Tell me about real-world IFR in GA

[Challenged]

I currently have about 25 hours of instruction towards my instrument rating, but I haven't seen the need to finish up so far. That said, I have a couple of trips coming up this spring with my wife and child and can see the benefit to having my rating before then as it should give me a better chance to accomplish them. Additionally, I fly a Beech Sierra that has no auto-pilot, and as most of you know, putting an auto-pilot in a certified airplane is extremely expensive, so much so that I can't afford to do so anytime in the near future.

Questions:
* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of an Instrument Rating?
* How much does not having an auto-pilot impede safety?
* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of the Instrument Rating enough to not get the rating?
* How difficult would it be to remain proficient and current when I'm only flying 5-10 hours a month max?

 

[peerlesscowboy]

I currently have about 25 hours of instruction towards my instrument rating, but I haven't seen the need to finish up so far. That said, I have a couple of trips coming up this spring with my wife and child and can see the benefit to having my rating before then as it should give me a better chance to accomplish them. Additionally, I fly a Beech Sierra that has no auto-pilot, and as most of you know, putting an auto-pilot in a certified airplane is extremely expensive, so much so that I can't afford to do so anytime in the near future.

Questions:
* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of an Instrument Rating?
* How much does not having an auto-pilot impede safety?
* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of the Instrument Rating enough to not get the rating?
* How difficult would it be to remain proficient and current when I'm only flying 5-10 hours a month max?

* not really
* none
*NO
*that's a matter of your priorities

 

[Sac Arrow]

I never touched a GPS or an autopilot in IMC until I bought my first plane.

Not having an autopilot doesn't "impede safety" but it sure makes the workload easier.

 

[CJones]

Not having an autopilot doesn't "impede safety" but it sure makes the workload easier.

^^^ That.

 

[EdFred]

I would posit that having an autopilot can make a pilot less safe.

 

[Challenged]

I find myself exhausted on long flights (more than 2 hours) even in perfect weather. I guess I'm concerned that it wouldn't be possible to safely fly for long stretches with no auto-pilot in IMC, or that I'm not going to be on my A game for an approach after hours in the soup. Or is it the case that 99% of the time you can get on top for the majority of the flight even in a normally aspirated plane?

 

[frfly172]

The auto pilot is just another tool,the pilot has to help make IFR flight less stressful . I hope it is not totally relied on for IFR pilots,as the auto pilot could fail.

 

[Clark1961]

The auto pilot is just another tool,the pilot has to help make IFR flight less stressful . I hope it is not totally relied on for IFR pilots,as the auto pilot will fail.

ftfy

Even though the autopilot will fail I still consider it minimum equipment for any extended duration single pilot IFR flying that I do. It's a personal choice and appropriate for me. YMWV.

 

[MyassisDragon]

Having limited experience (just got my rating a few months ago) I can only add 1-1/2 cents worth.

I have found using the auto pilot mostly in cruise flight for some reason. It may be due to my instructor only letting me use it on occasion during cross country flights and maybe once or twice on approach and departure for grins.

Every time I would engage it he would declare "auto pilot INOP" then reach over and flip the switch then proceed to gab like a crazy passenger near the FAF or after instructions from ATC.

So now when I am in approach mode I am hand flying the airplane its just what I am used to .
I do agree with previous posts regarding not wanting to hand fly for 2-3 hours with out it. And also helping reduce task loading when getting setup for approaches.

 

[poadeleted20]

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of an Instrument Rating?

It shouldn't, unless you're flying something like a Citation I/SP where the autopilot is required for single-pilot operation.

* How much does not having an auto-pilot impede safety?

It shouldn't, but there are pilots who do not maintain sufficient proficiency to fly without them. We call them "statistics".

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of the Instrument Rating enough to not get the rating?

Absolutely not. Three of my four airplanes have not had autopilots, and it hasn't hindered my instrument flying in the at all.

* How difficult would it be to remain proficient and current when I'm only flying 5-10 hours a month max?

The answer doesn't change due to the presence or absence of an autopilot -- you have to maintain the same hand-flying proficiency regardless because autopilots fail from time to time, and Murphy tells us it will happen at the worst possible moment. If anything, it's harder to maintain proficiency with an autopilot since you probably get less practice flying by hand. That said...

Maintaining instrument proficiency on 5 flight hours a month is nearly impossible unless you have a good flight simulation device you use regularly to supplement your flying. Maintaining instrument proficiency on 10 flight hours a month is indeed possible if you make sure you spend a couple of those hours performing instrument procedures by hand in actual or simulated instrument conditions. Getting an IPC ever 6-12 months also helps a lot.

