Economical way to get that Instrument rating...... ?

Shiftace

Shiftace

s***posting with decency. trolling with integrity.
So, I have decided to pursue the Instrument rating and move towards my CFI/II goal.

Currently working my desk job - so will be paying as I go and taking it easy. I got my PPL in late 2010 and haven't flown much since then. I have 66.9 hours of time total with about 9.3 XC time. Plane rental here in town is 50 for a 1984 Archer (dry) + 40 for the instruction. (Does not Include ground school).

What is the best way to build that time and get the instrument rating? Given the current work situation, I will only be able to fly on the weekends (weather permitting).

Anyone here have any comments or thoughts? Also recommendations on books/audio books for this?
 
Get a yoke and spend lots of time in MS Flight Sim... set the weather to cruddy and start flying instrument departures, cross countries, and approaches all over the place using lots of different charts. Doesn't count time-wise but you can learn a lot about planning and procedures.

What I do is take off, fly a departure, get established en-route and then use the time compression options to get to interesting intersections, arrivals, or getting ready to transition to the approach.

Or, if I just want to work on approaches, just use the map feature to plop my airplane somewhere on fake vectors or on an inbound airway at an appropriate airspeed and altitude and pick it up from there.

The map feature is also good when you're done to see how erratic your approaches or holds were and if they looked anything like what they should have :)

For added fun once you get to where you can fly most approaches, start setting equipment failure rates really high.

Also, once you can fly an approach a few times fairly well, dont forget to start throwing wind into the equation.

Finally, you can just set it to use real life weather and go fly approaches somewhere in the country that is socked in.

It's a fun tool.
 
Find a fellow student who wants to build XC time and split flights. You under the hood one way, them under the way back. Both log PIC, each log half the XC time and half simulated instrument.

I personally used the FAA books, Instrument Procedures and Instrument Flying handbooks, a bit dry but they got the job done. Chair fly lots of different approaches, utilize the sim for the 20 hours if available to develop a strong scan, pack in lots of approaches and procedures and have fun on the XC flying.
 
Matt13C said:
Find a fellow student who wants to build XC time and split flights. You under the hood one way, them under the way back. Both log PIC, each log half the XC time and half simulated instrument.

I personally used the FAA books, Instrument Procedures and Instrument Flying handbooks, a bit dry but they got the job done. Chair fly lots of different approaches, utilize the sim for the 20 hours if available to develop a strong scan, pack in lots of approaches and procedures and have fun on the XC flying.
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Do that, but make sure you're doing something constructive other than flying straight and level staring at the gauges doing nothing. I did my cross countries THEN started doing my hood work. Ended up costing me way more than it should have!
 
Loved the idea about MS flight Sim!!

Do that, but make sure you're doing something constructive other than flying straight and level staring at the gauges doing nothing. I did my cross countries THEN started doing my hood work. Ended up costing me way more than it should have!
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That's what am trying to avoid!
 
+1 on MS Flight Sim - you can fly approaches and change the weather around it is very visually appealing compared to your next best option for saving money on flight time.

Find an ATC 610 sim. Try and find one with a plotting chart. It is 100% legal to log this time as long as you do it with a CFII and you keep the plotting charts.

I can't imagine the ATC 610 being too expensive. I also imagine it being next to impossible to find. The ATC 610 really is a good teacher and keeps your scan going. 20 hours of your rating could be legally logged on this machine as well. Its almost worth buying one.
 
Plus another on flight sim. That's actually how I learned my scan. And MSFS flies crappier than any airplane I've ever laid hands on.


Sent from Seat 3D
 
You don't need any of these instrument kits, all of the information is available online and in books. The kits are usually expensive so you could get a couple hours fight time instead. I prefer the Jeppesen Instrument / Commercial book, it covers a lot and it's not too much.

I didn't use any kits, just that book, and I only did something like 5 hours ground (somewhere around there, it was a very small number) before IR ticket.
 
I have a coupe 610's and used to instruct in them. They are a great tool. I found that the student maxed on on learning in them by 15 hours and needed 25 minimum anyhow to be ready for the checkride. So it worked out. You could do 20 in one but it might be a waste if you need 30 in the airplane before your CFII will sign you off. I guess it just depends on how quick you pick things up.

I made sure my students got some actual, at least, and preferably and ILS to mins without seeing anything and a missed approach. It was easy to find that in the Seattle area. Might not be possible everywhere depending on location and time of year.
 
Fly the sim, nail all maneuvers then transition to the airplane. Going from VFR to IFR at first is like starting all over again:smoke:.........
 
Matt13C said:
Find a fellow student who wants to build XC time and split flights. You under the hood one way, them under the way back. Both log PIC, each log half the XC time and half simulated instrument.

I personally used the FAA books, Instrument Procedures and Instrument Flying handbooks, a bit dry but they got the job done. Chair fly lots of different approaches, utilize the sim for the 20 hours if available to develop a strong scan, pack in lots of approaches and procedures and have fun on the XC flying.
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I really wouldn't reccommend newer VFR-only pilots trying to teach themselves, or each other, IFR procedures without at the very least both of them having had a few hours of dual instruction in those same procedures from a CFI-I.

I also really, really wouldn't reccommend them logging it the way you suggest
 
Mike H said:
I really wouldn't reccommend newer VFR-only pilots trying to teach themselves, or each other, IFR procedures without at the very least both of them having had a few hours of dual instruction in those same procedures from a CFI-I.

I also really, really wouldn't reccommend them logging it the way you suggest
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Difference in opinion aside, as it has been done successfully by many pilots, what is wrong with logging the time as described?
 
Just my reading of FAR 61.51, but both private pilots can't log the entire time as PIC in the scenario you describe; simulated instrument is according to time under the hood, and X-C time according to the time each is sole-manipulatorof the controls, but if they're sharing hood time, the safety pilot is SIC, not PIC
 
The safety pilot is a required crew member while the pilot flying is under the hood. If prior to the flight the two decide the pilot monitoring will be the acting pic, then both can log PIC. Once the hood comes off however, the acting can not log PIC, so to be technically accurate, the monitoring pilot should deduct .1 or .2 from the flight time as they were not required the entire time.

MidlifeFlyer explains it better http://www.midlifeflight.com/faq/faq.php?s=1#6
 
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