I also took a 10 day IFR course by going to a commercial flight school. I took two weeks off work and signed up with a flight school in Ft. Worth for their 10 day course, and stayed with a relative while there. Each day consisted of an hour of classroom work with the instructor, time with their simulator, a review with the instructor, then time in their plane, then a debrief and review. Evenings consisted of study of the procedures and regulations, although I had passed the IFR written exam before starting the course. The school also let me come in early each day and get some free simulator time on my own.This was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. There were high winds and turbulence the entire time, the plane seemed to be all over the sky, and there’s just so much to learn.
Even though I already owned a plane, I had to use their plane for the course. In hindsight, that was good because it had all the instruments needed, including an NDB that I don’t have. By the end of the course, I could keep the needles centered through all the procedures, and passed the check ride without problems.
Did I feel confident and competent on graduation? No. Not even close. Still, getting the instrument rating improved my flying substantially, and gave me more tools and options. There are a number of larger commercial flight schools around the country, and I suspect they all offer a similar IFR training program. This is an alternative to the PIC approach that you might consider.
-- Ed Owens, April 15, 2002
Ditto. Just passing a test means very little -- and 10 days is hardly enough to count for real experience. To pass a test, perhaps, but not much more than that. Instrument training is truly something to be undertaken deliberately. To race through it is to rob yourself of the ability to develop instincts. Robotic responses and rote answers you might have, but real situational awareness...that's another can of worms.
-- george day, May 1, 2002
>> Most instrument instructors sing the praises of the simulator[...] >> However, chances are that the simulator available to you will be >> very different from your own airplane.I disagree with this comment for a few reasons.
First, debriefing is an essential part of the learning experience. A huge benefit of the simulator is the ability to review what you've done and where you spectacularly screwed up. WHen you're initially learning the basics of the system, you'll benefit less from being in the noisy cockpit (and actually having to fly -- instrument procedures are less about flying than they are understanding systems).
Second, a simulator lets you experiment without breaking anything and spending an excessive amount of money. You get an infinite amount of "do-overs." * Want to fly the step-down approach into Medford Oregon? The LDA into Vancouver Pearson? The ILS into Boston's 22L? Just pull the chart and dial up the right frequencies. * Wondering why you couldn't intercept the NDB during holding practice? Check out the printout of your course trajectory and the relative wind. * Want to make the weather really marginal?
Third, electronic simulators such as ELITE provide accurately depicted avionic displays for a variety of models of aircraft. For example, you can fly a turbo arrow, Bonanza, or a Cessna 182. (There are others.) You can configure the simulator to generate random failure after failure. For example, you can see the DG and/or AI slowly tumble (as they do when vacuum gradually declines). Once you realize it's broken, you have to adjust your scan. (or take the easy route and cover the thing up ;).
Finally, most folks don't own their own airplane, they rent. Even similar models have nuances in their layouts - you just need to deal with that. There is certainly a benefit in being comfortable in your airplane, but you also need to be comfortable with the system and cockpit resource management. That's where a simulator helps.
Jim Carson http://www.cleanliving.com/flying
-- Jim Carson, May 2, 2002
As a flight instructor and president of SPIFR Flight Training, LLC I would recommend readers consider the many accelerated instrument programs available. Accelerated training may not be for everyone but I have found most pilots train better under full-time, intensive training. In fact, the military and airlines have always trained on a full-time intensive basis.I personally have experience working with two national university flight programs and two national accelerated programs (including SPIFR). I find the applicants trained under an intensive program are equal to, if not usually better than pilots trained under rigorous part 141 programs.
The problem most general aviation pilots find is that they do not have access to the best 141 flight schools. Pilots are left training at local FBOs with a constant rotation of young flight instructors trying to build time (although there are many good instructors at FBOs--they just don't last long). Lessons are often cancelled due to weather or aircraft delay or the lesson is ditched for a more lucrative chance for the instructor to fly charter. It is very beneficial to train with the same high-quality instructor all the way through a certain rating. Accelerated programs will usually pair a client with one experienced flight instructor for the entire training. In our program, for example, we dedicate one flight instructor to each client until that client has completed the rating. Our instructors do not fly charter or have any other students during the training. I suspect this is true of most accelerated programs.
The other benefit of accelerated training is that some programs allow the use of a client’s personal airplane. Using your own airplane will allow you to train with specific equipment and develop an instrument scan that is unique to your airplane. Whether you have Garmen 430 GPS units or KX-155 King radios, the training will show you the full potential of your equipment. Becoming fluent with tuning radios, swapping frequencies, setting the autopilot, and knowing where various gauges and switches are located on the panel are all essential IFR skills. Also, if your aircraft has retractable gear or a constant speed prop, the training will help you know at what point to put the gear down during the approach and what power settings to use.
If a pilot has average flying ability and can meet at least the Private Pilot standard of flying and knowledge, that pilot is a perfect candidate for accelerated training. If a pilot has not flown for a long time or just purchased a new airplane or equipment, I recommend becoming completely VFR current and familiar with all equipment before attempting a new rating.
Many pilots ask me how much they will retain if trained over a short period of time. Pilots will retain all flight skill that they use on a routine basis whether those skill were learned over 6 months or 7-10 days. A real life IFR flight is actually quite simple usually involving very little IMC conditions. An IFR flight mostly feels like VFR flight-following with automatic hand-offs along Victor airways or direct routing. Most IFR flights for general aviation pilots end up with visual approaches. However, during training pilots must be prepared to handle all kinds of weather conditions and ATC scenarios so we spend most of the time learning approaches, holding, and weather decision making etc. It is also important for pilots to continue to practice skills that are not routinely used. This means a pilot should request an instrument approach rather than accepting a visual every time. Holding will need to be practiced with a safety pilot because holding, while important, is rarely used in real life (Ask airline pilots).
