Reviews of Accelerated Instrument Programs
- Thread starter bsatola
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murphey
Touchdown! Greaser!
Don't forget PIC.
AggieMike88
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Yup. And Señor Levy will be by shortly to share what you should know about PIC. Donn H. at their home office is also a good contact to explain how they go about teaching you to be an IFR pilot in a short amount of time.
Theboys
Line Up and Wait
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Theboys
I did one with a cfII who is here on poa. Was, for me a good way to get my cert. I actually learned and retained more than I thought I would. Was a great experience and made new friends
I did the PIC course (not with Ron). I recommend it.
poadeleted20
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As an instructor for PIC, I figured I was not the right person to give a review of the program, but if the OP wants, I'll be happy to post my write-up on what it can do and how to approach it if you do it.
1-800-I-FLY-IFR or http://www.iflyifr.com for more information.
murphey
Touchdown! Greaser!
I gotta take the written again. Then I call Donn and get it scheduled. But getting thru the written *again* is such a PITA.
simtech
En-Route
Use sheppardair.
denverpilot
Tied Down
murphey
Touchdown! Greaser!
I am. Still a PITA.
denverpilot
Tied Down
murphey
Touchdown! Greaser!
Rim shot.
asgcpa
En-Route
Let me know how you did worth Sheppardair. I am using it now.
poadeleted20
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First, the training is incredibly intense. Most of my students say they were surprised by the level of intensity -- 8-9 hours a day, 10 days in a row, plus an hour or more of homework every night. If you do this on vacation, make sure you're off work for 14 consecutive days, because you'll probably need the other four days at the end to recover before going back to work.
Second, that which is quickly learned is as quickly forgotten unless as quickly exercised. In order to "fix" the newly/quickly learned material in your brain, you must fly one or two IFR hops a week for four to six weeks starting immediately after the practical test. If you don't, within a month, you'll be as though you never took the course (well, not quite that bad, but you certainly won't be ready to launch solo into the IFR system in real IMC).
Third, you'd better be proficient in the plane in which you will take your training. No trading your 172 on a Bonanza two weeks before the IR course, getting five hours transition training from your local CFI, and expecting the IR course to go well. This is especially true for lower-time pilots with no experience in anything but the simple trainer in which they got their 50 XC PIC who then bought something heavy and/or complicated and/or really different, and immediately try to get their IR in it. If you only fly 30 hours a year, and they're the same 30 hours year after year, you probably need a quick proficiency cram course (a commercial pilot flight maneuvers program would be about right) prior to the IR course.
Fourth, you'd better know the nuts and bolts of any IFR GPS you have in the plane. While I can teach you how to fly GPS approaches in the normal course of training, the 10-day curriculum doesn't have enough time in it to teach you a Garmin 430 from scratch, no less one of the older, harder-to-use units. If all you know is "direct, enter, enter," it will add at least a day to the program. Add to PIC's daily rate your instructor's expenses for a day, and it's a whole lot cheaper to spend $150 or so and 8-12 hours on your computer with one of the good GPS training courses from Sun Flight Avionics or the like, and then try out your new knowledge on the free Garmin simulator before I get there.
Fifth, you must be academically prepared. If your only IR ground training before the 10-day course is one of those 2-day written test cram courses, you won't know anything but the answers to the written test, and you will not be able to finish the IR flight course in ten days -- figure two to four days extra to learn all the material that would otherwise be learned in a real IR ground training course. I recommend any or all of the following, choice based on your own learning style (and whether or not you can sit still for Martha King):
• Formal IR ground school of 40 hours or so classroom plus home assignments (like those offered by many flight schools and community colleges)
• Self-paced computer based training course like Jeppesen's FliteSchool
• DVD course like King or others
• Book learning, using a good training manual like Bob Gardner's Complete Advanced Pilot or Bill Kersher's Instrument Flight Manual, and/or the FAA Instrument Flight Handbook and FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook
In addition, you should study the following books:
• Current FAR/AIM (especially the ASA version with the list of recommended FAR's and AIM sections for IR/CFII)
• FAA AC 00-6A Aviation Weather
• FAA AC 00-45F Aviation Weather Products
Finally, you must dedicate yourself entirely to the program. Don't just turn off your Blackberry -- leave it in the office. Explain to your family that this isn't a vacation, this isn't even work -- they can't expect you to participate in anything other than your training for the duration. Forget about catching up on your reading (other than IR training books) or email or internet chat. You will eat, sleep, and breathe instrument flying for 10 days, and if you clutter your mind with, or spend your time on, anything else, it won't happen on schedule.
