Good Things (IR training saga, continued)

killbilly

killbilly

Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
When I first joined JC, there were a lot of newbies to aviation like myself. Not so many anymore since a lot of you regulars are going commando as you join the Majors. (@Derg)

Anyway...I've posted some gripey things about IR training so I thought I'd share some good things.

Getting better. I am still behind the airplane but not near as bad as I was. My attitude flying is better, and I'm more comfortable with anticipating corrections and flying profiles. We've just started approaches.

I flew the VOR-33 into RMN last night, which was interesting - we were pretending that we had no GPS. There was a LOT of wind at 3,000...chasing needles, I was. I got down to MDA and while I wasn't full-deflection, I was at least halfway there, but I managed to correct it...and then we went missed. Came back around, flew it again with the GPS

...and greased the most perfect landing of my career to date. It was even on centerline. (@bucksmith )

Tried to get the GCO (it apparently never works) and failed, called and got our clearance to head back to VKX. Flew it fairly decently although I started getting overwhelmed at the end with the checklists, getting weather, and briefing the RNAV GPS 6. I did manage to sort it out, although it was sloppy. Stuff to work on.

For once the wind was forgiving at VKX and I landed decently again, and again it was centerline.

Ok. It was pretty much on centerline. At that airport you're either mostly centerline or taking out lights. No lights were harmed in the course of my instruction.

I know this kind of stuff is old hat to most of you, but a few of you have PM'd me and asked me to keep posting these little nuggets from time to time, which is fine because it helps me process everything I'm learning.

So there ya go.
 
Fencer said:
Got your secret pin?
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Yeah. The procedures aren't bad once you get used to it. They just put the fear of God into you about the process and make you think you're going to get shot down if you screw one tiny thing up.
 
Nice job on the landings. Mine have become cringe-worthy. I am sure it has to do with generally being lower and faster at DH/MAP than I would be from a normal visual approach from the pattern. Staying ahead of the plane is difficult. I often think I've got things handled, I know where I am, where I'm headed, and what's next, then suddenly whole operation is coming off the rails.
 
@killbilly hang in there. Sounds like you are making good progress. My IR and CFI were the most challenging but by far the most rewarding.

Congrats on not hitting anything
 
uncreative said:
Nice job on the landings. Mine have become cringe-worthy. I am sure it has to do with generally being lower and faster at DH/MAP than I would be from a normal visual approach from the pattern. Staying ahead of the plane is difficult. I often think I've got things handled, I know where I am, where I'm headed, and what's next, then suddenly whole operation is coming off the rails.
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Up until yesterday I would have thought that I'd have to go back to remedial VFR training for landings. A couple of folks told me this was normal for new IR students.
 
Boris Badenov said:
Getting everything done on the arrival/approach is still hard for me, and as everyone knows, I'm superpilot.
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The thing I'm trying to work out now is a flow for the approach briefing. It's taking me WAAAAAY too long to do it, and that cuts into my time for the before-landing checklist, getting weather...etc.

I've realized that in IFR flying - at least the short flights I've been doing - you shouldn't ever really be bored. There is always something to do.
 
killbilly said:
The thing I'm trying to work out now is a flow for the approach briefing. It's taking me WAAAAAY too long to do it, and that cuts into my time for the before-landing checklist, getting weather...etc.

I've realized that in IFR flying - at least the short flights I've been doing - you shouldn't ever really be bored. There is always something to do.
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If you're on the centerline, the odds of going off the left side of the runway are exactly the same as going off the right side of the runway...
Use the appr briefing as a checklist to set it up..get it done waaaayy out there, then just review mins and first step of the missed when you configure. Try that.
 
Wait until you have to do partial panel with a simulated engine failure on a twin. Now that is busy!

Actually was out at Martin State and BWI yesterday shooting approaches with a G1000 equipped 172. Lost the LNAV at 1'800 MSL on final for 15. Glad I was not in actual.

One thing that helped me is before your flight, have an idea for what approaches are in use. Brief in detail those approaches so you are familiar with them. Then once airborne it is easy to hit just the highlights (quick overview of final approach course, frequencies, minimums, and missed). It helps me a lot to slow things down. Doing approach after approach after approach is not so fun and very taxing. Keep it up though. Its amazing how it eventually comes together more and more.
 
killbilly said:
The thing I'm trying to work out now is a flow for the approach briefing. It's taking me WAAAAAY too long to do it, and that cuts into my time for the before-landing checklist, getting weather...etc.
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Practice, practice, practice.

Then practice some more.

Judging from your posts, it sounds like you have enough IR training experience now to sit down and finger fly various approaches.

Runincolorado said:
One thing that helped me is before your flight, have an idea for what approaches are in use. Brief in detail those approaches so you are familiar with them. Then once airborne it is easy to hit just the highlights (quick overview of final approach course, frequencies, minimums, and missed). It helps me a lot to slow things down. Doing approach after approach after approach is not so fun and very taxing. Keep it up though. Its amazing how it eventually comes together more and more.
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This is an excellent suggestion. It might help you to bring along some post-it notes. Write down the important stuff (freq, inbound course, mins, missed) and stick in on the panel to aid in your review of the approach.

@killbilly
 
killbilly said:
The thing I'm trying to work out now is a flow for the approach briefing. It's taking me WAAAAAY too long to do it, and that cuts into my time for the before-landing checklist, getting weather...etc.
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Don't fall victim to making the procedure (or, in this case, the technique) more important than the actual purpose for which you are doing it.

You're not flying for a 121 or 135 operator that has a proscribed specific format or depth to which the plate has to be reviewed, or what must be verbalized. The purpose of the briefing is to ensure that the radios and instruments are set up appropriately and that you are reminded of the needed data to safely execute the approach. That could take 15-20 seconds, and it could take 2 minutes, depending on the day, the procedure, the avionics, etc., and both the short and long versions could be more than adequate to execute the approach safely.

I've run into a number of instructors who think that an approach brief needs to be a Pan Am-quality oral presentation that must follow a particular recipe, and which limits a students' ability to adapt it to the time and situational requirements for a particular approach on a particular day.

As a student who is flying largely shorter flights and doing approaches for practice, the approaches should all be read and familiarized with on the ground at zero knots and 1G before the flight. The mental math of descent rates, and VDPs, and lead DMEs/radials, etc, should all be done on the ground and not in flight (remember that the mags in the on position reduces your IQ by 50% -- scientific fact). The approach brief should simply be a review and refamiliarization of something you've all ready digested.
 
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My approach brief, is final approach course xxx, no lower than yyyy, missed approach is...

(Once all the radios are set, weather is checked). Do the gumps check pre IAF.

Then fly the approach segment to segment, making radio calls, hitting the timer etc.
 
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