The final advantage of accelerated training (that I'll list here) is that pilots are often trained for single-pilot, general aviation, and real world conditions. Most traditional flight schools, unfortunately, are designed to train pilots who are heading to the airlines and expect to have a copilot. In the real world, general aviation pilots must handle everything on their own. I believe it is essential to train at a program that teaches Single Pilot IFR techniques that are unique to general aviation. If these techniques are not learned from the beginning of training, pilots will often find themselves with a useless IFR rating or at least very little confidence. General aviation pilots should learn to fly on instruments in a way that minimizes the workload and stress in the cockpit. All techniques should be simple and organized with clear goals and objectives always in mind. A pilot should always know what is coming next during an IFR flight and be prepared for the next action.
Search the web for "accelerated instrument training", "instrument flight training" or similar phrase to find an accelerated program near you. Or like the article mentions, you can have the convenience of an instructor coming to your house like PIC offers, as long as your home or office is a suitable training environment and your home is not too far from the airport. Pilots living near Ohio, or that are willing to travel to Ohio, are welcome to visit our site at www.SPIFR.com (we provide accommodations and a vehicle). Regardless of the place you choose to train, I believe quality accelerated training is the wave of the future and will thoroughly prepare you for real world IFR flying. Always choose a course that understands the unique dynamics of accelerated training and has a custom accelerated syllabus. Extended courses that are compressed into a week do not work at all.
I hope this helps and good luck with your training.
Sincerely,
Andrew Ike, President SPIFR Flight Training, LLC www.spifr.com
-- Andrew Ike, February 25, 2003
I am currently a commercial rated pilot and like most of the rest of the comments listed on this page I agree with the fact that just having the rating does not prove that you have the experience necessary to fly in all conditions - especially IFR.Being an avid reader of NTSB reports and Aviation weekly I have learned that all too often a pilot that otherwise would be very safe and confident in his abilities gets himself into precarious situations due to the ever changing conditions of weather. Before you know it the family is thinking of what to put on his epilogue.
I would also like to comment on the advice of firewall training at part 141 schools. I totally disagree with this approach/attitude for a few reasons. #1 is the fact that it can be very dangerous. # 2 is the fact that the military uses veteran pilots with extensive experience (20+ years) and all of the tricks and tools needed to ensure the highest quality of instruction.
Flying has been in my family since I was born. My father (an Air Force pilot and now a Fed Ex Captain) has told me of countless horror stories of the fact that much of his training did little to prepare him for the actual situations encountered in flight. One example of this was when he was forced to fly a Non-precision NDB approach. It almost killed our family as a result on a personal flight cross country - this occured after he had the experience of having flown in the Vietnam war and recieved countless medals of honor for his abilities. This goes to show that even after 5 years of experience flying miltary jets, there still may be a situation that you are not prepared for - don't let this be you.
Also, in response to the comments on the firewall school, I personally attended what is now considered to be one of the top rated scholls out there - Delta Connection (formerly ComAir).
They use this approach of firewalled training where I would have to say that the majority of the students in this program not only failed countless profeciency checks and spent thousands of extra dollars in the process, but also a majority of them graduated on to the next program with such a deficiency that I became uphauled by the standards being upheld by such a large organization. This is not to say that the organized method of learning is not better than the un-organized method. Only that in many of these cases, the "pipeline" of instructors available within these programs are just 6 mos beyond the students capability.
There where many groundschool lessons where I was actually teaching my instructor a thing or two, instead of the other way around. This makes this avenue a poor relation to military training. Period.
Now, as for the commercial training (done by Commercial airline companies) - again I must remind all readers that this is like graduate school. By this time all pilots must have the basics down - SOLID. The process of spoon feeding information is too costly and should not be needed at this point. But to compare this to the process of getting the basics that may one day save your life is very short sighted to say the least.
Hope this letter helps someone currently in the process of learning to fly. I know from experienc,pain and enjoyment that this is a long journey of learning you have embarked on - the best part of it is the fact that the ride is so enjoyable. But the day you stop learning more could lead to your last day of learning - so continue to thirst for knowledge... and try to keep your head above them clouds.
Sincerely, Matt Dee
-- Matt Dee, November 1, 2005
I recently found your article on "IFR flying" and find it very interesting and helpful. I had actually begun to formulate a plan for my future IFR flying, given that I fear that I will quickly lose those skills if I don't fly every few days. I looked up the FAA's listing of ILS & LPV approaches and there are nearly 4,000 of them, up from the 292 LPV that you cited in 2002. I believe that I have interpreted the FAA data properly, but confirmation would be nice. So, I hope that you will update this very important topic, and add some additional insights from other IFR pilots with similar concerns. I had also been wondering when (or if) the FAA will abandon NBD and VOR approaches. I have made the decision to only fly a plane with a glass cockpit, and I find those extra approaches and being forced to learn them to be a drag on my wallet, but no benefit to me, as I don't plan to use them. Ever. And now, due to your article and access to 4,000 ILS and LPV approaches, I might never need anything but ILS or LPV, so if I buy a plane, it will have a WAAS receiver. For two years now, I have been planning this purchase, and every once in a while an article like yours appears and creates a new and unexpected decision point. I have yet to buy.One more thing. One of my CFIs showed me how to fly safely in clouds in the Winter. This consists of making sure that the air is below freezing during the entire flight, checking the FAA ADDS Flight Path Tool, and checking PIREPs for icing conditions. Our flight school does not allow flying if there is any probability of icing, but if all indicators just mentioned are positive, we are allowed to go, but must be vigilant and check the wings often for any build up while in the clouds. And of course, exit immediately and land, if there is a build up. Your comment and feedback on this method would be appreciated.
Thank you very much.
-- Ronald Smolinski, November 11, 2014