Infrequent flying & IFR currency

[Marty Ross]

"Infrequent flying & IFR currency" - sounds like an oxymoron, I know.

I'm limiting my flying now due to lack of income (anyone have work for a
software developer?), yet would like to try to maintain my (recently
acquired) IFR currency.

I guess my best bet is to beg/borrow/steal/hire a safety pilot and shoot an
approach or two (plus the other stuff) every month, in addition to practice
in my home simulator, but I'm wondering what other wisdom/ideas I'll find
out there amongst y'all in the newsgroup.

Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
budget?

[David Megginson]

"Marty Ross" > writes:

> Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on
> a budget?

In addition to flying for real every month, it wouldn't hurt to
practice one approach (and missed) each day on your home computer,
just to stay up on the procedures.


All the best,


David

--
David Megginson, , http://www.megginson.com/

[ArtP]

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 22:17:33 GMT, "Marty Ross" >
wrote:

>
>Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
>budget?
>

I fly an approach to minimums on MSFS every day (more or less). I fly
very little in a real plane. Every 6 months I get an instructor and do
an IPC. The PC practice must be working because I have never had a
problem with the IPC. Most instructors are impressed with how well I
know the avionics (Garmin has an excellent PC based simulator for the
GNS430).

[Ryan Ferguson]

I think IFR Refresher magazine might be helpful in this regard. I usually pick
up a long-lost remnant of old IFR knowledge from completing their quizzes which
are published in each issue.

Some seem to find some utility in PC flight simulators for IFR proficiency, but
I've never been able to get a lick of benefit out of them for that purpose.
Not being able to interface with the actual panel is just too much of a stretch
for realism, in my opinion.

The best way to stay proficient is to fly, and if flying is too expensive, you
might consider investing in yourself by getting your flight instructor ticket.
At that point, flying becomes a slight (emphasis on slight) positive inflow of
cash rather than a huge drain on the pocketbook. And you'll learn new things
every time you fly!

-Ryan
CFI-IA/MEI/CFI-H


Marty Ross wrote:

> "Infrequent flying & IFR currency" - sounds like an oxymoron, I know.
>
> I'm limiting my flying now due to lack of income (anyone have work for a
> software developer?), yet would like to try to maintain my (recently
> acquired) IFR currency.
>
> I guess my best bet is to beg/borrow/steal/hire a safety pilot and shoot an
> approach or two (plus the other stuff) every month, in addition to practice
> in my home simulator, but I'm wondering what other wisdom/ideas I'll find
> out there amongst y'all in the newsgroup.
>
> Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
> budget?

[Gary L. Drescher]

"Marty Ross" > wrote in message
et...
> "Infrequent flying & IFR currency" - sounds like an oxymoron, I know.
>
> I'm limiting my flying now due to lack of income (anyone have work for a
> software developer?), yet would like to try to maintain my (recently
> acquired) IFR currency.
>
> I guess my best bet is to beg/borrow/steal/hire a safety pilot and shoot
an
> approach or two (plus the other stuff) every month, in addition to
practice
> in my home simulator, but I'm wondering what other wisdom/ideas I'll find
> out there amongst y'all in the newsgroup.
>
> Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
> budget?

I do the same as you. I rely primarily on the PC sim to maintain
proficiency, and I do close to the minimum required number of loggable
approaches to maintain legality. Lately, I've been able to find a good IMC
day to do three actual approaches every three months or so. I much prefer
practice in IMC to hood practice, and it saves me the trouble of having to
coordinate with a safety pilot or hire an instructor (unless I'm feeling
rusty).

--Gary

[Gary L. Drescher]

"Roy Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Ryan Ferguson > wrote:
> > Some seem to find some utility in PC flight simulators for IFR
> > proficiency, but I've never been able to get a lick of benefit out of
> > them for that purpose. Not being able to interface with the actual
> > panel is just too much of a stretch for realism, in my opinion.
>
> I think it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
>
> The only time I've ever seriously flown a sim was when I was prepping
> for my CFI-I ride. I hadn't flown NDB approaches since my initial IFR
> training, and was burning a lot of $'s in airplanes struggling to get
> that skill back.
>
> I bought a copy of X-plane and flew a bunch of NDB's at my desk. Then I
> went out and flew a couple in the airplane just to make sure I really
> had them figured out again (which I had).

Others may have a different experience, but I find my PC sim (FS2004) useful
for almost every aspect of IFR practice: scanning, systems monitoring,
navigation, enroute procedures, approaches down to the minimums (or missed
approaches when conditions are below-minimum), interacting with ATC, and
especially unexpected engine, electrical, vacuum, radio, or instrument
failures.

--Gary

[Marty Ross]

I didn't think of this. I can imagine that a single IPC (which includes the
cost of a CFII) every six months would cost less than my alternative of
going up myself more than once per month.

I'll see what the regs say, but from your experience, how does an IPC
compare to an IFR checkride? Is it as objective/standardized? Since it's
done by an instructor (not a DE), I would think not...


