubbins
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DavidWhite
Final Approach
My landings were bad as well, but, in the words of the angry peasants in Monty Python "It got better"
Today I actually did some T&G's after we finished the lesson. My CFII wanted to see how I handled the plane in the crosswinds since I flew in them all summer. Nailed the first two, then my 3rd one was BEAUTIFUL I thought (one wheel touched gently, then the other, then the nose..) but I was maybe 5 feet off center.. My CFI is a stickler for center.. so I got a "Nice landing, BUT YOU KNOW BETTER" chat. Last trip around the pattern I was pretty well beat, took off was told to extended upwind and completely brain farted and forgot to raise the gear.... sooooooo I flew all the way around with the gear hanging down. Last landing was solid too.
Did VOR work today. Went really well except I brain farted using the HSI to take me to the station (did it fine on my regular VOR) because I wasn't allowed to hit my favorite button (->Direct) to get there. Humph. After that everything was pretty easy, and I did 2 steep turns that were within PP parameters! HAH!! I think tomorrow is partial panel VOR work and starting holding procedures.
Did VOR work today. Went really well except I brain farted using the HSI to take me to the station (did it fine on my regular VOR) because I wasn't allowed to hit my favorite button (->Direct) to get there. Humph. After that everything was pretty easy, and I did 2 steep turns that were within PP parameters! HAH!! I think tomorrow is partial panel VOR work and starting holding procedures.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Did Jesse turn you into a newt?
Ghery
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Ghery Pettit
My landings went to hell during my IFR training
Some say they never recovered!
It is a recurrent theme. My landings went south during my IR training, as well. I'm getting them back, slowly but surely. Even the Arrow landings are closer to landings and not arrivals.
dell30rb
Final Approach
Remember your FARTS checklist. Flaps, Altimeter (field elev), Runway (center, correct runway), Take-off power, Suck up gear
DavidWhite
Final Approach
My favorite acronym is TITS. Tune Identify Twist OBS Set markers.
Can't forget the TITS!
Can't forget the TITS!
DavidWhite
Final Approach
He turned Derek into a newt
denverpilot
Tied Down
Don't know Derek. Hmm.
DavidWhite
Final Approach
Derek is the $100,000 cat. Jesse tried to sell me 1/5th of the royalties from Dereks upcoming films for $20,000.
DavidWhite
Final Approach
Even though Derek has no upcoming films, he assured me there were many.