For the most part because they are only current to the minimal requirements of the regs.
Instrument Rating, not needed?
- Thread starter Meanee
- Start date
For the most part because they are only current to the minimal requirements of the regs.
cirrusmx
Line Up and Wait
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campoalavista
This is the beauty of filing IFR. For any real and reliable travel needs an IFR is necessary.
For me, I'm much more accurate & precise both with stalls and steep turns under the hood (or at night). My landings are much more precise (I can put it down at any point along the runway) with IR training.
Morne
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Morne
Wow, necrothread. Having read all the pages thus far I daresay it should've stayed in the grave. Though the comedy of, "I fly in all shades of awful with people shooting at me during dust/blizzards/smoke/ash in 1/8sm vis with windshear, convection and icing but I don't accept any risk," was hilarious. My one line rebuttal to that particular nozzle - unless you are omniscient there are hazards of which you are UNAWARE and thus you ARE at risk whether or not you realize it.
But back to the topic at hand:
I am a low time pilot (250-ish hours). I just got my IR this month (yay!). I have yet to use it in a loggable fashion but have used the skills from my training already. During my pre-IR days I cancelled some trips that would have been made with IR but also some that were just no-go regardless (convection). The IR doesn't innoculate you against the weather it just allows you to deal with a portion of it responsibly. Not every cloud is convective nor is every cloud full of ice. Learn to avoid those and the IR can be quite useful depending upon your location (Ohio here).
I see some folks discussing if it is worth the money or not. Seriously? This is general aviation folks, it is nothing more than an excellent way to lose money!
If you don't have your IR but buy a new plane and the insurance folks mandate a certain number of hours with an instructor in it then by all means, use that time towards an IR! As a "getting to know you" phase doing instrument training in a new (to you) aircraft will certainly get you very familiar with your bird.
Prior to my IR I flew across the country, literally, both east to west and north to south. You can do it VFR. But if you want to keep a schedule the IR improves that.
I fly for my own private uses, including family vacation and business trips. I just got back from New Orleans. Having my IR increased my certainty that I could get back home when necessary.
As to equipment - I must already be a zombie like this thread! I fly a 182 that is /A equipped with a stormscope and an iPad on the yoke. I must've augered in and just not rememberd it during some of my actual time in the clouds during my training (which was awesome, BTW). I can't believe some of y'all think you need a multimillion dollar obscenity with SVT to fly in a cloud. You must've crapped yourselves doing a partial panel approach...
Am I safer now with the IR? Hard to say, since I had no accidents prior anyhow. If I wreck now is it because the IR made me overconfident? Hard to say, again.
Get it if you need the schedule reliability. If you don't fly for business then it probably will be of little use. If you fly to avoid the airlines then it is one tool to keep up with them. But if you are STRICTLY a, "I fly for kicks and grins and never need to be anywhere," then it is almost certainly a waste.
But back to the topic at hand:
I am a low time pilot (250-ish hours). I just got my IR this month (yay!). I have yet to use it in a loggable fashion but have used the skills from my training already. During my pre-IR days I cancelled some trips that would have been made with IR but also some that were just no-go regardless (convection). The IR doesn't innoculate you against the weather it just allows you to deal with a portion of it responsibly. Not every cloud is convective nor is every cloud full of ice. Learn to avoid those and the IR can be quite useful depending upon your location (Ohio here).
I see some folks discussing if it is worth the money or not. Seriously? This is general aviation folks, it is nothing more than an excellent way to lose money!
If you don't have your IR but buy a new plane and the insurance folks mandate a certain number of hours with an instructor in it then by all means, use that time towards an IR! As a "getting to know you" phase doing instrument training in a new (to you) aircraft will certainly get you very familiar with your bird.
Prior to my IR I flew across the country, literally, both east to west and north to south. You can do it VFR. But if you want to keep a schedule the IR improves that.
I fly for my own private uses, including family vacation and business trips. I just got back from New Orleans. Having my IR increased my certainty that I could get back home when necessary.
As to equipment - I must already be a zombie like this thread! I fly a 182 that is /A equipped with a stormscope and an iPad on the yoke. I must've augered in and just not rememberd it during some of my actual time in the clouds during my training (which was awesome, BTW). I can't believe some of y'all think you need a multimillion dollar obscenity with SVT to fly in a cloud. You must've crapped yourselves doing a partial panel approach...
Am I safer now with the IR? Hard to say, since I had no accidents prior anyhow. If I wreck now is it because the IR made me overconfident? Hard to say, again.
Get it if you need the schedule reliability. If you don't fly for business then it probably will be of little use. If you fly to avoid the airlines then it is one tool to keep up with them. But if you are STRICTLY a, "I fly for kicks and grins and never need to be anywhere," then it is almost certainly a waste.