 

[Jhernandez04]

I would posit that having an autopilot can make a pilot less safe.

Is that why you dont have one?

 

[dans2992]

If having an AP "does not improve safety", why is it required for single pilot 135 IFR ops?

I would say it improves safety, but is not _required_. One should be able to fly without it at any time. If unable to do so, then you have a problem.

 

[Blackhawk]

Learning how to fly instruments without an autopilot comes down to good instrument training that is grounded in BI and learning to fly "with a light control touch"/learning how to let go of the yoke and using trim.
If you are not looking at your instruments (the first fundamental of instrument flying- scan), then you can't interpret what the instruments are saying (the second fundamental), and any control inputs you make (the third fundamental), will be random rather than based upon the first two fundamentals. So you should learn to relax your grip on the yoke when performing other tasks, such as turning a radio or looking at a chart. Learn how to do this and flying without an autopilot in instruments, while a little more fatiguing, should not be an issue.

 

[poadeleted20]

Learning how to fly instruments without an autopilot comes down to good instrument training that is grounded in BI and learning to fly "with a light control touch"/learning how to let go of the yoke and using trim.

Learning how to fly instruments with an autopilot is no different than without until you have mastered flying without it (at least, not if your instructor is looking out for your long-term survival). Then you learn how to transfer tasks to the autopilot, but not until you can do it all without that assistance. In that regard, it takes longer to complete training with than without.

 

[dans2992]

I wouldn't think any instrument instructor would allow/encourage use of the autopilot during training except to ensure the student knew how to use it.

 

[poadeleted20]

I wouldn't think any instrument instructor would allow/encourage use of the autopilot during training except to ensure the student knew how to use it.

I not only allow and encourage its use once the trainee can do it all by hand, I even require it. First, if you read what it says in the IR PTS about single pilot instrument flight operations, you'll see that the applicant is required to demonstrate the ability to use, and expected to make appropriate use of, all cockpit automation systems. Second, I definitely want to encourage the trainee to develop the habit of making use of all available systems when they are available and appropriate, as that can definitely enhance safety.

But I also tell them after the practical test to get periodic practice/refresher training in operations without the cockpit automation, too, just in case some day a system failure requires them to use those skills to survive.

 

[brentee]

My low time (less than a year) IFR experience leads me to believe the autopilot really just serves to reduce your workload. I wouldn't say it makes you safer, but it's nice to give you a break now and then for other tasks. I make it a point to fly w/o it often so if...I mean when it goes TU it's just a minor issue. But, my experience is limited to a C182 which I understand to be a pretty stable IFR platform.

 

[Ted]

Not having an autopilot isn't a big deal. Having at least a wing leveler is nice for workload reduction, but it's still not necessary. In my 2100+ (now getting towards 2200) hours, under 50 of them have been with a truly good autopilot. The rest have been Century IIIs in various states of disrepair. That said, the big thing that's nice is letting it keep the wings level while I look at a chart or the like.

Remember that most IFR flight isn't in IMC. It's pretty rare to have the take off, fly in IMC for hours, and shoot an approach to mins kind of weather.

Flying 5-10 hours a month you can stay proficient, but requires planning. File every flight to keep yourself up on the system, etc.

As to whether or not the rating benefits you, only you can answer that. I couldn't do my trips without it. But I'd also have a hard time without a de-iced twin.

If trips of 2 hours are leaving you exhausted, I would try to figure out why. Is that just part of you as a person? Is the plane vibrating too much? Fatigue is a big deal.

 

[dans2992]

I not only allow and encourage its use once the trainee can do it all by hand, I even require it. First, if you read what it says in the IR PTS about single pilot instrument flight operations, you'll see that the applicant is required to demonstrate the ability to use, and expected to make appropriate use of, all cockpit automation systems. Second, I definitely want to encourage the trainee to develop the habit of making use of all available systems when they are available and appropriate, as that can definitely enhance safety.

But I also tell them after the practical test to get periodic practice/refresher training in operations without the cockpit automation, too, just in case some day a system failure requires them to use those skills to survive.

That's sort of what I meant. As you say, "once the trainee can do it all by hand"...

 

[bobmrg]

I find myself exhausted on long flights (more than 2 hours) even in perfect weather. I guess I'm concerned that it wouldn't be possible to safely fly for long stretches with no auto-pilot in IMC, or that I'm not going to be on my A game for an approach after hours in the soup. Or is it the case that 99% of the time you can get on top for the majority of the flight even in a normally aspirated plane?

