IFR tools for VFR pilots?

denverpilot said:
Just shoot for 1-1-0 and 2-2-20 becomes easy. And the PTS standards then look "sloppy".

The IR is a huge mental game against yourself. Interestingly you don't really ever "win" and beat yourself, you just get better at it with practice.

And I'm grumpy I haven't practiced now for a long time. I don't think my co-owners quite get how useless a /U aircraft is. Sigh.
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Amen to that. I remember using the club's Arrow, which is /U, on one or two IR lessons. Really restricted the approaches we could fly.

Ted DuPuis said:
I go for heading and altitude in cruise, airspeed and heading in climb/descent (although I often find a pitch attitude is the best way to do that), etc.

As for /U, that's what the Aztec was for a while. It's not that it's useless, but /G is worlds better. It also has a cost associated with it.

These days, I'm finding that WAAS is the way to go for us little GA types. I've shot more LPV approaches than anything else recently, and am noticing the conventional approaches disappearing.
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Yup. /A is a big improvement over /U, but /G is the best.

Ted DuPuis said:
I almost never fly VFR, and I also almost always fly direct. It's good to use airways to get an understanding, but unless you're in the mountains or else in congested airspace, you will rarely use VORs and airways.
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I use VORs and airways EVERY time I cross the Cascades in Washington state. V204 is my highway in the sky between OLM and YKM.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
When flying at night, perform instrument approaches into airports. Gives you appropriate clearance for things you may not see.
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This! And also fly obstacle departure procedures when departing at night. I know of some airports in some places that are thought of as "flat" by most people that have hills big enough to eat aircraft. In fact, one of 'em ate a medical helicopter a couple years ago - Departed, punched in direct destination, and went splat. Flying the ODP would've saved them.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
When flying at night, perform instrument approaches into airports. Gives you appropriate clearance for things you may not see.
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I suspect that many non instrument rated pilots may not know that this is an option as long as they do it VFR.
 
Late to the discussion. Anyone mention charted visual approaches? Many times it the best way to navigate. Examples off the top of my head are the Roaring Fork Visual into Aspen, CO (which helps get you to where you can actually see the airport) and the visual into Hilton Head (which follows noise abatement procedures).
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I almost never fly VFR, and I also almost always fly direct. It's good to use airways to get an understanding, but unless you're in the mountains or else in congested airspace, you will rarely use VORs and airways.
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Well, maybe. Coming out of HPN sunday night I needed to stay low for ice. My 16 point full route clearance was all VORs and airways. Got the readback right he FIRST time, but whatta PITA.
Agreed, but when you're buying an airplane you're looking at a combination of needs and wants, at least most people are. If I bought a "go places" plane without an AP, it would need to be severely discounted to make up for that. The things aren't cheap.
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But they are so empowering. We have 4 or 5 guys on field who are VFR only, fly 4500 on AP alt hold and aren't talking to app con. And at 4,000 having descended there, I know they aren't in VMC.....
 
My current instructor taught me to get in a habit of tuning in the localizer, even if I'm not officially doing a practice IFR. Then fly it. Helps build IFR skills and also builds a habit of precise landings on a specific spot.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
My current instructor taught me to get in a habit of tuning in the localizer, even if I'm not officially doing a practice IFR. Then fly it. Helps build IFR skills and also builds a habit of precise landings on a specific spot.
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this is a good idea also. even when airliners get cleared for visual approaches they have the ILS frequency dialed in for a back up
 
But they are so empowering. We have 4 or 5 guys on field who are VFR only, fly 4500 on AP alt hold and aren't talking to app con. And at 4,000 having descended there, I know they aren't in VMC.....
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This is kinda scary, Dr. Bruce, but I have heard of people doing this. The airplane is smarter than the pilot :)!
 
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