Overwhelmed

[Kitch]

I just finished up my sportys IFR ground school. Planning to start lessons in December. At this particular point in time I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I know I don’t know about instrument flying. I'm assuming the old how do you eat an elephant analogy fits here. 1 bite at a time, and it will start to make more sense as I progress through training. Much like primary training.

 

[Salty]

You are normal. You'll be overwhelmed until you aren't. For me, instrument was even worse than primary at first.

 

[6t6]

As your precision and proficiency soar so will your knowledge and muscle memeory. It all drops into place.

 

[Jim K]

I just finished up my sportys IFR ground school. Planning to start lessons in December. At this particular point in time I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I know I don’t know about instrument flying. I'm assuming the old how do you eat an elephant analogy fits here. 1 bite at a time, and it will start to make more sense as I progress through training. Much like primary training.

Yeah,I took ground school and passed the written before I started flying. There was stuff I got right on the written that I didn't begin to understand. After a few lessons & approaches, it all made sense. Instrument for me was something I had to do to understand, much moreso than private.

 

[Rich Holt]

I agree with @Salty, that is completely normal. I am not normal, however, and Instrument flying just makes sense to me, but so did nuclear power. Pretty sure I'm on the spectrum though. Look...squirrel!!

All kidding aside, early on in my flight training an instructor told me that it helps to be a little ADD when it comes to flying on instruments. It is super easy when you can't focus on one thing too long, to begin with.

 

[PaulS]

Normal. Keep studying through your training as you will be quizzed pretty extensively in the check ride. I figured this out later in my training, but get foreflight, load FAR/AIM and IPH into the doc section. As you take the practice tests, which I did regularly during my training, go to the appropriate manual for questions you missed, find the answer, then add a descriptive bookmark for it. Especially helpful in the FAR/AIM, this allows you to quickly get to the answer when you need to. Could be great in the checkride if you get stumped. I studied so much I didn't need to use it, but it was a great help studying too.

 

[Clip4]

I just finished up my sportys IFR ground school. Planning to start lessons in December. At this particular point in time I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I know I don’t know about instrument flying. I'm assuming the old how do you eat an elephant analogy fits here. 1 bite at a time, and it will start to make more sense as I progress through training. Much like primary training.

“Ace your FAA written test, save money during flight training, and become a better pilot with Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course. Over 12 hours of HD video and animations explain everything you need to know to earn your Instrument Rating and feel confident in the clouds.”

You took a 12 hour video course compared to the Part 141 Instrument minimum of 30 hours.

 

[Palmpilot]

...I'm assuming the old how do you eat an elephant analogy fits here. 1 bite at a time, and it will start to make more sense as I progress through training. Much like primary training.

Yes, when I felt overwhelmed by the amount of ground-school material to be learned, I reminded myself that I only had to learn one thing at a time. It worked.

 

[steingar]

The Sporty's course didn't make me feel like that at all, expect for the part about the ADF approaches. After seeing that I deep sixed the ADF in my aircraft.

 

[Pugs]

I just finished up my sportys IFR ground school. Planning to start lessons in December. At this particular point in time I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I know I don’t know about instrument flying. I'm assuming the old how do you eat an elephant analogy fits here. 1 bite at a time, and it will start to make more sense as I progress through training. Much like primary training.

Entirely normal. It's not an easy rating but it's a gamechanger to have. Don't rush it and work on the basics of scans and manuevering and then a good instructor will introduce the new stuff as you go along. Having your own plane helps since you're always dealing with the same scan and FMS.

 

[Kitch]

Thank you for all the insight so far!!!! I appreciate it very much !!

I'm excited to start the training and learn the skills especially as I am planning a VFR XC from PYM to HUT over the Christmas-New Years holidays. I know being instrument rated doesn't guarantee being able to go, but I can definitely see where it will make our airplane much more useable.

 

[Salty]

Use flight following for every flight you make for awhile, helps get used to talking to ATC. Fly approaches totally VFR just for practice without all the other stresses of being under the hood and comms etc. That helps you get more comfortable with the mechanics of an approach without all the other stimuli.

