First Instrument Lesson (#3)

[AuntPeggy]

As I mentioned in another thread, this past Saturday I began instrument flight lessons for the third time.

We spent some time checking out the instruments, then Roger had me fly an "Oscar Pattern". I had never heard of it before and Roger seemed to believe it is only taught by those with a military background. Hubby thought he had flown the "Oscar Pattern", but it turns out he had flown the "Whiskey Pattern" at the beginning of his instrument training. I will be flying the Oscar pattern for awhile until I get it down, then graduate to the Whiskey pattern.

With the Oscar pattern, begin at a known altitude, facing exactly north. Execute a series of timed standard rate turns, climbing or descending at 500 fpm or level.

At 360*, turn right and climb 2 minutes -- arrive heading 360* 1000' higher.
Turn right (level) 90* to 090.
At 090*, turn left and descend 2 minutes -- arrive heading 090* original altitude.
Turn right (level) 90* to 180.
At 180*, turn right and descend 2 minutes -- arrive heading 180* 1000' lower.
Turn right (level) 90* to 270.
At 270*, turn left and climb 2 minutes -- arrive heading 270* original altitude.
Turn right (level) 90* to 360. Back to starting position.

Fun.

 

[murphey]

There's an interesting collection of patterns that are taught by one of the Part 141 schools out here (Colorado) on the sims. And it starts with this Oscar pattern, altho it's not called that in the instruction packet. I've seen some of them in other manuals/documents. Since many of the instructors at the school are retired military, I'm not surprised that they've integrated the patterns into the school material.

If interested, I'll see about posting a couple of the more interesting ones.

 

[Jeanie]

Never heard of this before. Sounds like it makes it interesting and challenging too.

 

[Ted]

Roger's a dedicated instructor, so he'll do well by you.

Once the whole "I can't see out the window" novelty wears off, instrument flying isn't hard, it's just about procedures. I prefer flying in the clouds most days, so long as they aren't icy and the approach doesn't require a major detour.

The big thing is to stick at it and fly as much as you (and he) can. If he can't fly, go up with Don as a safety pilot. Dragging it out will make it take infinitely longer (no pun intended).

 

[Lance F]

Good luck on #3. It's a great ticket to have and well worth the effort.

 

[AuntPeggy]

There's an interesting collection of patterns that are taught by one of the Part 141 schools out here (Colorado) on the sims. And it starts with this Oscar pattern, altho it's not called that in the instruction packet. I've seen some of them in other manuals/documents. Since many of the instructors at the school are retired military, I'm not surprised that they've integrated the patterns into the school material.

If interested, I'll see about posting a couple of the more interesting ones.

I'd love to see them. When I looked for the Oscar pattern on Google, all the illustrations I found showed only part of the pattern. Otherwise, I'd have put a picture in here.

I'm always interested in learning new things.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Good luck on #3. It's a great ticket to have and well worth the effort.

Thanks.

 

[rpadula]

Yeah, those patterns sound as boring as watching paint dry, but I also remember them being very humbling. I can remember thinking, "I've been flying for a while; I know how to climb, turn, climb and turn, so why is this so hard?" It was almost like learning how to fly again. And well worth the effort.

 

[DutchessFlier]

Congratulations on going for the IR..I am in the middle of it, and it indeed is a humbling experience, and I have come up against the wall a few times, but I know that my skills are so much better right now than they were a few months ago just from working toward the rating.

 

[dmccormack]

Yeah, those patterns sound as boring as watching paint dry, but I also remember them being very humbling. I can remember thinking, "I've been flying for a while; I know how to climb, turn, climb and turn, so why is this so hard?" It was almost like learning how to fly again. And well worth the effort.

I don't remember doing any "Patterns", though I can see how they would be a good exercise.

I was my newly-minted CFII's first IR student, so we sorta learned together.

 

[gismo]

I don't remember doing any "Patterns", though I can see how they would be a good exercise.

I was my newly-minted CFII's first IR student, so we sorta learned together.

