IFR refresher study material c.2023?

CJones

CJones

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Haven't been IFR current in a few years now and want to get back on the saddle. Have a couple of nights per week where I'm sitting in the truck for an hour or so waiting for the kiddos to get done with some sort of activity, so I figured I should probably put the time to good use.

Anybody have suggestions for good IFR refresher study material? I used Kershner's 'The Instrument Flight Manual' when I did my IR checkride back in '06 (is that far enough back that I can say 'aught-6'?), and I liked that book, but I'm wondering if some elements have updated since then - GPS is more prominent now, different navaid identifiers are in place, different IFR routing tools, etc.

Anybody have suggestions (other than the blanket "Just read the FAR/AIM")?
 
The ACS IPC guidance and references in a good starting point. The new Weather Flying Handbook is worthwhile for weather theory since it consolidates a lot of other individual ACs.

I like Gold Seal’s IFR Know It All as a resource, too.
goldseal.link

IFR Know It All

Everything you need to know about getting your Instrument Rating!
goldseal.link

Gardner’s Complete Advanced Pilot, Buck & Buck’s Weather Flying, and IFR Magazine are good resources.

If you’ve got a flight sim, Pilot Edge scenarios are good and don’t require a subscription, then there’s Pilot Workshops’ IFR Mastery as well as there AOPA member portal scenarios and video resources.

Avionics-wise, Garmin has training sims free for GNS and GTN series navigators and you can buy their airframe specific G1000 trainers cheap.
 
If it's been a long enough time, consider doing some practice tests or even a good ground school program to bring your knowledge level up to the present. The ability to go point-to-point via GPS RNAV has wrought a lot of changes in the IFR world. New terms on approach plates like RNP and TAA. More direct navigation in many areas. Differing performance levels. I suspect even the movement to the ICAO flight plan was at least in part because of the various levels of "Required Navigation Performance."

Not to mention the whole glass and EFB revolutions, including autopilots which not only work, but can fly you both horizontally and vertically from the enroute environment onto an approach, down to minimums and, with a press of a button, fly and complete the missed with you only dealing with the power quadrant and gear/flaps confinguration.

From a text point of view, I agree completely with those who recommended the FAA's IPH (Instrument Procedures Handbook). It's really an excellent volume.

There are also some pretty good videos out there, but you have to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. And as others mentioned, the avionics and EFB manufacturers have some excellent training videos out there. I do a fair amount of avionics transition training (70-80% of my work with owners; plus my flying club) and I usually assign videos based on what they have in the airplane.
 
FlightInsight. First watch all their free videos on YouTube, then decide if you want to pay for the rest.
 
MountainDude said:
FlightInsight. First watch all their free videos on YouTube, then decide if you want to pay for the rest.
Click to expand...

Content is good, but the voice over is hideous to me. I have to watch it at 1.25x speed for it to sound like a normal rate of speech.
 
CJones said:
Haven't been IFR current in a few years now and want to get back on the saddle. Have a couple of nights per week where I'm sitting in the truck for an hour or so waiting for the kiddos to get done with some sort of activity, so I figured I should probably put the time to good use.

Anybody have suggestions for good IFR refresher study material? I used Kershner's 'The Instrument Flight Manual' when I did my IR checkride back in '06 (is that far enough back that I can say 'aught-6'?), and I liked that book, but I'm wondering if some elements have updated since then - GPS is more prominent now, different navaid identifiers are in place, different IFR routing tools, etc.

Anybody have suggestions (other than the blanket "Just read the FAR/AIM")?
Click to expand...

One of the discussion points that come up in many FAA safety seminars is the declining systems knowledge by pilots. That includes an overall understanding of powerplants and avionics. FAA's instrument procedures handbook, instrument flying handbook, weather handbook are good places to start, but they are not going to give you a systems knowledge, especially avionics. This is where most of the advances have taken place in the last decade. Back in '05 a Garmin 430 was considered cool, but I don't think you will find many IFR airplanes today without at least a 430/530. Newer one are being made with G1000 or similar full glass panels as standard equipment. This will probably be the biggest change you will notice. Flying in IMC trying to figure out which button does what can be dangerous. If I were you, I would take some online courses first specific to each avionic system, and then try it out on a simulator. Home simulators have come a very long way in the last 10 years.
 
sarangan said:
One of the discussion points that come up in many FAA safety seminars is the declining systems knowledge by pilots. That includes an overall understanding of powerplants and avionics. FAA's instrument procedures handbook, instrument flying handbook, weather handbook are good places to start, but they are not going to give you a systems knowledge, especially avionics. This is where most of the advances have taken place in the last decade. Back in '05 a Garmin 430 was considered cool, but I don't think you will find many IFR airplanes today without at least a 430/530. Newer one are being made with G1000 or similar full glass panels as standard equipment. This will probably be the biggest change you will notice. Flying in IMC trying to figure out which button does what can be dangerous. If I were you, I would take some online courses first specific to each avionic system, and then try it out on a simulator. Home simulators have come a very long way in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...
I would add, or even start with, the AFM/POH and Supplements for this.
 
Sporty's instrument course. Small fee for what you get, lifetime access. Quizzes and tests. I still occassionally take them to fill in areas that need work.
 
sarangan said:
One of the discussion points that come up in many FAA safety seminars is the declining systems knowledge by pilots. That includes an overall understanding of powerplants and avionics. FAA's instrument procedures handbook, instrument flying handbook, weather handbook are good places to start, but they are not going to give you a systems knowledge, especially avionics. This is where most of the advances have taken place in the last decade. Back in '05 a Garmin 430 was considered cool, but I don't think you will find many IFR airplanes today without at least a 430/530. Newer one are being made with G1000 or similar full glass panels as standard equipment. This will probably be the biggest change you will notice. Flying in IMC trying to figure out which button does what can be dangerous. If I were you, I would take some online courses first specific to each avionic system, and then try it out on a simulator. Home simulators have come a very long way in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...

That's a valid point. Luckily, I have been flying behind 'glass' since day 1, starting with Dynon D-10 on the IR checkride and AFS-4500's since then. Definitely need to polish up on screen flow specific to approaches, etc. though. I do try to go through the button clicks even when flying VFR to set up and fly approaches just to not lose ALL muscle memory, but definitely need to do that under the hood for sure.
 
While the above are some good pointers I’d struggle with yet another trip through the FAA books. Once my brain figures out I’ve read this once or twice already, I start drifting.

I’d get that IFR magazine subscribed/renewed then grab a stack of back issues and read through them. Once you finish the stack, grab the next older set. Seeing familiar information in new contexts keeps it interesting for me and also makes it more likely to be remembered.
 
If you're an AOPA member, they have a good series of online course/quizzes.
 
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