Instrument training in a Arrow

Hold the phone for a second, a Loran GPS? Is it a Loran or a GPS?

You don't NEED an GPS for your instrument rating. The most advanced piece of avionics I had in the plane that I did my instrument rating in was a DME. I learned how to fly on instruments just fine without any area navigation. I'm going to be getting a handheld for some more backup and situational awareness, but it's certinally not nessecary to learn how to fly on the guages.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
I'm slummin' it without an HSI in 'my' Arrow.
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However, as I fly a 172SP fairly regularly that does have an HSI, I'll agree with the statement that it makes your life so much easier when you're in the soup!

montanapilot - I pay $105/hr. Pretty standard around here unless you belong to one of a couple of clubs that have Arrows (and they are absolute pieces).

And someone said a GPS isn't necessary - I'll concur (the Archer I flew had a Garmin 150XL, VFR only) but add that in my opinion an autopilot isn't necessary when you're training. However when you finish and fly something with an autopilot - oh man does it make your life simpler!

Sarah
 
Ours rents for $120 an hour and has a Garmin 430. GPS does not take all that long to learn how to use, so it is not real important to have one in the plane you do most of your training in, but it is Nice to have, and like everyone is saying HSIs really make life easier when you are in actual.
 
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Oooh...a PTT switch. High class.
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Another reason to stick with an Arrow: you get to do a solid portion of your instrument with an HSI. Flying in actual with a basic CDI sucks.

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What exactly is a PTT switch?


Matthew
 
Push-To-Talk. So basically you push the button on the yoke and you're able to talk over the radio thru your headset microphone boom.
 
I absolutely cannot stand those big square after-market PTT's that we have in some of our planes!!! GOD those things are awkward!
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Well don't all airplanes have PTT switches?

[/ QUOTE ]Remember that many moons ago (even today), pilots flew without radios. Those top of the line aircraft that had radios, often relied upon the handheld microphone and speaker for communications. It was believed that headsets were not needed in such small "quiet" planes.
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I think having the GPS is a valuable tool and you should make sure the aircraft has a current database. There are more and more GPS approaches coming into play and it is here to stay. I would want to become comfortable as soon as possible with it.
 
I'm not convinced that having a plane with an approach approved GPS is that big a deal for initial instrument training.

It's probably good to get a look at a couple of approaches somewhere during your training so you understand the basic layout a typical approach, but the mechanics of following the needle and altitude on a GPS approach are similar enough to a VOR approach that the differences are, in my opinion, negligible.

The catch in flying real-life GPS approaches is that each manufacturer's box takes different button pushes to do the same thing. That means that what you learned in your Trainer 1000 with a Garmin GPS, won't necessarily apply to the next plane that has a King unit in it. It really takes individual training on each unit in order to be proficient, or even safe, flying approaches.

I'm not knocking having a GPS, or even using it during training and the checkride, but I sure wouldn't say it is a big advantage to your training to fly a plane with one.

In fact, I can see one disadvantage to having a GPS, which is that many planes with an approach approved GPS do not have an ADF in them. And as much as I dislike ADF approaches, and as inacccurate as they can be, there are still quite a few airports out there with nothing more than that for an approach. And even more than airports without GPS approaches (which are fading fast), there are an awful lot of planes out there used daily in hard IFR (read charter / freight dogs) that are not equipped with approach approved GPS's, and won't be for quite a while because of the cost involved. Because of that I believe it is a good idea for the Instrument Student to learn how to use the ADF and get some practice and even (god forbid) have to demonstrate proficiency with them.

Then again, I still miss the bonfire lit airways, too.....
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Because of that I believe it is a good idea for the Instrument Student to learn how to use the ADF and get some practice and even (god forbid) have to demonstrate proficiency with them.

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I did my instrument in an aircraft with dual Garmin 430s, and you betcha I still had to do NDB approaches. It wasn't always the most fun thing in the world, seeing as how those magic toys could overlay with a few pushes of a button, but they made us learn all of it.
 
I did my instrument in an Arrow with only having flown 150's and a 172 beforehand. Arrows are much more stable then 172's, they're faster (if you want to take a trip sometime), and they have more horsepower to keep a slightly bigger safety margin if you happen to get ice on the aircraft.

The complex time can help you rent other complex aircraft too.
 
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