Honest question here!!

[court_goodroe]

Many of my aviation friends and myself are dealing with growing experience with IFR.

What did you do to gain experience let alone confortability with flying IFR.

I know the old addage of knowing your own limits but what were your experiences with growing those experiences and comfortability.

Did the upgrade in avionics, aircraft, or anything else help.

Any insight would be appreciated,

Court

 

[JetPilot500]

The best experience you can get right now is flying raw data! Your standard 6-pack plus the VOR and yes, the ADF too. Cover the Attitude indicator every once in a while as well.

Turn off that GPS and moving map!

Take up a C-172 with another pilot when ever IFR conditions exist and are safe (no ice or thunderstorms). Swap legs, right seat observation is valuable too. If good IFR conditions are not frequent enough, fly at night with the hood (almost as good as actual). Whenever conditions would not allow me to instruct, me and the other instructors would take advantage of this time by going up in the WX.

Do short cross-countries with multiple approaches and missed approaches.

Yes, you will be flying more advance avionics later with great autopilots. But, a solid foundation of raw data flying is VERY important! GPS and Moving maps will become a crutch if pilots get used to them too early. Kinda like using a calculator in 3rd grade instead of memorizing your multiplication tables.

It will get easier with practice...but it is always work.

Good Luck,
JetPilot500

 

[Timebuilder]

That reminds me of a doctor at my old flight school who had me act as "chaperone" on his IFR flights in his Bonanza. First, he was WISE to do this, understanding that they don't call the V-tail the "forked tail doctor killer" for nothing. You can venture off into IMC the same way, with an experienced instrument pilot/instructor at your side. You can block your view of the GPS with a piece of cardboard, while allowing for the extra precision and redundency of the GPS to be in view of your backup pilot. Use the autopilot ONLY enough to become familiar with it.

This pays big dividends, for example: a couple of days ago, I unexpectedly had to fly with the company president/check airman on a part 91 flight with the airplane owner. I had to hand fly the jet 100%, no autopilot up to FL 260 and shoot an ILS in instrument conditions. Not a tall order, but I had just watched six different captains setting and using the autopilot for several months. To say that my instrument scan and skills had deteriorated is an understatement. Lesson: there is no substitute for raw data on a regular basis. I'm going to schedule myself for a dozen or so hours of sim training before I consider a type rating or my ATP practical ride.

Back to the doctor: he had a habit of clamping a Garmin handheld onto the yoke of the Bonanza, even during training flights. He was addicted to the picture. Friends, if you want to be good instrument pilots, you must develop the ability to visualize your position in your MIND, using the nav data to construct a "situational awareness" picture in your head. I fear for this guy the day he doesn't take along one of the working instructors at my old field, goes into IMC, and has this GPS unit go belly-up.

"keep your scan moving...."

 

[bobbysamd]

Instrument time

The best experience you can get right now is flying raw data! Your standard 6-pack plus the VOR and yes, the ADF too. Cover the Attitude indicator every once in a while as well . . . .

Take up a C-172 with another pilot when ever IFR conditions exist and are safe (no ice or thunderstorms). Swap legs, right seat observation is valuable too. If good IFR conditions are not frequent enough, fly at night with the hood (almost as good as actual). Whenever conditions would not allow me to instruct, me and the other instructors would take advantage of this time by going up in the WX.

Do short cross-countries with multiple approaches and missed approaches . . . .

I second that 100%.

My instructor took me on a few IFR cross-countries long before he signed me off for the ticket. For one thing, my training was intermittent because I was not training seriously for a career at the time. For another thing, I wanted the experience. It benefited me when I was turned loose and started going with people and having students.

We took our ERAU-Prescott students on long IFR cross-countries to the LA Basin to shoot approaches in actual and pick up clearances in flight. Great experience for them, and me, trying to copy a machine-gun controller.

I agree with raw-data flying. All I ever flew was raw-data. The most advanced equipment with which I flew were HSIs and RMIs. I never flew a flight director or any other whiz-bang stuff. Build up the basics with the basic instruments and you will have prepared well for instrument flying.

Good luck with your efforts.