IFR Finally: At 63

RalphInCA said:
Congratulations.

I am 57. Got my instrument rating last year, commercial this year, will finish off CFI early in 18.

Always move forward.
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Wow...congrats!!!! That's amazing. Are you in So Cal (I am)?
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Who says old guys can't do it? A huge round of thanks to my friends on this site who helped me through my ups and downs (literally!).

6 years ago I started flying again after a 40 year break. With a lot of coaching from POA friends, a FlythisSim (with PilotEdge) at home, and my trusty SR22, I passed the written, the oral, and the IFR checkride all on the first try. In the past 6 years, I went from 65 hours to almost 700, all while working more than full time. I say this not to brag, but to show it can be done.

Again, huge thanks...to those who encouraged me when I wanted to quit, taught me how to get a medical with diabetes (thanks, Bruce Chien!), and told me when to file an ASRS when I did something stupid.

I'm no ace pilot. I'm just an average guy who stuck with it, even when it seemed impossible.

Now...I see a Commercial in my future (I'm told it's easier and more fun than IFR).

This site ROCKS!
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Congratulations. I’m interested in how and how much you used Pilot Edge. I’ve watched their training videos and think they helped me understand the concepts, but I haven’t flown on their network yet. Did you use Pilot Edge after you’d done a lot of real life instrument flying, or before, to help you build up to the point of flying approaches etc. in the real world? I recently passed the IFR Knowledge and it’s time to start the next step, thanks for the help.
 
Cogito said:
Congratulations. I’m interested in how and how much you used Pilot Edge. I’ve watched their training videos and think they helped me understand the concepts, but I haven’t flown on their network yet. Did you use Pilot Edge after you’d done a lot of real life instrument flying, or before, to help you build up to the point of flying approaches etc. in the real world? I recently passed the IFR Knowledge and it’s time to start the next step, thanks for the help.
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I used PilotEdge (www.pilotedge.net) throughout. Use them to the fullest and you'll save hundreds or thousands in training costs. I passed IFR with hours near the minimums because of PilotEdge. Suggested sequence:

1. First, they have a series of incredibly valuable VFR and IFR video lessons, including detailed explanations of how to read plates.

2. Next, get a sim and work through the VFR and IFR scenarios. I bought from Flythissim. It's expensive, but you can easily sell it when you are done with training. There are cheaper alternatives. Each scenario has a lesson and video, followed by a test where you are monitored by their on-line ATC. Each is pass / fail.

3. Finally, consider flying your IFR cross country on PilotEdge before the real thing. Your instructor will be shocked by your performance (as if you did it before...which you did).

Remember, IFR is more about coms, complex rules, and workload. All of these can be learned in a sim, and perhaps better in a sim!
 
VWGhiaBob said:
I used PilotEdge (www.pilotedge.net) throughout. Use them to the fullest and you'll save hundreds or thousands in training costs. I passed IFR with hours near the minimums because of PilotEdge. Suggested sequence:

1. First, they have a series of incredibly valuable VFR and IFR video lessons, including detailed explanations of how to read plates.

2. Next, get a sim and work through the VFR and IFR scenarios. I bought from Flythissim. It's expensive, but you can easily sell it when you are done with training. There are cheaper alternatives. Each scenario has a lesson and video, followed by a test where you are monitored by their on-line ATC. Each is pass / fail.

3. Finally, consider flying your IFR cross country on PilotEdge before the real thing. Your instructor will be shocked by your performance (as if you did it before...which you did).

Remember, IFR is more about coms, complex rules, and workload. All of these can be learned in a sim, and perhaps better in a sim!
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I think I’ll use X-Plane with pilotedge, since I already have and, as you say, Flythissim is a bit spendy. I’ll take the money I save to buy a GTN 650. Thanks for the training details, Bob, extremely helpful.
 
I love this story. Congratulations!

One question, how much did you pay for the sim and was it worth it? I am in a similar situation and I thought the money would be better spent on flying.
 
Congratulations on the IR and fly safe! (I'd say get that ticket wet ASAP but I don't know where you are, and most places across the US 'tis the season for ICE.)
:cheers: :cheers:
 
Congratulations! Inspiring!
I'm 61 going for my PPL.

just finished the exams, have low flying hours, but my second MED (first one expired when I stopped flying to concentrate on ground school) didn't go through on first exam. I'm fine but had been off work on sick leave last year for some months, so the doc wanted more info. Going back the tenth and hope all goes as it ought to.