When I was flying for a living, my first question to a briefer was "what are the tops?" I didn't fly planes with autopilots until well along in my career (trying to remember if I ever flew a single with an A/P). If I could get on top, wonderful...if I had to hand-fly more than 30 minutes in the soup I declined. I'm not saying that such a flight would not be safe, only that it would cause me to be fatigued at just the wrong time...shooting an approach at the destination.

Having said that, I was almost always able to get on top...

Bob Gardner

 

[Blackhawk]

Learning how to fly instruments with an autopilot is no different than without until you have mastered flying without it (at least, not if your instructor is looking out for your long-term survival). Then you learn how to transfer tasks to the autopilot, but not until you can do it all without that assistance. In that regard, it takes longer to complete training with than without.

I don't disagree though I do integrate autopilot use early on at some points. For example if I see a student is getting worn out with BI I might have him engage the autopilot and use it for a few minutes and see it work in heading or roll mode. I also find it useful when introducing approaches with some pilots as it gives them the ability to watch what is happening while simultaneously learning about the autopilot. But yes, pilots should not become autopilot junkies.

 

[Blackhawk]

Not having an autopilot isn't a big deal. Having at least a wing leveler is nice for workload reduction, but it's still not necessary. In my 2100+ (now getting towards 2200) hours, under 50 of them have been with a truly good autopilot. The rest have been Century IIIs in various states of disrepair. That said, the big thing that's nice is letting it keep the wings level while I look at a chart or the like.

Remember that most IFR flight isn't in IMC. It's pretty rare to have the take off, fly in IMC for hours, and shoot an approach to mins kind of weather.

Flying 5-10 hours a month you can stay proficient, but requires planning. File every flight to keep yourself up on the system, etc.

As to whether or not the rating benefits you, only you can answer that. I couldn't do my trips without it. But I'd also have a hard time without a de-iced twin.

If trips of 2 hours are leaving you exhausted, I would try to figure out why. Is that just part of you as a person? Is the plane vibrating too much? Fatigue is a big deal.

Seriously, 2 hour trips leave a pilot exhausted and you would question a person?Getting bounced around, rain pounding the airplane, talking to FSS to try and figure out a way to an alternate, looking at your map to compute the distance, figuring out if you now have enough fuel to dodge the weather, talking to ATC about the alternate route, then at the end of it shooting an approach to close minimums... yeah, I'm a sissy. It was tiring.

 

[Challenged]

When I was flying for a living, my first question to a briefer was "what are the tops?" I didn't fly planes with autopilots until well along in my career (trying to remember if I ever flew a single with an A/P). If I could get on top, wonderful...if I had to hand-fly more than 30 minutes in the soup I declined. I'm not saying that such a flight would not be safe, only that it would cause me to be fatigued at just the wrong time...shooting an approach at the destination.

Having said that, I was almost always able to get on top...

Bob Gardner

Thank you very much, this is great info. I appreciate you sharing your experience with me and makes me feel like more of a normal pilot.

 

[Blackhawk]

I wouldn't think any instrument instructor would allow/encourage use of the autopilot during training except to ensure the student knew how to use it.

If an instrument instructor will not teach you how to use an autopilot find a different instructor.

 

[flyingron]

Questions:
* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of an Instrument Rating?

I like my autopilot, but i'd give it up before I gave up the moving map/GPS.

* How much does not having an auto-pilot impede safety?

If you know how to fly on instruments, none. It's not a parachute. It's major advantage is that it does allow you to save your concentration for important parts of the flight (such as approaches).

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of the Instrument Rating enough to not get the rating?

No.

* How difficult would it be to remain proficient and current when I'm only flying 5-10 hours a month max?

Depends what those flying hours are. If you're drilling along VFR all those times, you won't remain proficient at all. If you fly IFR religiously and get some hood/actual and fly some approaches...you'd be in better shape.

 

[poadeleted20]

I don't disagree though I do integrate autopilot use early on at some points. For example if I see a student is getting worn out with BI I might have him engage the autopilot and use it for a few minutes and see it work in heading or roll mode. I also find it useful when introducing approaches with some pilots as it gives them the ability to watch what is happening while simultaneously learning about the autopilot.

If I did that, I'd never get the chance to fly my clients' often very interesting airplanes. But seriously, when flying the first approaches, particularly the first ILS, I like to handfly it off course/GS so the trainee can see how it happens and how to make good corrections -- George tends to keep the needles too well centered for that.

