Latest Technology for Instrument Checkride

MBDiagMan

MBDiagMan

Final Approach
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May 8, 2011
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Mount Pleasant,Texas
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Doc
My Instrument instructor does EVERYTHING old school. Fills out a paper flight plan, uses paper approach plates,... he even changes frequencies on the 430 with the knobs instead of entering them from the frequency list.

Am I going to be expected to do things this way on the checkride, or will I be allowed to incorporate technology from the current Millenium?
 
Ask the DPE or someone who’s taken the ride with him.
 
MBDiagMan said:
My Instrument instructor does EVERYTHING old school. Fills out a paper flight plan, uses paper approach plates,... he even changes frequencies on the 430 with the knobs instead of entering them from the frequency list.

Am I going to be expected to do things this way on the checkride, or will I be allowed to incorporate technology from the current Millenium?
Click to expand...

Use all the Tech you want, but understand tech failures can be part of the test.
 
MBDiagMan said:
My Instrument instructor does EVERYTHING old school. Fills out a paper flight plan, uses paper approach plates,... he even changes frequencies on the 430 with the knobs instead of entering them from the frequency list.

Am I going to be expected to do things this way on the checkride, or will I be allowed to incorporate technology from the current Millenium?
Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, I also use the knob to tune frequencies instead of the frequency list. Somehow that seems faster to me. May be because most of the time ATC tells me what frequency to dial.

Using paper charts does seem a bit much.
 
sarangan said:
Now that you mention it, I also use the knob to tune frequencies instead of the frequency list. Somehow that seems faster to me. May be because most of the time ATC tells me what frequency to dial.

Using paper charts does seem a bit much.
Click to expand...

Me too, tuning 430W with knobs. But I like paper charts, I don't have to zoom out to look ahead, then zoom in to read the writing and make sure I'm looking ahead at the right place, then zoom out and in again when I'm not.
 
MBDiagMan said:
My Instrument instructor does EVERYTHING old school. Fills out a paper flight plan, uses paper approach plates,... he even changes frequencies on the 430 with the knobs instead of entering them from the frequency list.

Am I going to be expected to do things this way on the checkride, or will I be allowed to incorporate technology from the current Millenium?
Click to expand...

You should check with DPE, but likely you will be allowed to use EFB. Expect failure of it, however. Have backup.
 
I don't know of a DPE that doesn't allow EFB - and I don't know of one who fails the EFB either. The FAA has encouraged EFBs for a while now and even many DPEs carry EFBs with them, both for whatever other job they do (most of them do, despite how much money they make), and also to check your work.
 
sarangan said:
Now that you mention it, I also use the knob to tune frequencies instead of the frequency list. Somehow that seems faster to me. May be because most of the time ATC tells me what frequency to dial.

Using paper charts does seem a bit much.
Click to expand...

Yes, when ATC gives me a frequency I twist it in. When I am approaching an airport though, I find the list that’s in order beginning with AWOS to be quite handy.
 
OMG! I like to turn knobs for a frequency as well.

Does this mean I'm pretty much an old-old-fart? Is it time to put down my iPad and start buying paper charts again?
 
Chances are your ride will go smoother if you bring paper charts and leave the 430 on the CDI page unless asked a question requiring a different page.

Believe me, magenta lines are great. I have two in my plane. But that's not what needs to demonstrated on a check ride.

Case in point, on my recent Flight Review I enabled the AP while we were heading over to another airport to do ground work. He says, "Can't you hold heading and altitude on your own?" So I turned it off and flew it. When we were done there and he told me to head back I said, "May I use the AP?" He laughed and told me it's my plane, do what you want.
 
Ravioli said:
Case in point, on my recent Flight Review I enabled the AP while we were heading over to another airport to do ground work. He says, "Can't you hold heading and altitude on your own?" So I turned it off and flew it. When we were done there and he told me to head back I said, "May I use the AP?" He laughed and told me it's my plane, do what you want.
Click to expand...

While I’m sure there’s more to the story, I think that’s asinine for a FR, unless you asked for that to be looked at.

There’s plenty of ways and times to ensure you can navigate and maintain straight and level flight, but using a tool the way it’s designed to be used and that allows you more opportunity to be seeing and avoiding doesn’t mean you can’t hold heading and altitude.
 
My answer would be that you should just need to know how to use EVERYTHING in the airplane you'll be taking. Know what the failure modes of the instruments are, etc.

I don't think most examiners expect you to know how to use everything that exists, but they will expect you to know how to use what you brought.
 
I had paper charts as a backup on my checkride. The DPE never failed my EFB, but did fold up the paper charts to use to block/fail some of the steam gauges.
 
I turn the nobs on the 430/530 too. I must be ancient...at 37. I get the frequencies from the chart on the EFB, or sometimes from the 650.

kjwalker01 said:
I had paper charts as a backup on my checkride. The DPE never failed my EFB, but did fold up the paper charts to use to block/fail some of the steam gauges.
Click to expand...

LOL. The DPE shut off both G5s for my partial panel.
 
I had Foreflight and paper approach plates for all possible approaches we could have used. Last approach was VOR. Panel GPS was failed, iPad was failed, partial panel.... and for the love of god i could not find that approach plate among my papers(it was tucked in too well). All of this right after unusual attitudes too and nearly 2 hours of bouncing around blindfolded in pretty nice summer turbulence. Aimed at VOR(about 5 min away)... spent a minute or 2 looking for the plate getting all visibly frustrated. After that i just pulled out my iPhone(backup Foreflight). I think that scored me some brownie points
 
Doc, one "pro-tip" for ya...

If your nav/com on your panel has the capability of saving flight plans, use that feature for all of the approaches the DPE has said you are likely to do.

I did that on my checkride with the CNX-80 and it saved me a huge amount of button pushing and knob twisting during the flight time. And I'd like to think it impressed the examiner that I had thought ahead.

After approach #1 was done, I just went to the flight plan page, twisted down to the plan I had labeled "Approach #2", LOAD, EXECUTE, Scroll back up to the waypoint needed to start the approach, >D>, enter.

Easy. Ride was a very busy 45 minutes all around KDTO and I passed just fine.
 
Thanks Mike. I can indeed save flight plans in my 430W and now that you suggested it, you can bet that I will have them saved and ready. Thanks!
 
The DPE that did my checkride told a story about the last person he did before me..was In his mind, using his iPad to much, was fumbling and flying with it... he asked to see and and promptly turned it off and failed it for rest of ride. The guy was too EFB dependent apparently. Busy playing with iPad and vacating altitudes. Ended up failing his ride.
I knew ahaed of time he was “old school” so I planed for that and had paper charts, paper chart supplement, paper approaches.
Now in real life I don’t use paper chart supplement! but do use paper approaches all the time.
I honestly only use iPad/ForeFlight for looking up unexpected frequencies, approaches, some planning, and looking up a fix if I get a amended clearance along victor airway as I have a 430 -no airway loading.
 
I have iPad and ForeFlight, flying with a GTN750. I don’t spin the knob, touch screen to dial in Freqs.
I have printed copies of planned approaches, I can write on paper approaches. iPad is for backup, use it for traffic with STRATUX input, the GTN is not set up for ADSB yet.
 
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