Not even the ubiquitous 'A' and 'B' patterns? In the beginning of my training I was convinced that these atrocities were designed specifically to force the students into getting so wrapped around exiting a turn on the correct heading that they blow right through the altitude they were supposed to be leveling off at.

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

YAY!!!!! Sounds like fun. I miss instrument flight training.

 

[wabower]

The patterns evidently never quite made it into the Juco Flight School syllabus. I didn't hear of them until many years later.

Not even the ubiquitous 'A' and 'B' patterns? In the beginning of my training I was convinced that these atrocities were designed specifically to force the students into getting so wrapped around exiting a turn on the correct heading that they blow right through the altitude they were supposed to be leveling off at.

 

[jsstevens]

Not even the ubiquitous 'A' and 'B' patterns? In the beginning of my training I was convinced that these atrocities were designed specifically to force the students into getting so wrapped around exiting a turn on the correct heading that they blow right through the altitude they were supposed to be leveling off at.

Yep. My instrcutor used the A & B patterns. Given the amount of time I spent flying flight sims before I started real flying, I actually had an easier time of basic instrument flying than I did with the PP. He kept threatening to put a towel over the panel and make me look outside! But even with that, those patterns were tough at first. Really good practice. In fact, that inspires me to find those and do some sim practice...

John

 

[ScottM]

Not even the ubiquitous 'A' and 'B' patterns? In the beginning of my training I was convinced that these atrocities were designed specifically to force the students into getting so wrapped around exiting a turn on the correct heading that they blow right through the altitude they were supposed to be leveling off at.

I had to fly those too and have come to a similar conclusion to you. I spent an awful lot of my instrument training doing patterns and timed turns, etc. So many partial panel things that I thought I would never get to actually fly an approach. But it really worked out. I got really good at flying the plane such that when approaches were taught they were easy to do. All that I had to concentrate on was cockpit organization and talking on the radio.

 

[flyersfan31]

Never did the patterns. Don't think it has affected my flying, and I do a lot of actual IMC and approaches to mins for your average hobbyist pilot.

Enjoy the training. I hope it works out for you. Hopefully you'll get some time in messy IMC. There's nothing like training with rain pelting the windshield, turbulence bouncing you, and going in and out of clouds. Fun stuff.

 

[Ted]

Never did the patterns. Don't think it has affected my flying, and I do a lot of actual IMC and approaches to mins for your average hobbyist pilot.

Enjoy the training. I hope it works out for you. Hopefully you'll get some time in messy IMC. There's nothing like training with rain pelting the windshield, turbulence bouncing you, and going in and out of clouds. Fun stuff.

Yeah, it makes the real stuff you do a cakewalk in comparison!

I didn't do the patterns either. We just dove into approaches, holds, etc. Worked for me.

 

[AdamB]

I never did the patterns either, but I've flown the A & B patterns in the ASA IP Trainer
simulator I have on my PC.

 

[AuntPeggy]

One star rating? Do I have an enemy?

 

[AuntPeggy]

Yeah, it makes the real stuff you do a cakewalk in comparison!

I didn't do the patterns either. We just dove into approaches, holds, etc. Worked for me.

For my first attempt at IFR training, we started straight into approaches. For #2, we started in a simulator.

 

[crash7]

For my first attempt at IFR training, we started straight into approaches...

I'm a fairly new IFR instructor, but I can't stand it when I hear of/see CFIIs tossing new IFR students into approaches right off. When you were starting on your Private Pilot, you didn't work on touch & goes the first couple hours (at least I hope people didn't).

Take the time. Learn HOW to put the airplane where you want it. THEN learn WHERE you should/shouldn't put the airplane.

 

[dmccormack]

I'm a fairly new IFR instructor, but I can't stand it when I hear of/see CFIIs tossing new IFR students into approaches right off. When you were starting on your Private Pilot, you didn't work on touch & goes the first couple hours (at least I hope people didn't).

Take the time. Learn HOW to put the airplane where you want it. THEN learn WHERE you should/shouldn't put the airplane.

