Well after 2 years of having my VFR license, I'm finally getting started on IFR training in Jan 2015. I'm both excited and nervous about this endeavor. A good pilot buddy of mine (who now is a regional pilot) says it was his hardest rating to get. Any tips or advice? Hoping to get this rating done in about 6-7 months.
Starting IFR training next month
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stratobee
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stratobee
The quicker you can condense training, the better. It's a tough rating, not going to lie. It's very procedural and very information heavy.
I did the the PIC 10 day course (although mine was 11 days because of flying in a twin) and I highly recommend it. Gets it done. You eat, sleep and breathe IFR. I'd been doing piecemeal training spread over years, and never got consistency and could never advance in my skills. Took no less than 3-4 ground schools, because I let the years slip by and I forgot stuff. I would not be an IFR pilot today if I'd not done intensive training.
I did the the PIC 10 day course (although mine was 11 days because of flying in a twin) and I highly recommend it. Gets it done. You eat, sleep and breathe IFR. I'd been doing piecemeal training spread over years, and never got consistency and could never advance in my skills. Took no less than 3-4 ground schools, because I let the years slip by and I forgot stuff. I would not be an IFR pilot today if I'd not done intensive training.
Brad Z
Final Approach
Fly as often as you can. Do your VFR flying now with discipline (i.e. altitudes, headings). Make sure you have an instructor who is not afraid to go up in actual imc.
Texastaildragger
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Get a simulator and set it where you are in clouds most of the time . Don't peek when you are flying with instructor or safety pilot.
poadeleted20
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The sort of sim you can use to log training for the IR costs upwards of $4000. Probably better to find an instructor/school who already has one they're currently using for IR training. That way you get loggable training and the instructor isn't trying to learn the device at your expense.
Beyond that, get as much book learning as possible ahead of time. The Instrument Flying and Instrument Procedures Handbooks should be your bedtime reading from now until you start the training. In addition, review as much weather theory and weather products material as you can. The Aviation Weather and Aviation Weather Services books would be best, but you can also use the "Cliff's Notes" version of those two in Chapters 11 and 12 of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Note that all of these are available for free download as .pdf files off the faa.gov web site and through the Documents section of ForeFlight.
Get comfortable talking to ATC if not already. When you do VFR flights try to hold your headings, altitudes, banks to a stricter standard.
Bravo
Pre-takeoff checklist
I did 90% of my requirements with my CFII over a year period then contacted Ron Levy whom posted above and spent 3 days with him preparing for my test. I think something similar maybe with 5 days or so with Ron would have been best, but he did have me prepared for the check ride and I did pass. Not sure I could have gone from 0 to hero in 10 days, but if it's in you, go for it. PIC does a great job. Well at least Ron did. Good luck.
peerlesscowboy
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John C Saubak
Plan to schedule training flights at least twice a week and you should get it done easily in six months. If you haven't already chosen a CFII find one that you have confidence in and you get along with personally, you'll be spending a lot of time together.
Thanks for the tips and advice. Sad to say, I haven't flown since June (did my bi-annual) of this year. I think i may go up in the red bird simulator at the airport to get some time in. I believe you can use 10 hours (correct me if wrong) of simulator time towards IFR rating.
James331
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James331
That.
Don't do the 10 day fast food training, think of it as doing your PPL again.
Fly at least twice a week, make sure your CFII has real world IMC experince outside of CFIing, make sure you incorporate your IOAT into your scan.
Have fun
RalphInCA
Cleared for Takeoff
Brad Z
Final Approach
Work with your instructor to figure out the best way to use the Redbird simulator. At this point you just need to get up and fly VFR, reacquainting yourself with the plane. The sim may be useful in time, but get some real VFR time first.
petrolero
Pattern Altitude
It is the hardest but that doesn't mean it's that hard. It just requires some diligence.
Many people have done it and you'll do it too.
Good luck!
Many people have done it and you'll do it too.
Good luck!
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Bob Gardner
I'll just repeat what I have said many times in response to similar posts:
Be sure that your instructor uses (and follows) a syllabus and gives you a copy.
With the exception of one approach at the end of each lesson (if the opportunity presents itself), don't let your instructor rush you into approaches...you have to spend five hours or so of learning basic attitude instrument flight to the point where you make the appropriate control inputs almost without thinking. These hours will be boring for your instructor...tough; they will be golden for you.
Bob Gardner
THE COMPLETE ADVANCED PILOT (asa)
Be sure that your instructor uses (and follows) a syllabus and gives you a copy.
With the exception of one approach at the end of each lesson (if the opportunity presents itself), don't let your instructor rush you into approaches...you have to spend five hours or so of learning basic attitude instrument flight to the point where you make the appropriate control inputs almost without thinking. These hours will be boring for your instructor...tough; they will be golden for you.
Bob Gardner
THE COMPLETE ADVANCED PILOT (asa)
Ghery
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Ghery Pettit
I'm not an instructor, but this advice is golden. Nail flight by instruments before thinking about approaches. Oh, and plan on your landings going to pot as you'll make so few of them.
poadeleted20
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If you're not fully proficient to at least PP PTS levels in basic aircraft handling, you are not ready to start IR training. Trying to train someone lacking proficiency in basic aircraft control is expensive for the trainee and frustrating for both instructor and trainee. Work on that days while doing that reading at night.