But yes, pilots should not become autopilot junkies.

 

[Blackhawk]

If I did that, I'd never get the chance to fly my clients' often very interesting airplanes. But seriously, when flying the first approaches, particularly the first ILS, I like to handfly it off course/GS so the trainee can see how it happens and how to make good corrections -- George tends to keep the needles too well centered for that.

Yeah, sometimes I do that as well. Or just use the autopilot and pretend I'm hand flying it.

 

[Kiddo's Driver]

Sure makes it easier to pee in a Gatoraide bottle!

 

[peerlesscowboy]

Sure makes it easier to pee in a Gatoraide bottle!

So much for multi-tasking?

 

[Ted]

Seriously, 2 hour trips leave a pilot exhausted and you would question a person?Getting bounced around, rain pounding the airplane, talking to FSS to try and figure out a way to an alternate, looking at your map to compute the distance, figuring out if you now have enough fuel to dodge the weather, talking to ATC about the alternate route, then at the end of it shooting an approach to close minimums... yeah, I'm a sissy. It was tiring.

If you read his point, he said that it was that way even in perfect weather, which is why I asked why. There are a lot of things one can do to reduce fatigue, and that will go a long way towards making flying more enjoyable and making it easier. Most of the time it isn't the person so much as the environment. Zulus and dynamic prop balance will reduce fatigue significantly for many.

 

[Challenged]

I do have Zulu's; prop balance is on my list, but haven't gotten around to it. Mostly it's mental exhaustion probably because I want my wife (and now baby) to have a good trip, so I'm sort of OCD about having everything go according to plan and have everyone be as comfortable as possible (just my personality trait I guess). I know they count on me to make our trips as safe as possible, and to make the right decisions and I take that responsibility very seriously. Honestly this is probably why I started the thread in the first place, just my general concerns about IFR travel: weather, safety, proficiency, workload, etc...

 

[Bill Watson]

Just another data point.

I flew IFR aprox 10 years in my Maule w/o an AP and I flew weekly with a well defined mission in mind. The times I flew more than an hour at a time in solid IMC were few (eastern US). I can only remember 1 flight where I departed into a low ceiling, remained IMC for >1 hour and broke out on short final. Thinking back on that flight, I recall landing after 2.5 hours of VMC, taking a break, rechecking weather and options, then departing for the final 1.2 hours of solid IMC. otherwise I would have been exhausted on that particular flight.

Most IFR flights involve busting a deck or flying between layers. Most instrument approaches involving IMC are VMC <1500'. Most IMC flights require sunglasses as well.

You aren't going to be flying in extensive convective masses unless you are a fool. Stratus is usually in layers with minimal vertical development... And it's smooth. With your rating, you'll spend a lot more time above the convective layer, in the sun, where it is smooth and cool. That 2 hour convective pounding under a 9/10s ceiling is tiring... But you'll no longer have to endure it.

Now I fly with a very capable AP. It's easier but more challenging. I have to maintain proficiency hand flying and operating a more complex and capable panel. I'm 45 knots faster with more sensitive controls and less pitch stability. It's easier to handle tougher situations, it's easier to get in trouble. Trade offs all around.

Don't hesitate to get and use your IR without an AP. You'll love your AP even more when you get it.

 

[Velocity173]

Got my rating in a Liberty XL with no AP. Flew Helicopters for 12 yrs with no AP. When I was current, I flew my Velocity for 2 yrs with no AP except a basic wing leveler.

I think you'll get more utility out of your Sierra if you get your IR even without an AP. Plenty of days you'll be able to pop up through the goo and get on top and fly into improving weather. They'll be times you'll file IFR and fly for a couple hours VMC but arrived at your destination and you'll be IMC the last 30 mins. You'll have days you just plan on going VFR for simplicity sake and you encounter deteriorating conditions during the flight; pick up an IFR enroute.

That being said, I've found that I just don't fly enough cross country to justify staying instrument current. Also, there are times (thunderstorms, low ceilings, icing) that I'm still grounded no matter what ticket I have. If I owned a business, flew regularly and had a FIKI aircraft, I'd stay current but I don't. If you fly your Sierra on regular trips with the family the IR might be of some value.

 

[Ted]

It's good that you take the responsibility seriously, which you should.

I think the first part is figuring out what you need to be comfortable flying in general and that ought to take the fatigue out. Now some days are just going to be fatiguing - that's how it goes. The first few trips you do will be more difficult. Weather understanding is important, especially understanding storms in your part of the country.

