Pirep for my accelerated IFR with Scott at OBXflight.com

Jeffgis12b

Jeffgis12b

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Jan 19, 2014
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Liberty,Mo
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Kenny
I will give a brief Pirep about Scott and Lisa Best at OBXflight.com in North Carolina, I went out there the last week of November worked on and received my Instrument rating. I was lucky enough to fly just over 20 hours in actual IMC. One evening we couldn’t make it back into our home airport and actually had to head to our filed alternate (KRDU Raleigh/Durham) and leave the plane there until the next day due to weather. I could not have asked for better training and Scott is all about getting you in true IMC conditions and for 3 full days I pretty much left the ground and hit the clouds at 500ft and was in them all day shooting approaches.

Lisa is the best host a person could ever ask for and both of them are just absolutly great people and I feel i have made great friends for life. The Pilots room is very nice and clean. Much better then any hotel room a person could find. In it you will find a simulator and a big screen with all kinds of videos.

How can you beat $4500 for accommodations and training including the airplane? I dont know there is a less expensive way to get an instument rating

I will be folowing up with a day by day diary of my week but wanted to get started.


This was by my favorite approach in actual night and rain IMC into KRDU (fast forward to 2 min as the first 2 minutes is just use in the clouds and all you can see is the reflection of the headlight off the clouds but well worth watching the approach to absolute minimums :

https://youtu.be/WWBUK1KgufI



IMC into KJNX https://youtu.be/1eNG1N6mZ6Y

IMC in pouring rain at night into KJNX https://youtu.be/GXb7AGt5vIA

IMC into KHRJ https://youtu.be/Hdi1KYF5YSc


Simple Instrument scan during the day in pouring rain

https://youtu.be/kbVAmHKoswE
 
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Very nice! You did get good value for your money!
 
Congrats! Looking forward to watching the videos when I get home. I'm assuming you got the written out of way first....any other prereq's before signing up with these folks?
 
I did have to have my written out of the way, I did have some hood & cross country time already so i am not sure on the prereq. ? maybe his website will say I am not sure?
 
Nice!

Looks like you got some quality IFR training.
 
Nice! Will he do it in your own plane? My wife is thinking about getting hers.

EDIT: Nevermind he will. Found that.
 
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I believe if you use your own it is $3000 but the amount of fuel my Bonanza burns it didn't makes since for me :mad2:
 
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I already had my instrument rating when I had the opportunity to fly with Scott in real IMC while Oliver did his instrument rating. I think I learnt more in those 1.5 hours then in my entire training... :) Getting bounced around in real IMC is definitely a difference to flying with foggles in VMC. :yikes::yikes:

It was fun and I highly recommend to go flying with Scott in IMC if you have the chance. :yesnod:
 
This seems like a very good deal. Great experience for a very affordable rate. Other then written, are there hours minimums to be able to go through this program?

Edited as I found my own answer on their web page

1) 30 hours cross-country PIC

2) 10 hours of logged actual or simulated Instrument time

3) FAA Instrument written test completed
 
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It is a warrior, great little plane - it has ADSB in and out for traffic and weather to help with comfort level dodging the "red" on radar when in nasty weather
 
Jeffgis12b said:
It is a warrior, great little plane - it has ADSB in and out for traffic and weather to help with comfort level dodging the "red" on radar when in nasty weather
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Thanks.

Interested in hearing the day blow by blow. I did a 2 week accelerated for mine in 2002. 7 days is pretty compact. Did you feel the pressure it being only a week?
 
I did same thing. With flying from my house nd back and training in his I flew 70 hours in 8 days. By the time I got home I said I didn't want to fly for awhile. Then I flew the next day. I thought it was actually easier as you flew ifr all day everyday. Nice break at noon. Lot of stuff to suck in but it wasn't all that hard. My head hurt from wearing the hood and headset pretty bad. Used the ticket on the way home. I trained in his plane also as I couldn't fly my plane as cheap. Figured he and the dpe were used to it also. The dpe thought I should have used my plane as it was glass and Scott's is steam. Wasn't a big deal for me though. I really enjoyed everything about training and meeting Scott and Lisa. Scotts course was the most reasonably priced ifr course that I found anywhere.
 
Also when you sign up and Scott sends you a big packet with bunch of study materials and plates that you will be using. You pretty much know before you go what you will be doing everyday.
 