Thanks for the inspiration!
 
VWGhiaBob said:
.. and the IFR checkride all on the first try. ..
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Well done.

On a point of pedantry you passed your instrument checkride.

IFR are the rules to fly by not the qualification.
 
AndrewX said:
I love this story. Congratulations!

One question, how much did you pay for the sim and was it worth it? I am in a similar situation and I thought the money would be better spent on flying.
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The Fly This Sim costs around $5,500. There's a great used market for them. If I wanted to, I could easily get $4,500 now, but I want to keep it. Ownership of this Sim saved me a huge amount of money in aircraft operating costs and reduced instructor time. The more expensive and complex your plane, the more a simulator can save you. For me it's simple: given the complexity of Cirrus avionics, I wouldn't have an IFR without the sim.

And, I passed on first try with hours near the minimum requirements for IFR...because of the sim...not because I'm a great pilot. Little did the examiner know I probably had 200 hours of IFR practice at home!
 
Thanks for the response. It's got me thinking.
 
I started flight training after I retired and was 66 when I got my Private Pilot certificate. I started training for an Instrument Rating at age 70. The book learning was fascinating for me and I passed the written test easily. But the flying part has been really tough. I’ll be 72 next month and have been thinking I’ve gotten too old to do it, even though I really enjoy flying VFR in Southern California, with Flight Following, in a Cirrus SR20 and a Sling 2. I’ve just subscribed to PilotEdge, which I’ll use with X-Plane. But when I read here about 63-year-olds calling themselves “old,” I wonder whether I should just accept that VFR flying is a wonderful thing and not set myself up for frustration and disappointment by chasing an Instrument Rating. Surely there’s some age which is “too old” to achieve that — isn’t there?
 
Lon33 said:
. Surely there’s some age which is “too old” to achieve that — isn’t there?
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Only if you believe an arbitrary number defines your ability to learn.

Yes, there is a recall component to learning thats based on short term memory and relies on transfer of that learning to long term behaviors that can be affected by diminishing cognitive capacity. It’s not correlative to age, though.
 
Lon33 said:
I started flight training after I retired and was 66 when I got my Private Pilot certificate. I started training for an Instrument Rating at age 70. The book learning was fascinating for me and I passed the written test easily. But the flying part has been really tough. I’ll be 72 next month and have been thinking I’ve gotten too old to do it, even though I really enjoy flying VFR in Southern California, with Flight Following, in a Cirrus SR20 and a Sling 2. I’ve just subscribed to PilotEdge, which I’ll use with X-Plane. But when I read here about 63-year-olds calling themselves “old,” I wonder whether I should just accept that VFR flying is a wonderful thing and not set myself up for frustration and disappointment by chasing an Instrument Rating. Surely there’s some age which is “too old” to achieve that — isn’t there?
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Thanks for sharing that. I'm 61 and going for my PPL, and wonder how long I can expect to be able to fly.
The thoughts cross my mind, but I'm reasonably sharp and aware, react pretty well I think. It encourages me to hear stories like yours.

Have a buddy from ground school, same thought. Both of us wish we had thought to start earlier, but...you are where you are.

Seems to me like we all also age differently. Good luck, whatever you decide on the IFR, enjoy!
 
Lon33 said:
But when I read here about 63-year-olds calling themselves “old,” I wonder whether I should just accept that VFR flying is a wonderful thing and not set myself up for frustration and disappointment by chasing an Instrument Rating. Surely there’s some age which is “too old” to achieve that — isn’t there?
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Well ya got your PPC at 66, so I see no reason you can't get your instrument rating, especially if you easily passed the written. It makes you a more procise pilot and gives you more options such as departing when it might be 800 OVC. But it does require more proficiency and currency to be a good instrument pilot. Try a few lessons and see how it goes. Although the beginning lessons are mostly fundamental attitude instrument flying, holding and approaches come a little later in the curriculum. Hell I'm 69 and still instructing.
 
Awesome accomplishment. Congrats!
 
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