 

[Kitch]

Use flight following for every flight you make for awhile, helps get used to talking to ATC. Fly approaches totally VFR just for practice without all the other stresses of being under the hood and comms etc. That helps you get more comfortable with the mechanics of an approach without all the other stimuli.

I get flight following any time I leave the local area, and if it's busy and I'm doing maneuvers locally I get it then too.

Can you elaborate on doing approaches VFR a bit more ? I'm assuming you mean just what you say you mean. Go out load the approach brief it and fly it, but sometimes assuming puts one in an unassuming position....

 

[Salty]

I get flight following any time I leave the local area, and if it's busy and I'm doing maneuvers locally I get it then too.

Can you elaborate on doing approaches VFR a bit more ? I'm assuming you mean just what you say you mean. Go out load the approach brief it and fly it, but sometimes assuming puts one in an unassuming position....

Yep. Brief the approach and fly it (best you can with whatever's going on around you) while staying VFR. Practice your checklists, practice prepping for going missed, having the right frequencies at hand, etc.

 

[Kitch]

Yep. Brief the approach and fly it (best you can with whatever's going on around you) while staying VFR. Practice your checklists, practice prepping for going missed, having the right frequencies at hand, etc.

I will give it a shot when I fly Thursday morning before Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you !

 

[Salty]

You can even ask atc for the practice approach when you are alone vfr. They don’t care. You can go missed and switch back to them, the whole nine yards. As long as you keep looking out the window. You don’t have to have an IR to ask for practice approaches.

 

[NealRomeoGolf]

You can even ask atc for the practice approach when you are alone vfr. They don’t care. You can go missed and switch back to them, the whole nine yards. As long as you keep looking out the window. You don’t have to have an IR to ask for practice approaches.

I did this, but you (the OP) need to understand they are going to ask you "how will this approach terminate"? Meaning, landing, going missed, vectored for another one, etc. So make sure you know what you're going to do with the approach. Also, if going missed for another approach, be ready for climb-out instructions. They'll give you an initial vector and altitude.

With having my IR now, the above is not foreign to me. Before starting my IR it was.

 

[Kitch]

You can even ask atc for the practice approach when you are alone vfr. They don’t care. You can go missed and switch back to them, the whole nine yards. As long as you keep looking out the window. You don’t have to have an IR to ask for practice approaches.

I wasn't aware I could do that. Thanks for the advice

I did this, but you (the OP) need to understand they are going to ask you "how will this approach terminate"? Meaning, landing, going missed, vectored for another one, etc. So make sure you know what you're going to do with the approach. Also, if going missed for another approach, be ready for climb-out instructions. They'll give you an initial vector and altitude.

With having my IR now, the above is not foreign to me. Before starting my IR it was.

Thanks for the heads up... It definitely would have caught me by surprise when they asked...

 

[Salty]

It's better to do a couple with an instructor first and then practice on your own.

 

[Lndwarrior]

I was still overwhelmed with the IFR rating, after I got it.

My IFR training, in retrospect, was just too rushed.

Instructors, generally, want to help you get thru it as quickly as reasonably so you don't have to spend more money than necessary.

What I should have done was spoken up and said, "Can we slow this down a bit? Can we just go up a fly a couple of stupid-simple straightforward flights, with no deviations, no emergency procedures? Just let me get comfortable flying a few simple, straight forward ifr flights? I didn't do this.

Instead, every single lesson was none stop deviations, emergencies, equipment failures, multiple different approaches on each flight, etc.. It felt more like Niagara Falls than just a fire hose.

I get the fact that most real IFR flights will have all kinds of unexpected changes so it's important to train for this. However, in my case, I wish I had just asked to slow things down at times. I should have spoken up at the time but didn't. I guess I thought the instructor new best. I was wrong and wish I had realized this at the time.

In my case we had half a dozen airports with approaches within 15 minutes of each other and there was never any time at all to breathe in between.

In the end, the never-ending fire hose training was not right for me and I only flew one solo ifr flight before giving it up.

Not saying this is your case, but just something to think about.

 

[Kitch]

I was still overwhelmed with the IFR rating, after I got it.

My IFR training, in retrospect, was just too rushed.