Congratulations on the ticket and on the great IMC you managed to find. That is definitely unbeatable in training, especially the ILS down to mins. Sweet sweet approach. :)
 
:needpics:

:idea:

I posted several pictures from Oliver's training in the 'Daily Pic' thread: http://http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1988679&postcount=1785

This picture was taken during an ILS approach into KTTA:

IFR_Night.jpeg


:D:D:D:lol::lol::lol:
 
As mentioned by Martina, I also did my Instrument Rating with Scott and was very satisfied. The training was intense but fun and a great experience. I successfully passed the check ride on 01/03/2016 - my birthday! :)
I was also the first student Scott sent to an examiner which whom he hadn't worked before - the examiner stated that he was 'very impressed' by what Scott had taught me. He also pointed out that he believes that students should fly in as much IMC as possible during their training, that most CFIIs are however not comfortable with this. I logged over 10 hours of actual during my training with Scott. :D

As already mentioned above, Scott expects his students to already have some hood time before they start the training with him. Don't take this lightly, I am speaking of experience. :rolleyes: I always found it very easy to fly under the hood. Doing the same in actual IMC, with constantly changing up- and downdrafts, while operation the radio, changing the course and altitude and reading the approach plate, was however an entirely different story. The PTS tolerances are +/- 100 ft and +/-10°. It is surprising how quickly a plane can climb / descend / turn during the few seconds it takes to fiddle around with the GPS or to write down a clearance.... :eek: :yes: :rolleyes: :D

His plane is a nicely equipped Piper Warrior with a Garmin 430W, a single axis auto pilot, a KX155 radio and ADS-B in and out.

Additionally, I can say nothing but good things about Scott and his wife Lisa!

I just finished a short video with some of the footage we recorded during my training: https://youtu.be/v-LiT03gBCc
 
German guy said:
As mentioned by Martina, I also did my Instrument Rating with Scott and was very satisfied. The training was intense but fun and a great experience. I successfully passed the check ride on 01/03/2016 - my birthday! :)
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Congratulations on your checkride and welcome to the club of cloud busters. I prefer intense training over a laid-back approach. It makes it fun and efficient at the same time.

German guy said:
He also pointed out that he believes that students should fly in as much IMC as possible during their training, that most CFIIs are however not comfortable with this. I logged over 10 hours of actual during my training with Scott. :D
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I too am a big proponent of plentiful IMC exposure for instrument student pilots. But I also understand CFIIs' reservations, especially after hearing stories about my CFII's current instrument students. I always thought that all pilots were smart people with good skills and common sense and he dissuaded me from that very quickly.
 
By the way, was there any simulator involved and how many total hours did you fly in the plane?
 
As Kenny hasn't replied, my experience training with Scott was that there was a simulator in the room that he furnishes for you at his home. (Very nice). You were free to use as much as you wanted to practice. As far as hours in the plane, I think I had around 31 on my log and probably 3 more actual. Flew morning to someplace cool. Went into whatever town and had lunch then went back and flew most of afternoon. Everyday.
 
Outstanding! That is a great deal for an accelerated IFR program. I am looking at one here in San Diego with a local CFII who is a great instructor to save on time and costs to get it done without traveling.
 
BigBadLou said:
I too am a big proponent of plentiful IMC exposure for instrument student pilots. But I also understand CFIIs' reservations, especially after hearing stories about my CFII's current instrument students. I always thought that all pilots were smart people with good skills and common sense and he dissuaded me from that very quickly.
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If you don't feel comfortable flying in IMC with a particular student, how are you ever going to recommend him/her for a checkride?
 
Theboys said:
As Kenny hasn't replied, my experience training with Scott was that there was a simulator in the room that he furnishes for you at his home. (Very nice). You were free to use as much as you wanted to practice. As far as hours in the plane, I think I had around 31 on my log and probably 3 more actual. Flew morning to someplace cool. Went into whatever town and had lunch then went back and flew most of afternoon. Everyday.
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Thanks.

I have noticed this is on his webiste now that I assume pertains to the room he furnishes:

Due to some changes, our previously available accomodations may not be available. However, we can facilitate convenient accomodations at local Inns/Hotels at reasonable rates. Just let us know if you have a preferred chain.

So there is some extra cost there now for a hotel room for a week it seems.
 
That would really be a bummer if you couldn't experience the hospitality that Scott and Lisa provide. That's about half of the experience in my opinion. They are great people.
 
BrianNC said:
By the way, was there any simulator involved and how many total hours did you fly in the plane?
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No simulator for me. 27h total, including the check ride, of which a bit over 10 were in actual conditions.

Scott said the price is the same, no matter whether one needs 25 or 35 hours.
 
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I will be folowing up with a day by day diary of my week but wanted to get started.
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Hey Kenny, was looking forward to this. I noticed you haven't posted on the forum since about the 20th of January. Hope everything is ok.
 
BrianNC said:
Hey Kenny, was looking forward to this. I noticed you haven't posted on the forum since about the 20th of January. Hope everything is ok.
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I am fine just been beyond busy, I haven't had time to write it all up and honestly now it's been so long I don't remember it like I should but I will look back at all my videos and pictures and compare with log books at some point but it may be awile before I have time due to a crazy work schedule
 
Jeffgis12b said:
It is a warrior, great little plane - it has ADSB in and out for traffic and weather to help with comfort level dodging the "red" on radar when in nasty weather
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There is your first training scar my friend. XM and ADSB are not reliable enough to dodge anything. :hairraise:

Don't think for one second you can bob and weave through cells with NEXRAD images. If you are, please stop. :nono:
 
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