What the flock is my problem??

[Flylo]

What a day, I feel like I've been drug through a knothole.

I spent almost 2 hours in actual IMC today shooting all kinds of different approaches and hacked 'em up like a big dog.

This is only my second time in real IFR but I've got over 20 hours of simulator time plus maybe 10 more under the hood and have never had anywhere near the problems I did today in the real stuff. By the time I'd get on course, my altitude would go to he!! and by the time I got back up (or down) to wherever I was supposed to be, the #@## needle would be gone off to Jones' one way or the other. The only excuse I have is that there was a pretty good breeze blowing and I had to put in about a 15 degree correction angle when it was directly off the beam but I was still way, way, behind the airplane all the time.

My instructor said I was "fixating" on whatever instrument I happened to be correcting for at the time but it sure seemed to me like I was about to roll my eyeballs right out of their sockets trying to keep up with all that shi$. I kept expecting the controller to ask if I was having a seizure but he must've been too busy laughing to ask.

Soooo, I guess my question is, does everyone go through a droolin' spastic moron phase like this or should I just go ahead, sign up for the special Olympics and then sue the bast*rds for a refund since they obviously haven't taught me a da^n thing?
.

 

[flyer172r]

Don't feel too bad. Being in actual is a lot different than being under the hood. I don't know what hodd you use, but most of the ones I've seen are pretty easy to cheat with. You can usually see a little bit out the corner and the side. Keep at it, and keep working on a rapid instrument scan. It'll come. And 2 hours is a fairly long time to be shooting approaches, I wouldn't be surprised if fatigue may have played a part towards the end.

 

[LR25]

Relax, you will be OK.

And yes, guys who fly all different kinds of airplanes screw up that bad also.
We just try not to do it all the time, but it happens.

It sounds like you were fixating, with time you will hone your skills.

 

[Goose Egg]

Keep in mind that 30 hours of instrument time isn't really a whole lot. Enough to pass a checkride, perhaps, but still a lot to learn. Don't be so hard on yourself. It'll come (but be aware that berating yourself will only shortchange the learning process.)

-Goose

 

[minitour]

just remember to relax and keep up the scan.

It does sound like you were fixating at times...possibly emphasizing or omiting(sp) if you were able to keep basic attitude control, but fixating sounds like the problem.

anywho, that's lots of high workload actual. 2 hours enroute isn't so bad since you'll be tracking an airway and perhaps checking intersections/fixes, then you go to your arrival/approach and bang.

Don't be too hard on yourself man...you'll get it!

-mini

 

[Flechas]

Don't worry too much, IMC is a diferent game than simulated. A couple more hours in it and you will feel ok. The first time you get in the clouds is a little overwhelming, you have a few more bumps, you may get some spacial disorientation, now you have a fight between you eyes and your other senses trying to figure out what's going on. Next time you will see you will be more familiar and will do a lot better. Also don't forget that everybody has good flying days and not so good flying days, no matter how many hours you have, you will have a hard landing, a sloppy approach, you name it. Good luck with the rest of your rating. The instrument rating is probably the most challenging and satysfying rating.

Fly safe.

 

[minitour]

The instrument rating is probably the most challenging and satysfying rating.

Fly safe.

Definitely most challenging check ride. Approach, miss, approach, hold, approach no gyro, circle, land. Toss in some unusual attitudes and such and...there ya go.

Feels great though!

-mini

 

[greygoose]

Just wait until the days when you get 500 ft off the ground on the approach and you still havent entered the clouds. Wx reporting 1800rvr and vv of 100, that will mess with your head.
One of the best ways to grasp inst flying is to fly cargo, thats where youll get your ass handed to you.

 

[Flylo]

Thanks for the encouragement.

I feel a little better after having so many of you say that there is a definite difference in flying real IMC and hood time on a sunny day. Maybe I was subconsciously cheating with the Foggles or a hood on, but I wasn't trying to nor was I aware of it.

After thinking about it for a while, there are several factors that probably contributed to my ordeal. First, is that I've only been flying once a week; I'll bet I could do a lot better if I flew at least one more time each week. Another is that we were having trouble with the radios most of the flight; we had to ask the controller to repeat several times and we actually lost contact with him for a while at one stage, so that probably contributed to my not concentrating on "flying the plane" like I should have but it's also something I'll just have to get used to I guess. The other is that the airplane I was flying is one that I've only flown for about 10 hours and it's a handful for me on a sunny VFR day let alone one where you never see anything until you break out at the end of the runway on final. It's a Mooney 20G with the "Armstrong" retractable gear. I may not be able to fly very well but let me tell you, you don't wanna' arm-wrestle me.

Well, never say die; I just called my instructor to see if he was up for another round since it's still IMC around here today and he said OK but it'd have to be this afternoon as he had some things he needed to do this morning....... something about Valium and a parachute .

Thanks again for the replies.
.

 

[Mr. Cole]

I've found that I fly better in IMC than under the hood any day. But you said that you have 20 hours in the sim, 10 under the hood, and probably about 3 IMC. In my opinion you haven't had enough time in the plane in either actual or simulated to feel really comfortable. I agree that the sim can very challenging and certainly very frustrating, but throw in getting bounced around and not being able to see anything outside and it's a different world. You also mention that you were flying a strange airplane, which certainly couldn't have helped. And has already been mentioned, two hours just shooting approaches under the hood can be exhausting. I can only imagine how draining it must be in IMC. If my instructor saw that I was getting tired we would call it a day. If you're getting exhausted you're not going to learn anything and more than likely wasting your money.

Dave