Instrument rating

[pwttogfk]

I remember having some horrible landings after completing some intense approaches during training. I would just slap the sucker on the runway, kind of embarassing. :banghead:

Oh good, it's not just me...my CFII used to give me so much grief about that--she told me that I can't just relax and put a half-baked effort into the landing. That said, I was so relieved to pull off the hood at the end of the lesson that it tended to happen anyway!

 

[tonyw]

I remember having some horrible landings after completing some intense approaches during training. I would just slap the sucker on the runway, kind of embarassing. :banghead:

I actually had a different reaction. My landings after doing approaches were some of the best ever. I think it was because I was so happy to be able to SEE outside the airplane!

 

[AviatorGator]

Oh good, it's not just me...my CFII used to give me so much grief about that--she told me that I can't just relax and put a half-baked effort into the landing. That said, I was so relieved to pull off the hood at the end of the lesson that it tended to happen anyway!

You're sitting in a cockpit, foggles on for an hour or more at a time (sometimes) with your focal point a couple feet from your face. Finally, your instructor takes the controls, you have the aircraft again and you pound the aircraft in, almost every time. At that point of your training, you're spending money on learning to fly instruments, not do private or commercial PTS landings. It takes a little bit for your eyes to refocus outside the cockpit. Don't be so hard on yourself!

Instead of your CFII giving you a hard time they might consider letting you take the foggles off every now and then maybe do a VFR landing or two. I tried to mix it up with my students. While the end goal is to get you up to the standards of an instrument pilot, every now and then I'd have the student take the hood off, have them refocus on the horizon for a few minutes and remind them to look down the runway during the landing. Positive reinforcement :yup:

 

[CFIscare]

:yeahthat: I think we have all had moments like that during instrument training.

And sometimes after...

 

[ChasenSFO]

Glad you're having fun, Alec. I'll be starting mine as soon as I get my private, it looks very challenging, however I'll be starting in the rainy season so I can't wait to get into some clouds.

 

[X-Forces]

This rating is a freaking blast to work on:nana2:

Today my instructor and I left Merrill field with 6k foot ceilings and while out doing DME arcs I noticed that the world started to look the same color as I see through my foggles. I took my foggles off and visibility went from unlimited to between 5 and 10 miles in snow. Once we descended to 1600 Anchorage finally became visible.

I must say trying to find white aircraft in the pattern while it is snowing isnt easy:banghead: Why cant people use their landing lights in such conditions?

Snow? What's that?

650 Dual given ......... .3 Actual instrument!!

Got to love PHX

 

[dashdriver]

Hahahaha! Ya got to love PHX. When I left instructing I had 1600 dual given and only 2 hours of actual. Every time there was a chance at actual it was either gonna be in icing conditions or summer time with convective activity. So buzzing around in the clouds with a plane with no wx radar in an area with cells, no thanks. knew one guy that launched up to FLG on an IR cross country in the winter to get some actual. They are lucky as hell to be alive after the ice build up they had on the ILS approach up there.

 

[ASpilot2be]

Snow? What's that?

Your worst nightmare

 

[X-Forces]

Hahahaha! Ya got to love PHX. When I left instructing I had 1600 dual given and only 2 hours of actual. Every time there was a chance at actual it was either gonna be in icing conditions or summer time with convective activity. So buzzing around in the clouds with a plane with no wx radar in an area with cells, no thanks. knew one guy that launched up to FLG on an IR cross country in the winter to get some actual. They are lucky as hell to be alive after the ice build up they had on the ILS approach up there.

IFR
+
KFLG
+
Light GA Aircraft
=

 

[ASpilot2be]

IFR
+
KFLG
+
Light GA Aircraft
=

We have a family friend that died in a plane crash out of Flagstaff in January

 

[jwp_145]

I remember having some horrible landings after completing some intense approaches during training. I would just slap the sucker on the runway, kind of embarassing. :banghead:

Very typical I've found. My students do the exact same thing, so don't worry. They would make a beautiful instrument flight, only to let things decay to the point of scariness once reaching the traffic pattern.

 

[MikeD]

IFR
+
KFLG
+
Light GA Aircraft
=

Oh come one now. Not with some prior planning...... FLG is all good, though I'm personally familiar with 6 different accidents there, 5 of which to WX that happened in my time up there.

