Single Pilot IFR Confidence

[Medicryan]

I am still a ways from 1200 hrs but I am looking to go to a 135 outfit after instructing for a while for experience and multi time. I have no idea what my IFR skills are going to be at that time. I am just trying to get a concensus of how you guys felt when you first started doing single pilot 135 runs in the crap. How confident were you about your skills? I mean, there is only so much experience you can get from doing CFII work.

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[CaravanMan]

I would say that, in the mean time, you should try to get as much actual experience as possible while still flying a 172 or comparable. Start out flying IFR on decent weather days, where you're only IMC enroute, then you can descend and get a visual approach. After that, fly on days with ceilings about 1000ft or so AGL, so you'll be able to do part of an approach, but will get ground contact early. Then, work into poorer days, where you're shooting approaches to 400ft or so. Do that a LOT, day and night, and you'd be pretty ready for movement into 135 and faster planes.

 

[Medicryan]

When I was doing time building to get the 250 for my commercial I was doing nothing but IFR x-c. Out of 40 hrs I only got 2.3 hrs of actual. Damn Florida!

 

[RideTheWind]

I used Microsoft Flightsim 98 back in the day to keep the intrument skills sharp, worked great, built my confidence big time after not flying the gauges for a few years, didn't have any problem at all flying an ILS to 100 and a half in the real plane after doing it in MS Flightsim. You can practice non presicion approaches too, it's really a great tool to keep sharp on instruments.

Microsoft Flightsim 2004 is inexpensive and has a full Jepp database, almost like flying the real thing.

 

[infiniti757]

I was a little unnerved the first day alone since it was my first non flight instructing job. Generally i flew the same route and it was old hat by the end of the second week. It helped that i had a lot of confidence in the quality of maintenance at our operation. The flying was actually easier than instructing.

 

[Capt. JD]

Single Pilot...

It might help to have some single pilot jobs that are VFR: Traffic Watch, Aerial Mapping, Banner Towing... So that when you get into the FAR135 IFR-PIC single pilot jobs you will have good judgement.

 

[FN FAL]

It might help to have some single pilot jobs that are VFR: Traffic Watch, Aerial Mapping, Banner Towing... So that when you get into the FAR135 IFR-PIC single pilot jobs you will have good judgement.

I found that to be true as well. After flying tons of takeoffs and landings as a jump pilot, I found that my flying skills translated over into piston twin 135, regarding aircraft handling, landings and decision making.

When you pass your 135 intial checkride, you'll be instrument current but nothing will prepare you for the distraction of passengers and keeping them happy, except experience.

As far as the instrument confidence goes, you'll have to build that "muscle memory" in through experience as well.

Just remember to not bite off more than you can chew and don't let people push you into making bad decisions.

 

[mainiac]

The most hands-on time you can get VFR first will make you much more comfortable in solid IMC later. To do this, I recommend "dang Florida" as you said. Get hooked up with one of the many "migratory" 135 "airlines" that do FL in the winter, NewEngland in the summer. That way, by the time you're flying good old Nantucket fog, you'll know the airplane better than your crashpad. Some ops will even sign you on under the 135 regs as PIC 135 VFR only with as little as 500 hrs. In S. Florida, you could fly a whole winter season to the Bahamas in an Aztec and never have to file IFR. Just take a close look at the maintenance logs first, because my experience with some of these VFR only jobs is that they obviously aren't spending a lot of $$ on anything!

 

[Lead Sled]

I am still a ways from 1200 hrs but I am looking to go to a 135 outfit after instructing for a while for experience and multi time. I have no idea what my IFR skills are going to be at that time. I am just trying to get a concensus of how you guys felt when you first started doing single pilot 135 runs in the crap. How confident were you about your skills? I mean, there is only so much experience you can get from doing CFII work.

Every one of us old guys have been in exactly your same position. I'd recommend that you get two books for your aviation library - Weather Flying by Robert Buck and Instrument Flying by Richard Taylor. You'll learn more about real world instrument flying and working the system reading those two books than you would learn in a few hundred hours of "trial and error" self-taught actual instrument flying and be much safer while you're doing it.

The books are not a substitute for the real thing, but they'll help you as you transition into the real world.

'Sled

 

[Buddy1958]

Charter Ride Alongs

Everybody's got ideas and experiences about your concern, but at the end of the day, it's gotta be YOU that's the comfortable one in the pointy end! If you can hook up with a person or outfit that flies charter (say with an Aztec, Navajo, Aerostar, etc.), ask them if they'd mind if you rode along on their trips. I did this, while working as a CFI, and it proved invaluable later! I got to fly on the empty legs, in IMC, bad weather, etc., etc. and it REALLY helped me build confidence and experience. You'll also be a great asset to the PIC on the 135 legs, by helping him/her with the radios, departure/approach setup, and pax help, etc. Plus, many guys like to have the company...and some EVEN pay you!!! (they paid me). However, all said, at the end of the day, your 135 training and initial experiences will greatly boost your confidence and abilities! The whole week of flight training I went through, we were pretty much solid IFR every day - with ceilings around 300-400 OVC. We can all tell you stories about real-world single pilot IFR where things didn't go as planned or perfect. But you know, as long as you're safe, and as long as you're not afraid to go missed and try again, etc., you'll learn more every flight. As far as IMC in Florida is concerned, I can tell you from experience, that (especially last summer!) I got LOTS of time on the gauges, in/near thunderstorms, and flying GPS and ILS approaches. It seemed to be a daily thing. when you're ready, get a job with a freight company (Flight Express, Ram Air, Wiggins, AirNow, etc.) - and scare the crap outta yourself once or twice...and you'll be better for it! Remember, without you up front, it's just a dumb piece of metal! Best of luck to ya!!!