At 25 hours towards your IR, you're getting there, but remember that even when you get your ticket it's a license to learn. I remember my first hard IFR departure solo, something around 800' overcast, in the clouds for the first hour or two. My palms were definitely sweaty for that takeoff and initial climb. So that part is normal, and it'll get easier. Start out with high personal minimums.

For proficiency, there are different ways to go about it. Some people do IPCs every 6 months even though it's not legally required. That's required for PICs flying 135. Not a bad idea.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of an Instrument Rating?

No.

* How much does not having an auto-pilot impede safety?

Only to the extent that it'll increase your rate of fatigue while you're in IMC. It's a lot easier to monitor what an autopilot is doing than to fly. However, with that much more hands-on time, you should remain better at instrument flying than if you had an autopilot. Be cognizant of the fatigue issue, and it's a wash.

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of the Instrument Rating enough to not get the rating?

Absolutely not! If you plan to travel, you should plan to have an instrument rating. It really helps the dispatch rate. I've had flights where I literally was IMC for *seconds* but couldn't have made it VFR (Solid OVC008 at departure with a deck that was maybe 200 feet thick, clear at destination).

* How difficult would it be to remain proficient and current when I'm only flying 5-10 hours a month max?

That depends on what the 5-10 hours are. One leg with one approach ain't gonna cut it.

I do have Zulu's; prop balance is on my list, but haven't gotten around to it. Mostly it's mental exhaustion probably because I want my wife (and now baby) to have a good trip, so I'm sort of OCD about having everything go according to plan and have everyone be as comfortable as possible (just my personality trait I guess). I know they count on me to make our trips as safe as possible, and to make the right decisions and I take that responsibility very seriously.

If you're bushed after 2 hours... You worry too much, and your worry is going to decrease your safety. I also want my pax (usually my wife) to have a good trip, but your "everything go according to plan" is a red flag to me: In all GA flying, you need to be flexible. GA is always an adventure, it's just not always the adventure you had planned.

Your pax need to understand that you are going to keep them safe, first and foremost. If that means you don't get home tonight, so be it - Better than not getting home at all! If there's a NEED to be home tonight - Best leave early enough that you can land somewhere and rent a car to finish the trip if need be.

I'm very lucky to have a wife who not only loves to travel via GA, she understands that need for flexibility - Last weekend we went on a trip where there was a chance of icing on the latter half. I told her "We may fly to within 5 miles of our destination and have to turn around and come home" and she was OK with that.

If your wife is inflexible about such things, buy her an airline ticket. If she understands the need for safety over operational "requirements" you should be good.

If YOU are inflexible - You need to learn to be flexible with your plans or stop thinking of GA as a method of travel. The instrument rating is completely irrelevant to this.

In 1200 hours of flying and nearly 900 hours of cross country, that is my biggest takeaway: You MUST be flexible in your plans. If you are really obsessive about doing what you planned or if you're not good at making new plans on the fly, then you need to make lots of alternate plans in advance.

Here's a few examples of things that have caused me to alter plans:

* Worst delay (2 days) was caused by a muddy runway. Weather was VFR. Had to wait for it to dry out.
* On the way home on a day trip ahead of a storm, I had the field in sight when Approach said "Winds now 270 at 19 gusting 47, say intentions." I diverted to a field farther ahead of the storm, walked to dinner from there, flew home after dinner (and after the storm had passed).
* I've been in a plane, engine running (even taxied out once) when approaching storms just got closer than I was comfortable with faster than expected. Shut down, try another day.
* Widely scattered t-storms, including a cell over the destination for a $100 burger run (06C). That one cell did not move - Got nearby, it was still there. Flew down the lakeshore sightseeing, came back around the south side, still there. Was watching it on ADS-B the whole way. Finally just kept flying, all the way home, had my $100 burger at the restaurant next to my home field.

Note that none of the above had anything to do with being instrument rated - The IR would not have allowed me to finish the planned flight in any of those cases! But, here's a few situations where the IR was a real help:

* Heading home from SBN VFR one night, started snowing... Then started snowing harder. Altered course to remain VFR, air-filed IFR, flew home, shot the ILS to about 800 feet.
* The aforementioned 200-foot deck a few hundred feet off the ground on an otherwise beautiful day - And this is a frequent theme! Low-ish clouds with low-ish tops, beautiful sunny weather on top.

There have been others, but you get the idea.

IMO: Finish your instrument rating, and you'll be glad you did. Make sure you and your pax are flexible with plans. Take a deep breath and don't overthink things lest you wear yourself out!

