Practicing Single-Pilot IFR

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

Final Approach
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Jaybird180
How many of you IR pilots purposely seek out IMC conditions just for practice (ie on a day where you have nothing else to do)?

How long after becoming a newly minted IR pilot would you recommend practicing single-pilot in actual IMC conditions?
 
Jaybird180 said:
How long after becoming a newly minted IR pilot would you recommend practicing single-pilot in actual IMC conditions?
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As soon as you can and when your CFII echoes his/her confidence in this act...remember its a very perishable skill...seek ways to keep your self sharp, not just current
 
Seems that in the above scenario you have the confidence of both the CFII and Examiner....(right)?
 
You should get as much actual as possible during your training so that you're as comfortable as you can be by the time you get your rating. I look for opportunities to fly in actual whenever possible. It was OVC005 and 49 degrees F here the other day so I went out and shot some approaches.

There is no substitute for actual IFR. You can train under the hood all that you want, but your first time taking off into a low overcast is a trip.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Seems that in the above scenario you have the confidence of both the CFII and Examiner....(right)?
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Yes but your CFII will know your every weakness..etc...Ive had students get the IR ..not fly for a good while and then need a "refresher" before I could sleep at night if they were flying into IFR solo...especially for the first time solo.
 
Jaybird180 said:
How many of you IR pilots purposely seek out IMC conditions just for practice (ie on a day where you have nothing else to do)?

How long after becoming a newly minted IR pilot would you recommend practicing single-pilot in actual IMC conditions?
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Yes I do, practice like you play! :thumbsup:

If you feel comfortable and confident in your skills to go out is some low weather and shoot some approches or do a cross country, go for it.
Only you can make that choice.
 
I do.

If you are "current" but worried if you're sharp enough to fly in the clouds, then you're not. Go fly with a CFII or get some sim time or whatever you need to do to be confident.

And there is a fine line between being "cautious" about launching into the clouds, and being "worried".

I'm always cautious, but if I'm worried then I'm not gonna be the PIC. There's always about a 20 second window when I enter the clouds that I'm nervous I forgot something. Then it settles down to the normal routine and I'm comfortable.
 
Tim has sound advice.

One other thing to add - let's say you've got a little 1-2,000 ft thick layer with VMC above and below. Go try to get in that layer to get some actual. It helps a lot at first to know where your exits are, and for them to be nearby.
 
Jaybird180 said:
How many of you IR pilots purposely seek out IMC conditions just for practice (ie on a day where you have nothing else to do)?
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I do any chance I get....I rarely have to go up with a safety pilot since I'm usually able to find plenty of days with actual to shoot approaches in around here.

How long after becoming a newly minted IR pilot would you recommend practicing single-pilot in actual IMC conditions?
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Depends on the pilot and what they feel comfortable with. I had no qualms about launching solo into actual the day I got my ticket, but I had the benefit of plenty of time flying in actual during my training. The problem I had after getting my ticket was finding actual! Seemed like there wasn't a cloud in the sky for the next 3 months.....
 
The other thing to do is to file IFR on a clear day and go practice being in the system. Winter time it's hard to go find clouds to play in that don't have ice in them but you can still stay current in working the system.
 
As soon as we had some actual down here I blasted off and buzzed around for about an hour (purposely asked for the altitudes in the clouds)
 
I try and practice in the system once a week, but due to: 1-Plane is in annual right now, and 2-The Ice Witch Cometh, looks like actual will have to wait till the springtime in these parts.
 
Just be sure to practice when the ceilings are fairly high (>1,000 feet or so).
 
jason said:
Why? :dunno:
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Exactly.....If you are comfortable with flying in IMC, there is no reason not to fly approaches with low ceilings for practice.

I went up a few months ago in a twin and flew out to Catalina Island to shoot the VOR approach - Wx at Catalina was pretty socked in and well below minimums. I had no intention of landing, but wanted to shoot a full approach and published missed in actual. It was a great experience.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Exactly.....If you are comfortable with flying in IMC, there is no reason not to fly approaches with low ceilings for practice.