Instructors, generally, want to help you get thru it as quickly as reasonably so you don't have to spend more money than necessary.

What I should have done was spoken up and said, "Can we slow this down a bit? Can we just go up a fly a couple of stupid-simple straightforward flights, with no deviations, no emergency procedures? Just let me get comfortable flying a few simple, straight forward ifr flights? I didn't do this.

Instead, every single lesson was none stop deviations, emergencies, equipment failures, multiple different approaches on each flight, etc.. It felt more like Niagara Falls than just a fire hose.

I get the fact that most real IFR flights will have all kinds of unexpected changes so it's important to train for this. However, in my case, I wish I had just asked to slow things down at times. I should have spoken up at the time but didn't. I guess I thought the instructor new best. I was wrong and wish I had realized this at the time.

In my case we had half a dozen airports with approaches within 15 minutes of each other and there was never any time at all to breathe in between.

In the end, the never-ending fire hose training was not right for me and I only flew one solo ifr flight before giving it up.

Not saying this is your case, but just something to think about.

Thank you for the feedback !!

I'd be lying if I said the thought of whether or not I can actually fly solo ifr hasn't crossed my mind. Because it has. That being said I will get the rating and see how it goes from there. I don't plan to fly professionally or put myself in must go hard ifr situations. I'm looking to punch through a layer coming or going when the need arises.

 

[crash7]

If you haven’t done much instrument attitude flying yet, don’t let your CFII throw you right into approaches. Work the 4 fundamentals (straight/level; level turns; straight climbs & descents; turning climbs & descents).

If you struggle with hitting heading/altitude assignments, approaches aren’t going to be fun at all.

My 1.5 cents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kaiser]

I was still overwhelmed with the IFR rating, after I got it.

My IFR training, in retrospect, was just too rushed.

Instructors, generally, want to help you get thru it as quickly as reasonably so you don't have to spend more money than necessary.

What I should have done was spoken up and said, "Can we slow this down a bit? Can we just go up a fly a couple of stupid-simple straightforward flights, with no deviations, no emergency procedures? Just let me get comfortable flying a few simple, straight forward ifr flights? I didn't do this.

Instead, every single lesson was none stop deviations, emergencies, equipment failures, multiple different approaches on each flight, etc.. It felt more like Niagara Falls than just a fire hose.

I get the fact that most real IFR flights will have all kinds of unexpected changes so it's important to train for this. However, in my case, I wish I had just asked to slow things down at times. I should have spoken up at the time but didn't. I guess I thought the instructor new best. I was wrong and wish I had realized this at the time.

In my case we had half a dozen airports with approaches within 15 minutes of each other and there was never any time at all to breathe in between.

In the end, the never-ending fire hose training was not right for me and I only flew one solo ifr flight before giving it up.

Not saying this is your case, but just something to think about.

This is how my training went (once we got to the approach phase / which was towards the end). I felt like it was a net benefit to me because it made “standard” IFR flights dead simple. My IFR XC was a straight snooze fest. My checkride was also easier to a degree. It also helped me gain experience in prioritizing what I needed to do to stay ahead of the plane. Being ahead of the plane and leaving excess capacity in your brain for when things go sideways is super important.

Coincidentally, this is how I maintain my currency with safety pilots. I plan 3-4 approaches back to back and try to task myself to the max.

All that being said, my instructor didn’t have me work on approaches until the last half of my training. It was all instrument flying (straight and level, turns, climbs, etc), DME arcs, holds, unusual attitudes, non-gyro work, etc. By the time I got to approaches, it was just a matter of following instructions (on the approach plate or by ATC).

 

[Kitch]

If you haven’t done much instrument attitude flying yet, don’t let your CFII throw you right into approaches. Work the 4 fundamentals (straight/level; level turns; straight climbs & descents; turning climbs & descents).

If you struggle with hitting heading/altitude assignments, approaches aren’t going to be fun at all.

My 1.5 cents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Only 3.1 from PPL. As far as heading and altitude assignments I keep them pretty tight because my primary instructor watched them like a hawk during PPL training. I sat with my CFII a couple of weeks ago he said plan on the first 6-8 hours of nothing but the 4 fundamentals under the hood as well as unusual attitudes.

