IFR training question

rg001

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rg001
Training question for the written:

I have both the King Schools and Jeppesen IFR online training and disciplined enough to learn this way.

Any recommendations to (or not to) participate in one of the weekend IFR training refresher courses then immediately take the IFR knowledge exam? Companies such as ATP and Avsim.com seem to offer this.
 
If you already have both King and Jeppesen's training stuff, and have the discipline to work your way through it, properly, I wouldnt bother going to a weekend course.

Perhaps I don't know what a "refresher" course is, but I have seen weekend "crash courses" where you go from zero ground knowledge to passing the written in a weekend, but they are usually $300 +. So, if thats how much the refresher course is that you speak of, I wouldnt bother, if you are capable of doing it on your own.

Why don't you spend 8-9 hours on a saturday, and 8-9 hours on a sunday studying, and see how you feel, without paying the refresher course?
 
Training question for the written:

I have both the King Schools and Jeppesen IFR online training and disciplined enough to learn this way.

Any recommendations to (or not to) participate in one of the weekend IFR training refresher courses then immediately take the IFR knowledge exam? Companies such as ATP and Avsim.com seem to offer this.

If you have those AND have the discipline to study that way...there is no reason to take the weekend courses. I didn't think that I had the time to study that way, but I found that by sneaking in study sessions whenever I could (one or two hours at a time) passing the written really wasn't that difficult. I was planning on taking the weekend course and wound up not needing to.
 
Agreed.

What the weekend courses do is drill you on (a) the specific material that the qustions tend to cover and (b) on repetition of the questions themselves (or at least the type of questions and the FAA moves to not sharing the test bank).

If you can accomplish that with software, no need to repeat it with the course.

OTOH, if blocking out the time and just getting it down is a challenge, the weekend courses do the job.

(I did the weekend course for my private, instrument, and commercial; I self-grilled for the CFI and CFII. Results were similar although the self-grilled were slightly higher but that, I think, is accounted for more by the material for the CFI being a repeat of much of the material covered earlier.)
 
Thank you for all the recommendations, I appreciate it!
 
I wouldn't bother with the weekend course, either.

For all my ratings I've done self-study, and that's worked out well. I also recommend the Gleim software, as that helped me tremendously.
 
Which software is preferred:
King
Jepp
Gleim

I actually prefer non-interactive video over CBT
 
I've never used Gleim software, but I've used the books. Highly recommended.

I'd work through the Gleim book a chapter or two per night. Then I'd go to Sporty's website and take 2 or 3 practice tests a night for a week.

That method worked for PP, IR and Comm ratings - scored hi 90s-100pts.

FYI, ignore people who say that scoring anything over a 70 is a waste of time. Your oral will be much easier when the examiner sees you got a 100 on the test.
 
I've never used Gleim software, but I've used the books. Highly recommended.

I'd work through the Gleim book a chapter or two per night. Then I'd go to Sporty's website and take 2 or 3 practice tests a night for a week.

That method worked for PP, IR and Comm ratings - scored hi 90s-100pts.

FYI, ignore people who say that scoring anything over a 70 is a waste of time. Your oral will be much easier when the examiner sees you got a 100 on the test.

That all depends. The questions I got wrong were flight planning and performance questions. I came in sat down handed the DE my test results and said. The questions I got wrong weren't about my plane or my flight plan so I didn't really give a crap about a flight I wasn't taking. He laughed and we went over my stuff. For my IR the destination he picked for me to plan to happened to be socked in that day and when he asked to see my W&B for the flight I said I didn't bother with it because we weren't going anyway. He laughed and said ok well are we ok four the flight test today and I did one for that.
 
FYI, ignore people who say that scoring anything over a 70 is a waste of time. Your oral will be much easier when the examiner sees you got a 100 on the test.

My DPE didn't mention a single incorrect answer on my IFR written test. I scored a 76. I was nervous about getting grilled over the items that I missed. My CFII and I went over things several times prior to the check ride. I wasn't proud of the score as I thought that I had prepared myself better than that. I used the ASA Virtual Test Prep product and was getting in the 90's on all of my practice tests.

John
 
My DPE didn't mention a single incorrect answer on my IFR written test. I scored a 76. I was nervous about getting grilled over the items that I missed. My CFII and I went over things several times prior to the check ride. I wasn't proud of the score as I thought that I had prepared myself better than that. I used the ASA Virtual Test Prep product and was getting in the 90's on all of my practice tests.

John

About the same for me. I am one of those people that are just not good test takers.
I think the DPE looked at the test results for all of 2 seconds. If he even comprehended what I scored other than passing, I would be surprised. He was more interested in making sure I was competent to fly IFR than how the test came out.
 
My DPE didn't mention a single incorrect answer on my IFR written test. I scored a 76. I was nervous about getting grilled over the items that I missed. My CFII and I went over things several times prior to the check ride. I wasn't proud of the score as I thought that I had prepared myself better than that. I used the ASA Virtual Test Prep product and was getting in the 90's on all of my practice tests.

John

Not sure if this is a bust on you - per se.
 
Not sure if this is a bust on you - per se.
I understand you on that comment. I was given the program from a friend who received 2 when they ordered theirs. I figured it couldn't hurt given the cost. Not so sure that was the case now. :eek:

John
 
I've never used Gleim software, but I've used the books. Highly recommended.

I'd work through the Gleim book a chapter or two per night. Then I'd go to Sporty's website and take 2 or 3 practice tests a night for a week.

That method worked for PP, IR and Comm ratings - scored hi 90s-100pts.

FYI, ignore people who say that scoring anything over a 70 is a waste of time. Your oral will be much easier when the examiner sees you got a 100 on the test.

That's what I thought, and I was sadly mistaken. I scored a 93 on the PP, and the examiner grilled me for three hours to make sure I knew it, not just memorized it. Another student scored 100, and her exam was worse.
 
Hi All,

I started with ASA, passed the written, and then never finished my flying portion.

3 years passed, the studied with Gleim, King on VCR, then passed written again.

The I called PIC and had my instrument ticket in 7 days. Other than the cost, I am certain, I would still be in IFR training.

I had thought, in the back of my mind, that a "concentrated instrument course" would make me a 2nd rate instrument pilot. However, I never intended to fly IFR to minimums and use it for personal flying so I went ahead and took the PIC course.

At the end of my training I was an accomplished instrument pilot and the course turned out to be the best training I have ever had.

I flew 7 days in the most cold, freezing fog, turbulent, skies than I have ever flown in. I would get sick from all the bouncing around and we would land and I would rest until I felt better and back up we would go. One day we stopped for lunch and had to tie the plane down to keep it from blowing away.

Anyway, my instructor taught me well and I continue to fly IFR with confidence to this day.

All I am trying to say is use the method that works for you and DO NOT try and cut corners in IFR training.

Terry
:D
 
I have emailed a few accelerated schools and not getting "human" responses. Just as well, the timing isn't right for me anyway. But I will need to make a decision before the year is up as to where I'm going for my rating (or staying for that matter).
 
Thanks for the reference! My current student is certainly enjoying it. :)
 
That's what I thought, and I was sadly mistaken. I scored a 93 on the PP, and the examiner grilled me for three hours to make sure I knew it, not just memorized it. Another student scored 100, and her exam was worse.
Luck of the draw?
 
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