Starting to get it

[Bill]

For you double I's our there, when do you notice your instrument students starting to "get it"?

I had a good weekend of flying. Friday, went out with my CFII, and we went and practiced hold entries from all the different directions. Then, I did the VOR33 DME ARC approach partial panel, and did a pretty credible job of getting us to the runway environment. We then went and did NDB20 full approach, including outbound and the PT. Did real well on this one, and I'm actually starting to understand how do determine what that little needle is trying to say. Corrected course as you should, and when he called runway in sight, I was maybe two runway widths right, quite easy to get lined up and down quick.

I'm holding altitude and heading much better, and am starting to anticipate which instruments to scan (and what I expect them to tell me) when doing turns, climbs/decents, power changes, etc.

Saturday night, I went out with my safety pilot, and flew the VOR33 DME ARC full panel, and was lined up dead nuts centerline at MAP. We then got vectored to the ILS02, and I flew that one right down to DH, and was on the bubble GS and just at the left of the bubble LOC. Another nice landing.

I know there is a lot of work ahead, and much more training to do, but at 19hrs simulated and maybe 20 approaches, I am starting to "get it".

This is encouraging and spurs me on to knock out that written and keep on training.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

For you double I's our there, when do you notice your instrument students starting to "get it"?

I had a good weekend of flying. Friday, went out with my CFII, and we went and practiced hold entries from all the different directions. Then, I did the VOR33 DME ARC approach partial panel, and did a pretty credible job of getting us to the runway environment. We then went and did NDB20 full approach, including outbound and the PT. Did real well on this one, and I'm actually starting to understand how do determine what that little needle is trying to say. Corrected course as you should, and when he called runway in sight, I was maybe two runway widths right, quite easy to get lined up and down quick.

I'm holding altitude and heading much better, and am starting to anticipate which instruments to scan (and what I expect them to tell me) when doing turns, climbs/decents, power changes, etc.

Saturday night, I went out with my safety pilot, and flew the VOR33 DME ARC full panel, and was lined up dead nuts centerline at MAP. We then got vectored to the ILS02, and I flew that one right down to DH, and was on the bubble GS and just at the left of the bubble LOC. Another nice landing.

I know there is a lot of work ahead, and much more training to do, but at 19hrs simulated and maybe 20 approaches, I am starting to "get it".

This is encouraging and spurs me on to knock out that written and keep on training.

I gotta say in general, with rare exceptions, they're a pretty sharp group of flight students and "have it" quite early on, especially if the IFR written is passed.

 

[Bill]

especially if the IFR written is passed.

I'm about 2 weeks out (barring business travel) from taking the written. I'm all the way through the King CD-ROMS, reset all 900 something questions to zero, and scored 86% after taking all questions. I'm now reviewing the lessons on the questions missed, and re-taking those questions. After that, I'm take the two sample exams, and if they're good (should be), I'll go take the test. I may quick read through the instrument flying handbook one more time before the test as well.

 

[Dave Theisen]

Bill,

From what I have experienced, this is pretty typical. Some where around 15 hours, your instrument scan develops to a point where things just click. All of a sudden, it takes less brain power devoted to just controlling the airplane and everything else gets alot easier.

Keep up the good work.

Dave

 

[jdwatson]

Bill,
Check out the practice exam test that you can buy from Dauntless-Soft.com (GroundSchool). I found their product 1st class and it really helped with the written.

...usual disclaimers

 

[poadeleted20]

For you double I's our there, when do you notice your instrument students starting to "get it"?

Yup. When you get into the Aviation Instructor's Handbook, they talk about the levels of learning -- you just moved from application to correlation, as evidenced by:

I'm ... starting to anticipate which instruments to scan (and what I expect them to tell me) when doing turns, climbs/decents, power changes, etc.

That's what you've been looking for -- keep strokin'!

 

[bbchien]

For you double I's our there, when do you notice your instrument students starting to "get it"?

Fifteen hours, give or take. . They "get it" just after the scan comes together and they realize that the constant airspeed climbs, descent, turns and combination are ALL the elements of the approach. CLICK!

 

[jdwatson]

I remember "getting it". I was doing pattern B, finished the whole thing and realized that my CFII hadn't said a word.