I appreciate the 1.5 cents they all add up in the end

 

[Kitch]

This is how my training went (once we got to the approach phase / which was towards the end). I felt like it was a net benefit to me because it made “standard” IFR flights dead simple. My IFR XC was a straight snooze fest. My checkride was also easier to a degree. It also helped me gain experience in prioritizing what I needed to do to stay ahead of the plane. Being ahead of the plane and leaving excess capacity in your brain for when things go sideways is super important.

Coincidentally, this is how I maintain my currency with safety pilots. I plan 3-4 approaches back to back and try to task myself to the max.

All that being said, my instructor didn’t have me work on approaches until the last half of my training. It was all instrument flying (straight and level, turns, climbs, etc), DME arcs, holds, unusual attitudes, non-gyro work, etc. By the time I got to approaches, it was just a matter of following instructions (on the approach plate or by ATC).

This sounds like the way my CFII said he wants to do it too.

 

[Terry M - 3CK (Chicago)]

@Kitch - first: congrats on the written and committing to this endeavor. You’ll be soooo proficient when you get the ticket.

Second - @Salty said it up thread - don’t practice approaches or holds on your own until you get pretty good familiarity with your CFII. Same with a safety pilot. Don’t go spending a bunch of time under the hood with a safety pilot until you’ve got the gist from the CFII.

You don’t want to learn bad habits. Let the CFII show you and when you’re feeling pretty good, then you can start to fine tune and repeat on your own.

My $0.02.

 

[Jim K]

@Kitch - first: congrats on the written and committing to this endeavor. You’ll be soooo proficient when you get the ticket.

Second - @Salty said it up thread - don’t practice approaches or holds on your own until you get pretty good familiarity with your CFII. Same with a safety pilot. Don’t go spending a bunch of time under the hood with a safety pilot until you’ve got the gist from the CFII.

You don’t want to learn bad habits. Let the CFII show you and when you’re feeling pretty good, then you can start to fine tune and repeat on your own.

My $0.02.

I find it odd when I hear of people wanting a safety pilot to build hood time. On some of the threads around here I've seen people claim they only did 20hrs with a cfii and the rest safety pilot. That would save considerable money, but it took me nearly the full 40hrs with my cfii to get comfortable. He worked me pretty hard, to the point that the checkride felt easy, so maybe I was over prepared, but as he likes to say, "you lose 50 iq points on a checkride, so this stuff has to be mechanical".

One thing I did do ahead of time that helped was download the "patterns". Flight profiles where you climb, descend, and follow headings. Figure out your plane's power settings for a 3* descent (450fpm @ 90 knots). Practice tuning, intercepting, and tracking vor radials. Once you have these tools, it's just a matter of using them in the correct order.

I tried flying approaches on my own before I started, only to find out that I was doing things wrong and it had been a waste of time. It's entirely possible though that I'm just an idiot.

 

[Kitch]

@Kitch - first: congrats on the written and committing to this endeavor. You’ll be soooo proficient when you get the ticket.

Second - @Salty said it up thread - don’t practice approaches or holds on your own until you get pretty good familiarity with your CFII. Same with a safety pilot. Don’t go spending a bunch of time under the hood with a safety pilot until you’ve got the gist from the CFII.

You don’t want to learn bad habits. Let the CFII show you and when you’re feeling pretty good, then you can start to fine tune and repeat on your own.

My $0.02.

I'm sure at times my head will be ready to explode, but I am determined to get the rating.

I think I will take that advice and wait until I get familiar with flying approaches. Bad habits can really make you screw the pooch down the road.

 

[Kitch]

I find it odd when I hear of people wanting a safety pilot to build hood time. On some of the threads around here I've seen people claim they only did 20hrs with a cfii and the rest safety pilot. That would save considerable money, but it took me nearly the full 40hrs with my cfii to get comfortable. He worked me pretty hard, to the point that the checkride felt easy, so maybe I was over prepared, but as he likes to say, "you lose 50 iq points on a checkride, so this stuff has to be mechanical".