Depends on the certification level of the device. For full flight simulators, flight training devices (FTD), and advanced aviation training devices (AATD), you can use up to 20 hours towards the required 40 (for AATD's that is effective 1/20/15, for FFS/FTD it's always been that way). For Basic Aviation Training Devices (BATD), it is only 10 hours. To find out what any particular device is certified as, check the Letter of Authorization from the FAA for that specific device -- the training provider will have that.
poadeleted20
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It's not "fast food" -- it takes just as much ground and flight training time as any other method, but there's just no gaps of days or weeks between training sessions.
Agreed. You want someone completely comfortable flying IFR in any weather in which it is legal and safe to fly that airplane.
Brad Z
Final Approach
...and he ain't gonna get that in a sim. Thus my recommendation to go out in an actual airplane and get comfortable VFR.
coma24
Line Up and Wait
Self-studied for mine with the Machado Instrument Survival Manual, then did a truck load of sim flying at home. You don't need an FAA-approved sim to have a beneficial experience.
Arrived at second lesson, picked up IFR clearance, departure and enroute went fine, so we went an shot some approaches. I kept the radio the whole time, instructor never made a single call, and didn't touch the stick. There were a handful of bad habits and misunderstandings (which I anticipated and was very open to fixing)
The first lesson was verifying basic attitude instrument flying skills (VFR, under the hood).
End result...legal minimum time (plus 0.7) for simulated/actual instrument. Also, legal minimum time for time flown with instructor vs safety pilot. More importantly, I was ready to fly in the system safely.
There are many ways to get your instrument rating. You're doing the right thing by asking questions and looking into options.
One piece of advice I would offer that could save you some time and money...if you can't pick up a random approach plate and articulate exactly how you would fly the approach (in terms of altitudes, courses, how you'll navigate, etc), and trace the flight path with your finger over that approach, both for vectors to final, vectors to a fix along the approach (they can do that now), or the full approach, you don't need to be in an airplane or a simulator, you need to be reading/studying until you can.
If you can't articulate that flight track to an instructor, you're not going to be able to fly it, period. That's a big part of the battle right there. Once you really have a grasp of that material, then it becomes a matter of utilizing the avionics in your airplane efficiently to fly that track and manage your energy state throughout the profile.
And yes, shooting approaches shouldn't be the #1 task when you get started, make sure you can fly the airplane by reference to instruments first, then worry about approaches.
Arrived at second lesson, picked up IFR clearance, departure and enroute went fine, so we went an shot some approaches. I kept the radio the whole time, instructor never made a single call, and didn't touch the stick. There were a handful of bad habits and misunderstandings (which I anticipated and was very open to fixing)
The first lesson was verifying basic attitude instrument flying skills (VFR, under the hood).
End result...legal minimum time (plus 0.7) for simulated/actual instrument. Also, legal minimum time for time flown with instructor vs safety pilot. More importantly, I was ready to fly in the system safely.
There are many ways to get your instrument rating. You're doing the right thing by asking questions and looking into options.
One piece of advice I would offer that could save you some time and money...if you can't pick up a random approach plate and articulate exactly how you would fly the approach (in terms of altitudes, courses, how you'll navigate, etc), and trace the flight path with your finger over that approach, both for vectors to final, vectors to a fix along the approach (they can do that now), or the full approach, you don't need to be in an airplane or a simulator, you need to be reading/studying until you can.
If you can't articulate that flight track to an instructor, you're not going to be able to fly it, period. That's a big part of the battle right there. Once you really have a grasp of that material, then it becomes a matter of utilizing the avionics in your airplane efficiently to fly that track and manage your energy state throughout the profile.
And yes, shooting approaches shouldn't be the #1 task when you get started, make sure you can fly the airplane by reference to instruments first, then worry about approaches.
RalphInCA
Cleared for Takeoff
This is really good advice. Thanks. My goal for 2015 is to get my IR. Will be doing the Sportys training to get my written out of the way early in the process. Will start actuall flight trianing around the time when I am going to take the written.
Between now and when I start the flight training will work on basic PPL skills.
Looking forward to the process.
MauleSkinner
Touchdown! Greaser!
I'd also recommend making sure you're proficient in trimming the aircraft for hands-off flight, as well as having a good understanding of how trim and airspeed are tied together. It'll make instrument training SO MUCH EASIER if you can expend less brain power on the flying so you can free up more for the instrument procedures.
akpilot907
Pre-takeoff checklist
Although it's tempting... Don't go CHEAP on your training... Take as much time as you need, think of it not as cashing flowing out of your pocket!
trust me on this one... Learn from other's mistakes...
trust me on this one... Learn from other's mistakes...
the400kid
Pre-takeoff checklist
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FLAAV8R
I can't emphasize this enough. If you aren't well trimmed then you'll be fighting with her every step of the way and altitude excursions will be the norm.
fiveoboy01
Pattern Altitude
Subscribing.