JC's newest Instrument pilot.
- Thread starter A150K
- Start date
Ayork62493
GBR
Yee haw!
Congrats, I know it has been quite a pain to get it finished.
Congrats, I know it has been quite a pain to get it finished.
elmetal
Ain't nobody got time for that
Congratulations! It was definitely the most accomplishing of ratings to be had for me. To know that you can get up and flying when it's fairly bad weather, vfr-speaking, is a pretty awesome feeling!
Enjoy it! Take someone up who's never been in the clouds, that'll elevate your awesomeness I promise.
Enjoy it! Take someone up who's never been in the clouds, that'll elevate your awesomeness I promise.
Ayork62493
GBR
A150K
Well-Known Member
It was a bit of a pain, but all ended well.
Here's the write up as I promised:
Arrived at the Santa Fe airport at 8 AM and met the DPE at the flight school (Same guy I used for my private). Got IACRA sorted out ( my flight school has a terrible internet connection, or as the DPE described it, "Nicaragua with a fax machine", so this took awhile). Once I signed my 8710, we went into the conferance room and got started on the oral. The oral was pretty darn easy (took 35 minutes). Subjects we discussed:
-I gave him a general synopsis of the weather for the X-C to KPUB I planned out (not the best weather, I made a no-go decision, the risk for icing + high MEAs over the mountains=not much of an out in case I were to encounter ice. However, the marginal WX was east of the Sangre de Cristo mountains due to upslope activity that is pretty common this time of year and we were severe clear on the west side of it.)
-He showed me an easy formula for calculating cloud bases.
-He asked my what the standard lapse rate was (2 degrees per 1000 ft)
-We went over some procedures for picking up IFR clearance at an uncontrolled field (He gave me the Nationwide clearance number , so I wouldn't have to mess around with 1-800-WX-BRIEF in the event of an out of service RCO)
-He pointed out random symbols on the low enroute (I lnew them all)
-Looked over an ILS plate and he asked me the components of an ILS ( I got them all except for the runway lights. Doh!)
-He had me calculate the climb gradient for one of the SIDs out of SAF based on a 30C day at max gross in a 172 (not a chance). He then shared a story about a Lifeguard King Air that got into a CFIT crash in Ruidoso (KSRR) due to the pilots deviating from the ODP to get around a storm.
-A few questions about Icing and that was it.
Flight:
Got the plane (a 1982 C172P with a GNS 430W-the same plane I took my private ride in) pre-flighted, and we went over a few things (why is the wing bent( washout) and what are the CDI sensitivities for an IFR A1 GPS..). Taxied out, took off and simulated one of the SIDs (ZIASE 2) for a few miles before breaking off to do some unusual attitudes (nose up) and partial panel work. Came back in for an ILS (I negotiated the approaches with tower, he gave me the choice of him doing it , but I prefer to do all the radio work as my instructor has had me do it all from the start). The ILS wasn't my best (never went more than 1/2 of a dot on the LOC, but I got pretty high on the glide slope 2 or 3 times. the wind was pretty crazy (around 25-30 kts aloft and 12 gusting 21 at the surface with a shear zone at about 7500 feet), so he never said anything. We went missed and headed out for a GPS approach (with a hold in lieu of a procedure turn). He asked my how I would enter the hold from my present position and I answered correctly (Parallel) so he counted the GPS course reveral as the hold (we were going to go to the VOR to hold as published origionally). He was being nice I guess, probably too nice, but I'm not complaining . The approach went well except for the fact that he wanted me to use the vertical guidance (LNAV+V) instead of diving and driving. I get his logic, why be unstabilized when you don't have to be? Practice is one thing, actual is another. We then made a left turn to the VOR on the miss and did a VOR approach to a full stop and that was it. All in all, I think it went pretty well. Time to have some fun for 2 or so months before I get started on the Commercial Single and Multi.
A150K
Well-Known Member
:yeahthat:
But please... Make sure you're confident in the clouds first
At 0.2 actual not a chance. That's what I get for training in the high desert in the winter. My CFII and I are going to be on the look out for a good day to get some approaches in low weather.
elmetal
Ain't nobody got time for that
pshhhhhhh:yeahthat:
But please... Make sure you're confident in the clouds first
that's a minor detail when you have awesomeness level=9001
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Well done and congrats. Sounds like a pretty fair ride to me, think you're selling yourself short by saying he was "being nice". I will say that in the real world, I vastly prefer "dive n drive" to "stabilized approach", esp. if the approach is going to be circling (get down and see what you're dealing with...) but most check airmen etc I've dealt with in the past few years preach the opposite. Cooperate and graduate! Congrats again.
Ayork62493
GBR
I can only hope my oral is that easy... This ASA Oral prep guide is stressin me out to the max with the specific answers it has in it.
elmetal
Ain't nobody got time for that
if the examiner answers questions and you respond quickly and correctly, he'll start to understand how much you know, and he'll eventually just be like ok, he knows his stuff, let's see if he can fly
Ayork62493
GBR
I don't really know what to expect when it comes to a checkride since I havn't even taken one.. I'm not nervous about the flying part. But from what I'm seeing in these prep books the answers are all long, drawn out, and super specific.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
One battle at a time, bubba. Private rides, in particular, are pretty much checks to make sure you won't kill yourself or someone else while you figure out how this all actually works. That said, study hard, memorize as much as you can, show up with a good attitude, and you'll be fine. Instrument is maybe a little tougher, but you'll be ready for that, too, when the time comes.
Ayork62493
GBR
The private is a non-issue...
I''m attempting to get them both on the same day(My 17th birthday, may third, I soloed on my 16th), or the instrument the day after. I'm a 16 year old student pilot with 140 hours.... A unique situation to say the least.
A150K
Well-Known Member
That. I use the ASA guide to a minimum-the answers it gives are way more specific than what a DPE expects even a Private pilot to be able to answer let alone a private applicant.
Congrats! From what everyone's told me instrument is one of the toughest ratings to get through.
Don't fret over it too much, but do keep studying up on it. By the time I took my checkride mine looked like it'd been run over by a truck a few times. Remember as much as you can, but also remember there's a reason the FAA publishes the FAR/AIM... so you can look stuff up.
Don't fret over it too much, but do keep studying up on it. By the time I took my checkride mine looked like it'd been run over by a truck a few times. Remember as much as you can, but also remember there's a reason the FAA publishes the FAR/AIM... so you can look stuff up.
A150K
Well-Known Member
You just got your's a few weeks ago, didn't you? It was way easier than the private for me. I did well on my private ride, but I think I was a somewhat dense private student whereas I've been ready for my instrument ride since 25 hours of hood time (according to my CFII). It took me close to 85 hours to get my private (mostly because I took a two year break in getting it done). Just the kind of pilot I am I guess. I took a shot at some lazy 8s the other day (I'm gonna begin commercial training in about 2 months when my current semester ends) and couldn't get it even remotely figured out to save my life, but I had IAPs dialed in after a few hours or so. Now the IR written kind of sucked...Scored in the 80s after studying like crazy.
Yep, got the ticket March 1st. I studied my butt off for that written and got an 88. It wasn't as high as I wanted, but it didn't make a difference come checkride day. I'm already studying for the commercial written. Now if only I could get another 60 hours...