One thing I did do ahead of time that helped was download the "patterns". Flight profiles where you climb, descend, and follow headings. Figure out your plane's power settings for a 3* descent (450fpm @ 90 knots). Practice tuning, intercepting, and tracking vor radials. Once you have these tools, it's just a matter of using them in the correct order.

I tried flying approaches on my own before I started, only to find out that I was doing things wrong and it had been a waste of time. It's entirely possible though that I'm just an idiot.

I'm not much interested in the safety pilot thing during training. Just doesn't make sense to me.

I definitely need to work on the vor stuff in my airplane. In the rental it was no problem just need to get used to it behind my panel.

I've worked on, driven, and owned big trucks my entire adult life.... I can guarantee that I'm an idiot

 

[jordane93]

Remember when you couldn’t keep a plane straight and level during your PPL training? This is the same thing. You’re learning something basically completely new. It will become second nature soon.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I'm not much interested in the safety pilot thing during training. Just doesn't make sense to me.

My safety pilot during instrument training philosophy:

Flying with a safety pilot is not a time-building exercise. Instead it is the rough equivalent of student pilot solo - an opportunity to work on something which has already been taught. And like student solo, it is best when coordinated with the instructor.

 

[Kitch]

Remember when you couldn’t keep a plane straight and level during your PPL training? This is the same thing. You’re learning something basically completely new. It will become second nature soon.

I'm supposed to be able to do that at this point...

 

[somorris]

I'm not a CFII, but have seen quite a few of them recommend not trying to work things out on your own before you start lessons.

Good luck with the IR! It is an interesting rating and may help save your life one day.

 

[sarangan]

I just finished up my sportys IFR ground school. Planning to start lessons in December. At this particular point in time I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I know I don’t know about instrument flying. I'm assuming the old how do you eat an elephant analogy fits here. 1 bite at a time, and it will start to make more sense as I progress through training. Much like primary training.

Ground school can feel like a huge data dump if you don't have a proper context. When you start flying in the system, things will click into place, and the abstract pieces of information will start to make more sense.

 

[Randomskylane]

“Ace your FAA written test, save money during flight training, and become a better pilot with Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course. Over 12 hours of HD video and animations explain everything you need to know to earn your Instrument Rating and feel confident in the clouds.”

You took a 12 hour video course compared to the Part 141 Instrument minimum of 30 hours.

I wish I knew before buying the sporty course. I don’t understand why it’s so short. Do they think the rest comes while flying?

 

[Jim K]

I wish I knew before buying the sporty course. I don’t understand why it’s so short. Do they think the rest comes while flying?

No, they expect you to read the free faa publications and discuss anything that doesn't make sense with your cfii. Maybe do some research on the internet or ask on a forum....

I'd be surprised if the course I used had half that much video. 12 hours is a long time. The real value in these online courses is the practice quizzes and the sign off to take the written test. I'm certain I spent more than 30 hours preparing for the written, but I did it on my own schedule and for a helluva lot less than a 141 school.

 

[Randomskylane]

No, they expect you to read the free faa publications and discuss anything that doesn't make sense with your cfii. Maybe do some research on the internet or ask on a forum....

I'd be surprised if the course I used had half that much video. 12 hours is a long time. The real value in these online courses is the practice quizzes and the sign off to take the written test. I'm certain I spent more than 30 hours preparing for the written, but I did it on my own schedule and for a helluva lot less than a 141 school.

That’s an interesting response to someone who did “…ask on a forum“

anyway iirc CheckRidePrep.com is free and about 40 hours, though it’s a 36 day pass

 

[flyingpreacher]

I wish I knew before buying the sporty course. I don’t understand why it’s so short. Do they think the rest comes while flying?

From an informational standpoint, I found the Sporty's course and review materials to be more than sufficient. I took my instrument and instrument instructor on the same day and passed both just a week after having passed the Sporty's course. Some things made sense more in the airplane after the fact, but if you invest yourself into their resources, they definitely provide the information necessary to at least pass the written portions and set you up for the written stuff.

 

[bbchien]

One eats the pizza one bite at a time, so as to avoid indigestion.

 

[texasclouds]

You’ll be fine. Take it one day at a time and pretty soon you’ll be ready for checkride. Your CFII will help you out until you can handle a full load.