DogDaddy
Pre-takeoff checklist
The thing I like most about flying is the view. If I can't see the view there's no reason for me to fly. Hence I have no desire to get my IR. I'd rather spend the money getting endorsements (complex, tailwheel) and getting spin & upset recovery training. Since 2008 I've stayed within 100 miles of my home base and have only been above 3000 ft AGL when I did the spin training. So for my purposes, being VFR is sufficient.
However, if you want to own a plane, or fly high performance aircraft the insurance companies pretty much require you to have an IR.
However, if you want to own a plane, or fly high performance aircraft the insurance companies pretty much require you to have an IR.
There is nothing more beautiful in my book than being a couple thousand feet above a layer. Absolutely nothing matches that. It's breath taking.
In between layers. I don't have any really good pictures though
Most of the time flying IFR, you are going to have a nice view, typically the top of a cloud layer. Flights completely in the murk from takeoff to 5 seconds before landing are not that common in 'small plane IFR'.
KeithASanford
Line Up and Wait
It's all about the tree tops with me, but I've seen the value of an IR first hand.
A good friend of mine, after having to cancel travel plans often because of marginal VFR conditions, was encouraged by his wife to get his IR. After passing his checkride, he took her up and was pleasantly surprised at her reaction. He thought flying in the clouds would freak her out but she found it to be a deeply spiritual experience. It's the only way they travel now.
I flew with him from HEF to MGW on an IFR flight plan in VFR conditions and I gained a real appreciation of how precise it can be. The IR training made my buddy, who I know to be a great Pilot, even better.
DogDaddy
Pre-takeoff checklist
My instructor took me inside clouds so I could see what it was like. (Of course he had filed.) About 1/3 of my hood time was in clouds
And I've been a px in clouds, watching the instruments as the pilot did climbing turns and other things ATC was telling him to do. Eventually we flew at 8000 ft, above the cloud layer. It was intriguing. But I prefer to sightsee and I frequently spontaneously alter my course if I decide to check out boats in a lake over there, or horses running in a field over there, or an accident on the interstate. The fllght from my airport to Lakeland should take about 17 minutes, but sometimes it takes me 40 due to my "wandering".
And I've been a px in clouds, watching the instruments as the pilot did climbing turns and other things ATC was telling him to do. Eventually we flew at 8000 ft, above the cloud layer. It was intriguing. But I prefer to sightsee and I frequently spontaneously alter my course if I decide to check out boats in a lake over there, or horses running in a field over there, or an accident on the interstate. The fllght from my airport to Lakeland should take about 17 minutes, but sometimes it takes me 40 due to my "wandering".
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Bob Noel
There is nothing more beautiful in my book than being a couple thousand feet above a layer. Absolutely nothing matches that. It's breath taking.
In between layers. I don't have any really good pictures though
Popping out of some clouds into the still air of a "valley" of clouds with the sun streaming in from the side lighting up the entire "valley". For me, that was my favorite moment flying IFR.
My favorite visual was a night flight with the full moon rising over the Atlantic.
Jaybird180
Final Approach
A little Off Topic (and not aimed at any particular poster)
This reminded me of my first flight (airliner); I was about 4. I was afraid of crashing; I thought that God and Heaven was in the clouds and that the pilot might make a mistake and run into it and in the process wreck heaven and the plane.
Don't laugh.
You once believed that Heaven and God was in the clouds too, didn't you???
alland
Pre-takeoff checklist
Bill Watson
En-Route
There are so many visual thrills that the IR opens up and that the VFR-only pilot misses.
I used to think that tree top red line Appalachian ridge flying in a ballasted glider was good as sex... well it is actually. But an early morning IFR cruise into a slowly ascending cloud deck... well for 10 or 15 minutes I thought I was a minor god.
I'm sure this has been mentioned in this thread, but the most needed flight bag item on most flights involving IMC is a good pair of sunglasses.
It's all good.
Jaybird180
Final Approach
No sir. There is no Santa Claus. But notice I didn't say 'there is no God', only that I learned that day that I'd been lied to about his location.Next you will be telling me there is no Santa Claus......
Which is it? Maybe you need to get your mojo back
Bill Watson
En-Route
Which is it? Maybe you need to get your mojo back
You're right! More comparison testing required.
rbridges
En-Route
I have a job where staying an extra day or so at the destination airport would be really really inconvenient. I have no intention of flying head first into a thunderstorm or landing somewhere with ceilings at the very minimum, but I also don't want to be stranded b/c of non-vfr cloud cover.