I went up a few months ago in a twin and flew out to Catalina Island to shoot the VOR approach - Wx at Catalina was pretty socked in and well below minimums. I had no intention of landing, but wanted to shoot a full approach and published missed in actual. It was a great experience.
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The only thing that you have to be careful of when you're playing around with low ceilings is to know where you are going to land if you can't get back in. When I went to fly my approaches the other day I was probably 100 ft from having to go missed on the ILS. If I couldn't have made it in I knew where the nearest VFR was. I would have been in the air for a while, but I knew what my outs were and was willing to execute plan b if necessary.
 
jason said:
The only thing that you have to be careful of when you're playing around with low ceilings is to know where you are going to land if you can't get back in. When I went to fly my approaches the other day I was probably 100 ft from having to go missed on the ILS. If I couldn't have made it in I knew where the nearest VFR was. I would have been in the air for a while, but I knew what my outs were and was willing to execute plan b if necessary.
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Totally agree....that is why I do that in the twin AND the ceilings along the coast were all well above mins.....Long Beach is less than 30 miles away.
 
somorris said:
Just be sure to practice when the ceilings are fairly high (>1,000 feet or so).
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Nothing wrong with practicing with lower ceilings, provided you're alright with the risks associated (not getting in, engine failure and breaking out with 200 ft to spare, etc.).

It's a personal choice. Typically, I would advocate someone who is new to instrument flying practice on a day when they don't have to do any approaches. Then practice on a day with easy approaches. You get the idea.

Work your way down with your comfort level. Personal mins do not necessarily equal legal mins.
 
Be sure you're proficient in degraded modes. Flying an ILS with everything working fine isn't all that hard, really.

Flying an approach on a handheld GPS because you lost all electric power, or without key gauges because your pitot static froze over is where it all counts.

I haven't flown to mins in a while (move, new job, etc) but would probably be OK with a fully functional airplane. Not so with any loss of function, so I won't fly SPIFR until I get some practice...
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Personal mins do not necessarily equal legal mins.
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When I comes to weather, I'm not sure that I've ever understood the "personal minimums" theory because the weather is rarely, if ever, equal to the forecast when you arrive 4...6 hours later so you better be ready to deal with the mins.

Therefore, if I don't feel I'm proficient enough to fly an approach to the published minimums than I'm not flying. This is true even if the forecast is 1000' & 3 at the destination airport when I get my briefing, because it might actually be 200' and 1/2 when I arrive.

Conversely, if I am confident in my proficiency (which I haven't been lately 'cause I'm not flying as much as I once was), I won't hesitate to launch if the destination aiport is forecast to be near the minimums, and if the alternate(s) are legal in every way.

The above opinion is in regard to weather only, not fuel, my fuel personal minimums are at least 1 hour's reserve whether VFR or IFR. I can control my fuel...I can't control the weather.

One other qualification: The above does not apply when the ceilings along the entire route are forecast to to be above the MEAs. I've used my instrument ticket to "pop up and down" through higher layers even if I'm not fully confident in my proficiency at the time.
 
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timwinters said:
When I comes to weather, I'm not sure that I've ever understood the "personal minimums" theory because the weather is rarely, if ever, equal to the forecast when you arrive 4...6 hours later so you better be ready to deal with the mins.
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It also depends on what you list as your personal minimums. If I'm flying when it's supposed to be OVC020, it probably won't be OVC002.

Therefore, if I don't feel I'm proficient enough to fly an approach to the published minimums than I'm not flying. This is true even if the forecast is 1000' & 3 at the destination airport when I get my briefing, because it might actually be 200' and 1/2 when I arrive.
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It also might be VV001 and 1/8SM.

Conversely, if I am confident in my proficiency (which I haven't been lately 'cause I'm not flying as much as I once was), I won't hesitate to launch if the destination aiport is forecast to be near the minimums, and if the alternate(s) are legal in every way.
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You've just listed your personal minimums - that you want to be able to fly to minimums comfortably before you go. If you can't, you won't.

What are your minimums if you're a VFR-only pilot? CAVU? Are you happy with it if it's legal VFR? Since it could, by your logic, go to (or below) legal IFR minimums, doesn't that mean you shouldn't fly VFR?

The above opinion is in regard to weather only, not fuel, my fuel personal minimums are at least 1 hour's reserve whether VFR or IFR. I can control my fuel...I can't control the weather.
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And that, too, is a personal minimum.

So, you do adhere to personal minimums. It's just that you don't get why people who don't want to do approaches to minimums will launch with a forecast of above minimums.

For me, I don't want to go to an airport that I don't have a high level of expectation to get into. Reason? I usually have a plane load of dogs, or else am otherwise trying to get where I'm going. If I can't get in with the approaches at the destination airport, I have to go to an alternate. This is a pain, aside from costing me more money.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Totally agree....that is why I do that in the twin AND the ceilings along the coast were all well above mins.....Long Beach is less than 30 miles away.
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Plus, in Socal all you usually have to do is fly a bit inland to find acceptable weather :D
 
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