 

[X-Forces]

We have a family friend that died in a plane crash out of Flagstaff in January

Holy Smoke, was that a friend of yours? In the C-205?

I'm sorry man!

That made big news here. Every time there is a fatal crash in the area we have a discussion about it, usually lead by our safety officer. I can recall that is was a really bad weather day( i.e. IMC).

IMC at KFLG in January means ICE!!!!!

Ice is BADDDDDDDDD!!

Oh come one now. Not with some prior planning...... FLG is all good, though I'm personally familiar with 6 different accidents there, 5 of which to WX that happened in my time up there.

Sure, prior planning.

Let's see, KFLG is 1000' under the soup, the dewpoint and temperature are oddly the same, and we are flying an aircraft with a single engine that weighs less then 3000lbs. How shall we plan this?

Let's go to another airport!

Good idea!!!!

 

[MikeD]

Sure, prior planning.

Let's see, KFLG is 1000' under the soup, the dewpoint and temperature are oddly the same, and we are flying an aircraft with a single engine that weighs less then 3000lbs. How shall we plan this?

Let's go to another airport!

Good idea!!!!

The idea is know what the prevailing conditions and know what you're getting into. Rather than going out there and being surprised.

Thats the prior planning I'm referring to.

And there's nothing wrong with single-engine IFR ops.....perfectly safe. Did it in cargo for a few years.....into and out of FLG.

Saying IFR + FLG + Light GA automatically = Death Wish, is like saying a particular stretch of road is "unsafe". The road is just there.....just sits there...doesn't move. The drivers that use it improperly and without knowledge of it's gotchas are the ones that make it "unsafe".

FLG is just fine. Just sits there. Any pilot who doesn't respect and plan for the precip, IMC, DA, winds, etc..they're the ones that make it "unsafe."

 

[X-Forces]

The idea is know what the prevailing conditions and know what you're getting into. Rather than going out there and being surprised.

Thats the prior planning I'm referring to.

And there's nothing wrong with single-engine IFR ops.....perfectly safe. Did it in cargo for a few years.....into and out of FLG.

Saying IFR + FLG + Light GA automatically = Death Wish, is like saying a particular stretch of road is "unsafe". The road is just there.....just sits there...doesn't move. The drivers that use it improperly and without knowledge of it's gotchas are the ones that make it "unsafe".

FLG is just fine. Just sits there. Any pilot who doesn't respect and plan for the precip, IMC, DA, winds, etc..they're the ones that make it "unsafe."

This was exactly me point.

IMC @ KFLG in during winter time is nearly always going to involve icing conditions. Unless you're flying a jet, or an anti-ice equip light single or twin, it is just probably a better idea to call it a miss rather then risk it.

 

[ASpilot2be]

Holy Smoke, was that a friend of yours? In the C-205?

I'm sorry man!

Yep. Thats the one.

 

[MikeD]

This was exactly me point.

IMC @ KFLG in during winter time is nearly always going to involve icing conditions. Unless you're flying a jet, or an anti-ice equip light single or twin, it is just probably a better idea to call it a miss rather then risk it.

And that was my point.....a slight modifier to your equation!

 

[hack1982]

You're sitting in a cockpit, foggles on for an hour or more at a time (sometimes) with your focal point a couple feet from your face. Finally, your instructor takes the controls, you have the aircraft again and you pound the aircraft in, almost every time. At that point of your training, you're spending money on learning to fly instruments, not do private or commercial PTS landings. It takes a little bit for your eyes to refocus outside the cockpit. Don't be so hard on yourself!

Instead of your CFII giving you a hard time they might consider letting you take the foggles off every now and then maybe do a VFR landing or two. I tried to mix it up with my students. While the end goal is to get you up to the standards of an instrument pilot, every now and then I'd have the student take the hood off, have them refocus on the horizon for a few minutes and remind them to look down the runway during the landing. Positive reinforcement :yup:

Yeah I think losing the foggles every once in awhile would be beneficial. I was afraid to ask for a breather, I don't know why, just thought it was mandatory I guess. I know you can't lose the IMC when enroute, but during training, a breather could help a student maintain focus on the task at hand.