IFR Currency At Home

VWGhiaBob

VWGhiaBob

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VWGhiaBob
New FAA regs allow for IFR currency at home without an instructor, as long as you have an FAA-approved ATD (I have www.flythissim.com and it's approved).

Does anyone know if these new regulations are in place yet? Can I now log currency without my instructor or do the new regs take place later?
 
Keeping IFR current at home without a CFI

It’s like a full scale version of a favorite game

lawn-darts-substitute-1-orig.jpg
 
VWGhiaBob said:
New FAA regs allow for IFR currency at home without an instructor, as long as you have an FAA-approved ATD (I have www.flythissim.com and it's approved).

Does anyone know if these new regulations are in place yet? Can I now log currency without my instructor or do the new regs take place later?
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https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/question-on-new-atd-currency-rule.112404/
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/anybody-fly-solo-in-an-atd-today.112570/
 
asicer said:
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/question-on-new-atd-currency-rule.112404/
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/anybody-fly-solo-in-an-atd-today.112570/
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Thanks for the answer...good links. I have confirmed with www.flythissim.com...it's a YES!

For those concerned about money...Flythissim's, yes, are expensive. But there's a robust used market. Many folks buy used, or buy new and sell after they get their IFR. I decided to keep mine...incredible tool, not for hand flying or traditional aviating (which is superb important), but for IFR complexities.
 
MauleSkinner said:
yeah :eek:! If you own your own airplane, that money would pay for a LOT of gas for currency.
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Gas is the least expensive part of owning. You'd be surprised. Like I said above, you can buy a Flythissim and sell it when you're done with IFR. Amazing bargain when you think of it that way.
 
My feeling, after logging some currency tasks using my flying club's AATDs, and also meeting up with some challenging conditions in actual during the past week, is that to really be safe, a wise pilot will need to take steps to make the currency tasks challenging, such as dialing in crosswinds and/or turbulence. I think that flying currency tasks in an aircraft will also be needed for proficiency, but at least we no longer have to worry about finding conditions where a cloud layer happens to include the altitude of a published holding pattern, or the final segment of an approach.
 
If nothing else, that would pay for a lot of CFI time. Don't pilots know anyone that can be safety pilots? I can think of at least 3 or 4 guys that I could get to play safety pilot. (And I'm always meeting more.)
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Gas is the least expensive part of owning. You'd be surprised.
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No, gas is part of the cost to fly...the cost of ownership is airplane, hangar, annual, insurance, ....

My Maule cost me $30 an hour to fly, and $4000 a year to own whether I flew or not. ;)
 
asicer said:
"Anyone"? You might want to clarify that.
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I think basic comprehension would realize that he means that there are a lot of pilots out there than can be safety pilots. No need to be 'Mr Literal'. :)
 
BrianNC said:
I think basic comprehension would realize that he means that there are a lot of pilots out there than can be safety pilots. No need to be 'Mr Literal'. :)
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I think you're confusing me with poadeleted ;)

That said, I should point out that things do get a little sticky if the proposed safety pilot is on BasicMed (for example, the airplane is HP/complex and he/she does not have all the endorsements).
 
I think this is great - and by the way a helpful video here from AOPA confirming this. I'm interested to learn what devices will be approved to be used as an ATD.
 
I just spent 1.5 hours during a lesson doing three approaches in complete IMC. Weather at minimums(400/500), showery, turbulent, howling winds on approaches . Only time out of IMC was just busting about. Had a heading on two of the approaches 20-30deg right of Course due to the winds. It was the longest and hardest flying I have done. Constant work. Invaluable experience IMO.
An at home simulator cannot simulate disequilibrium like the real stuff.
I’m thankful that we had the opportunity to get up in the junk. About half of my 15 hours lessons has been in IMC. A tribute to the crappy weather in the NE part of the country lately.
I would rather try to get up with a CFI or IFR safety pilot in the worst to stay current then practice in the best of ideal situations.
 
I get a lot of mileage out of a home set-up, with X-Plane 11.25; it has a G-530 like the real aircraft I fly, and uses up to date navdata and IAP's downloaded from the FAA digital products site. I can get in multiple approaches and G-530 work, and it'll push a simulated GPS signal to my iPad over my home WiFi, so I can use ForeFlight just as I do when flying - moving map, geo referenced plates, etc.

It's not the real thing, but is a very useful proficiency tool, and I can get a lot of practice done in a short time.
 
@Sundancer - Exactly, and won’t it be great when you will be allowed to legitimately log those ?
 
I guess so? I think, probably? We're basically on the honor system for currency anyway. I like the sim for the scan, procedures, and efficient use of time. If I need an IPC, I'll beat the sim pretty hard before embarrassing myself with a CFII. My experience is it does help a bunch - for my level of experience and skill, a mix of sim and real approaches seems to get the job done.
 
I fly IFR for every single flight now. So I'm getting good practice with all kinds of approaches, though I can't log them in the plane unless I have a Safety Pilot. I feel super current. The sim at home, which I have verified is an FAA ATD, allows me to remain current officially as well, as I can set every approach to minimums.

Is flying lots of approaches in VFR the same as in the soup? No, but when I go into the soup, having so many approaches under my belt means the soup transition isn't that difficult...at least not so far.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
I fly IFR for every single flight now. So I'm getting good practice with all kinds of approaches, though I can't log them in the plane unless I have a Safety Pilot. I feel super current. The sim at home, which I have verified is an FAA ATD, allows me to remain current officially as well, as I can set every approach to minimums.
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Do you have a copy of a letter of authorization/approval from the FAA? The ones I've seen say something like "a copy of this letter must be readily available in a location near the device when in use". Does your say the same?
 
asicer said:
Do you have a copy of a letter of authorization/approval from the FAA? The ones I've seen say something like "a copy of this letter must be readily available in a location near the device when in use". Does your say the same?
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Yes I do. All Flythissim's come with a framed FAA letter of certification. Technically, it's supposed to be on the table with the sim whenever you are logging time.
 
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