Agreed -- though I think with some students it may be productive to file on a VFR day, and fly a hold, some approaches all VFR (no hood), and then go back and describe what happened and what you will be doing to get to that level of proficiency.

Not all need it -- they already have an idea. But some do.

I know I was hooked when my CFI took me up IMC for an ILS into MDT and another at LNS.

 

[azure]

I had never heard of the A and B patterns either and my CFII certainly never had me do them, at least nothing he called by that name. We did start off with the basics though, straight and level, climbs, descents, and turns separately, and then combining them climbing turn or descending turn, and then many different combinations one after the other, so maybe what we did was pretty similar.

We only started on approaches after a few hours of basic attitude instrument flying and then holds, first holds at a VOR, and then intersection holds.

 

[Ted]

For my first attempt at IFR training, we started straight into approaches. For #2, we started in a simulator.

I'm a fairly new IFR instructor, but I can't stand it when I hear of/see CFIIs tossing new IFR students into approaches right off. When you were starting on your Private Pilot, you didn't work on touch & goes the first couple hours (at least I hope people didn't).

Take the time. Learn HOW to put the airplane where you want it. THEN learn WHERE you should/shouldn't put the airplane.

As a student (now instructor) who progressed through ratings pretty quickly and with relative ease, I can't stand it when I hear of/see instructors assuming that one method of teaching works for all. My second flight lesson (as in the second entry in my logbook) was a 2.7 hour XC about half of it flying in actual (probably more, really) flying my instructor's Comanche into PIT to pick up my fiancee at the time. It was a great lesson in the usefulness of GA and why I needed my instrument rating. From that point I was hooked on flying and getting the instrument rating. My instructor's done a great job of giving me the sorts of experiences that would keep me interested in progressing with my flying. It's worked out well.

Learn what the student needs and go with it. What worked for me doesn't work for Peggy. There's nothing wrong with that, so she needs to be taught differently and she has an instructor who understands that and will do so. That also doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with how I was taught.

 

[gismo]

I had never heard of the A and B patterns either and my CFII certainly never had me do them, at least nothing he called by that name. We did start off with the basics though, straight and level, climbs, descents, and turns separately, and then combining them climbing turn or descending turn, and then many different combinations one after the other, so maybe what we did was pretty similar.

We only started on approaches after a few hours of basic attitude instrument flying and then holds, first holds at a VOR, and then intersection holds.

The A and B patterns are in the "Instrument Flying Handbook" but here's a look at them (and a 'C' pattern I don't remember as well):

 

[AuntPeggy]

I'm a fairly new IFR instructor, but I can't stand it when I hear of/see CFIIs tossing new IFR students into approaches right off. When you were starting on your Private Pilot, you didn't work on touch & goes the first couple hours (at least I hope people didn't).

Take the time. Learn HOW to put the airplane where you want it. THEN learn WHERE you should/shouldn't put the airplane.

I suspect that Mike, my first instrument instructor, was feeling a little guilty about the 300 hours it took, mostly at the school he owned, to get my PPL. He had flown with me a few times and figured I knew how to handle the plane.

Roger, on the other hand, had only flown with me twice. First from the back seat while his wife was in the right seat and second so I could get night current a few weeks ago.

 

[Ghery]

My CFII suggested that I get a copy of On Top and a good yoke/throttle quadrant to practise this stuff at home. It is a lot cheaper to "fly" the computer than the 182. However, On Top has two C-182 options, neither of which meets exactly what I'm looking for. The fixed gear 182 has a G1000 panel and the 182RG has the ability to configure the panel similar to the steam gauges in the club's 182. What I need is a fixed gear 182 with steam gauges. I was trying the ILS to rwy 17 at OLM on the computer and when I pulled the power I got a descent, but no speed reduction and never did re-intercept the glide slope, stayed well above it the whole time. Never did break out and see the runway, but the map showed I held the centerline fairly well. Any ideas or sources to get a fixed gear 182 with steam gauges on On Top?