 

[gismo]

I would posit that having an autopilot can make a pilot less safe.

I would agree. I'd also posit that not having an autopilot can make a pilot less safe.

 

[somorris]

I know they count on me to make our trips as safe as possible, and to make the right decisions and I take that responsibility very seriously. Honestly this is probably why I started the thread in the first place, just my general concerns about IFR travel: weather, safety, proficiency, workload, etc...

Flying has risks. An AP helps alleviate some of the risk by letting the pilot take a break to read charts, program a GPS, figure out some malfunction or other, just collect his thoughts, etc. Like a WAAS GPS, nice to have but not required. Go ahead and get the rating anyway. You will be safer for your family.

 

[Hank S]

In the four years since my checkride, my flights have been everything from climbing through an 800' thick layer into bright sunshine to 2½ hours in the soup, starting 60 seconds after throttles forward to 3-4 mile final. [Who'd have thought the freezing level in KY & TN would be 7000-8000' in May? So I stayed in the soup because it was better than in the ice.] Sometimes I'll start in clear skies, and shoot an approach down to 800-1000'; sometimes I'll get a clearance to depart, climb into sunshine and after a while the layer below me will dissolve. And some are VFR at both ends, with some inside-the-bottle conditions enroute.

My first long XC with enroute IMC [KXFE-KPXE-KHTW; stopped for fuel & lunch] was a takeoff in drizzle, 600-700' ceiling; a long vectored climb through layers to sunshine at 9000', and as I droned along V3 the tops rose around me until I eventually flew out the bottom around Orlando, and the undercast disappeared around the Fla. panhandle.

Weather can be forecast, but a week or more in advance you can never know what will happen for the planned return flight. My most memorable IFR flight was getting a weather briefing, then visiting my wife down the hall [we were at her parents' house] telling her to stop packing, we weren't flying. We both missed Monday morning at work. Stuff happens, you have to be flexible.

Because my CFII knew that I was planning to use the plane for transportation [and had been doing so fairly successfully VFR], she wouldn't let me use the heading bug after she realized that it was connected and made the plane turn. My wing leveler can't be turned off without disconnecting vacuum hoses, so it was left on. I still get great utilization from the plane, and don't plan to upgrade to a fancy, expensive, maintenance-heavy AP, my Brittain is simple and effective.

So now, I avoid icing, thunderstorms, forecast minimums with little chance of improvement, and take what I get enroute. Overall, probably 4:1 sunshine. My trip TO Florida, filed IFR, was severe clear both day and night, only the trip home referenced above included actual [5.8 outbound; 6.2 coming home, 1.2 actual; this is probably a higher percentage than normal].

Finish training, get rated, start gently in actual--it ain't like foggles. Try to get as much actual with your CFII as possible, and practice together the transition from gauges to the window breaking out under a ragged ceiling. Get a dose of disorientation with the CFII, too, so you'll know what to expect and can think about what caused it so you won't do it alone.

 

[Bill Watson]

So now, I avoid icing, thunderstorms, forecast minimums with little chance of improvement, and take what I get enroute. Overall, probably 4:1 sunshine. My trip TO Florida, filed IFR, was severe clear both day and night, only the trip home referenced above included actual [5.8 outbound; 6.2 coming home, 1.2 actual; this is probably a higher percentage than normal].

Finish training, get rated, start gently in actual--it ain't like foggles. Try to get as much actual with your CFII as possible, and practice together the transition from gauges to the window breaking out under a ragged ceiling. Get a dose of disorientation with the CFII, too, so you'll know what to expect and can think about what caused it so you won't do it alone.

Yep to all that. Also, once you get your IR, ALWAYS file IR when traveling. It's part of staying proficient. Even if you can't stay functionally proficient, it's worth staying technically proficient just to fly in the system. It's the easiest way to travel.

 

[weilke]

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of an Instrument Rating?

No.

* How much does not having an auto-pilot impede safety?

Part 135 single pilot passenger operations require one. European aviation authorities require one for single pilot IFR. I dont know if either requirement is based on data or just something they thought was a good idea, but having an AP is certainly a good thing in single pilot IFR.

* Does not having an auto-pilot limit the usefulness of the Instrument Rating enough to not get the rating?

No.

* How difficult would it be to remain proficient and current when I'm only flying 5-10 hours a month max?

Find someone to ride safety pilot for you, keep up on your instrument practice. You wont find a shortage of volunteers as they can log the hours you are under the hood as pic time.