With this preparation, you will find a program like PIC's productive and useful. You'll get real IR training, including sim training (which is highly useful in making the flight time more productive -- teach on the ground, practice in the plane), from a highly experienced instructor (PIC's average 8000 hours) with real-world IFR experience, and you will be well-prepared for actual IFR operations. You will also experience real IFR flying in real IFR weather -- something I consider invaluable, and something your local time-building CFI with no significant real IFR experience may not be comfortable doing. Without this preparation, you'll just end up tired and frustrated – and your instructor will, too, because s/he wants you to succeed just as much as you do.
Not a problem. If you have your own plane, you can fly it to the instructor's location or other training location of choice, or the instructor can go to your location to help you fly it to the training location (say, if the weather isn't suitable for VFR). If you don't have your own plane, the instructor can meet you at one of several places where PIC has a deal to take a plane for the training.
AggieMike88
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
I would hazard that adding "Know the nuts and bolts of any autopilot you have" is also a useful preparation exercise. Especially if it can accept vertical navigation signals.
I have been told that the Chelton AP-3C autopilot in the club 182 can "fly a complete approach". While I know how to set it up and couple it correctly to the CNX80/480 for cruise flight, I've yet to do it for any vertical guidance. So for me, figuring out that before I would start an intense course like PIC would be time well spent.
Likely the time spent learning ALL about your autopilot would be profitable for other airmen as well.
poadeleted20
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Good point. Adding that to the list, along with knowing any required preflight test procedure for that autopilot/trim system.
Agreed -- that much less you have to memorize the first evening.
Don't you know it! It's always disconcerting when someone on a refresher course starts to do something with the autopilot, and after hitting the buttons, the next thing s/he says is either:
- Why is it doing that?
- How do I make it stop?
- How do keep it from doing that again?
- How do I get it to do what I wanted instead of what it did?
It is intense. Forget the illusion that the PIC advertisements give that you might be able to schedule some other activities around your training. It's a good solid day with the instructor plus often reading/homework. PIC endeavors to send instructors out who already are familiar with your avionics. I was asked by the instructor if I had the GNS480 simulator loaded up somewhere convenient and I said I did, and he said great we'd "button mash" the 480 simulator in tandem with playing with the (old ATC 610) simulator.
Day 1 is getting the paper work out of the way, and learning the basic control-performance settings for the six flight regimes (cruise climb, cruise, cruise descent, approach level, NP approach descent,...) straight out of the Dogan book I already had on the simulator.
Afternoon, do the same thing in the aircraft. Basic IFR aircraft handling.
Days 2-4 are simulator days where most of the flight procedures are worked out (approaches, holds, and since I didn't have an ADF in the plane, just some minimal ADF work for completeness). Fortunately since I had the "book work" pretty wired, the instructor decided we could just put the simulator away for the rest of the week (although I had it if I wanted).
Somewhere over on the red boards I have the rest of the play by play but the next days are doing some approaches and the instrument cross country and then it switches to check ride prep (unusual attitudes, some VOR work, and more approaches).
Day 8 for me was simulated checkride day and filling going over the checkride paperwork and then simulated checkride both oral and flight.
Day 9 I got off for good behavior.
Day 10 was my checkride. Never a doubt during the entire situation from the time I shook the examiners hand (and handed him the $400 bucks) until the PIC instructor was taking a picture of the examiner handing me the temporary certificate.
Day 1 is getting the paper work out of the way, and learning the basic control-performance settings for the six flight regimes (cruise climb, cruise, cruise descent, approach level, NP approach descent,...) straight out of the Dogan book I already had on the simulator.
Afternoon, do the same thing in the aircraft. Basic IFR aircraft handling.
Days 2-4 are simulator days where most of the flight procedures are worked out (approaches, holds, and since I didn't have an ADF in the plane, just some minimal ADF work for completeness). Fortunately since I had the "book work" pretty wired, the instructor decided we could just put the simulator away for the rest of the week (although I had it if I wanted).
Somewhere over on the red boards I have the rest of the play by play but the next days are doing some approaches and the instrument cross country and then it switches to check ride prep (unusual attitudes, some VOR work, and more approaches).
Day 8 for me was simulated checkride day and filling going over the checkride paperwork and then simulated checkride both oral and flight.
Day 9 I got off for good behavior.
Day 10 was my checkride. Never a doubt during the entire situation from the time I shook the examiners hand (and handed him the $400 bucks) until the PIC instructor was taking a picture of the examiner handing me the temporary certificate.
poadeleted20
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That is the best way I know to turn a 10 day course into a 12-14 day course. It also creates problems when you call the examiner on Day 7 and ask for a 2-day postponement -- you're now at the mercy of the examiner's already-written schedule (say, your planned DPE is leaving on a 4-day trip for United on Day 11). Neither is trying to find a new examiner on 4 days' notice. You can try this if you want, but coordinate it with your instructor ahead of time and plan on a 12-14 day program rather than 10, and schedule the DPE accordingly.
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