"ArtP" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 22:17:33 GMT, "Marty Ross" >
> wrote:
>
> >
> >Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
> >budget?
> >
>
> I fly an approach to minimums on MSFS every day (more or less). I fly
> very little in a real plane. Every 6 months I get an instructor and do
> an IPC. The PC practice must be working because I have never had a
> problem with the IPC. Most instructors are impressed with how well I
> know the avionics (Garmin has an excellent PC based simulator for the
> GNS430).

[ArtP]

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 02:56:46 GMT, "Marty Ross" >
wrote:


>I'll see what the regs say, but from your experience, how does an IPC
>compare to an IFR checkride? Is it as objective/standardized? Since it's
>done by an instructor (not a DE), I would think not...

The CFII is signing his name in your log book, so, for their own
protection, I don't think they would knowingly pass an incompetent. I
have had them range from 2 hours to 5 hours (I suspect the 5 hour guy
was just trying to get some SR20 time). For the most part they are
like any check ride. The better you are at something, the less time
they spend on it. The lowest score I ever got on a written was 99 as a
result the oral portions were only a few minutes.

For an IPC, it doesn't take long to do a couple approaches, partial
panel, and unusual attitudes. By then the CFII will know if you need
more work. If not, there is not much point in dragging it out unless
the CFII needs the hours in which case he won't be giving me my next
IPC.

[Aarfy]

Don't skimp on the currency training, you'll never know when you're going to
find yourself in IMC and need to use the ticket.

Last fall I went up to Lake Tahoe and on the way back to San Jose, the
weather over Donner pass (~7000MSL with surrounding peaks up to 10,000)
turned to soup. After getting a popup clearance I ended up shooting an ILS
and landing in the rain back home (not forecasted). Prior to this flight, I
had not flown IFR, real or simulated, for 3 months. Needless to say, I was
rusty, and barely within limits, both enroute and on the approach.

Now, once a month, I either go up with a safety pilot or CFII and do the
drill: unusual attitudes, holds, and 3 approaches to mins. The flight
ususally runs less than 2 hours, and costs less than $200 with or without an
instructor. I also regularly practice random approaches (with failures and
gnarly weather) using both OnTop and MSFS2002. For me, this is the absolute
minimum currency training, and is worth every penny.

Good luck, hope you find a regime that keeps you safe, solvent and current.


"Marty Ross" > wrote in message
et...
> "Infrequent flying & IFR currency" - sounds like an oxymoron, I know.
>
> I'm limiting my flying now due to lack of income (anyone have work for a
> software developer?), yet would like to try to maintain my (recently
> acquired) IFR currency.
>
> I guess my best bet is to beg/borrow/steal/hire a safety pilot and shoot
an
> approach or two (plus the other stuff) every month, in addition to
practice
> in my home simulator, but I'm wondering what other wisdom/ideas I'll find
> out there amongst y'all in the newsgroup.
>
> Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
> budget?
>
>
>

[Stan Gosnell]

"Aarfy" > wrote in
:

> Don't skimp on the currency training, you'll never know when you're
> going to find yourself in IMC and need to use the ticket.

Amen. I do this for a living, and work a 7 day on/7 day off schedule. I
also don't fly every night when I'm on, so I get rusty. After a week off,
I feel I need some practice, and if I go longer than that I really have to
watch myself and my copilot, who's watching me. Instrument flying is a
very perishable skill, & needs constant practice. I would be scared to
death having to fly in IMC if I only flew once every few months, even in a
fixed-wing which is relatively stable. I've gone offshore at night, when
the weather was forecast to be VFR, & found 100 ovc/.25mi vis when I got
home, with barely legal fuel onboard. It's very easy to get surprised, &
your skills had better be up to par.

--
Regards,

Stan

[Marty Ross]

Thanks to everyone in the group for their sincere replies to this.

From the posts in this thread, I have considered two options I didn't think
of before:

1.) Just fly VFR only (as I did before I got my rating), until I plan a trip
where I want the option if flying in IMC, and do an IPC with a CFII to
prepare for it

2.) Become an instrument instructor

Though my current budget doesn't really have room for it, I like (2) best.
I asked my instructor about this, and he thinks I should do it. What he
recommended that surprised me, however, was to do the instrument-instructor
first, since he says it's easier than getting the CFI. What's up with
that??


"Marty Ross" > wrote in message
et...
> "Infrequent flying & IFR currency" - sounds like an oxymoron, I know.
>
> I'm limiting my flying now due to lack of income (anyone have work for a
> software developer?), yet would like to try to maintain my (recently
> acquired) IFR currency.
>
> I guess my best bet is to beg/borrow/steal/hire a safety pilot and shoot
an
> approach or two (plus the other stuff) every month, in addition to
practice
> in my home simulator, but I'm wondering what other wisdom/ideas I'll find
> out there amongst y'all in the newsgroup.
>
> Any tips, recommendations for keeping IFR currency as a non-owner on a
> budget?
>
>
>

[Robert Moore]

"Marty Ross" wrote
> Though my current budget doesn't really have room for it, I like
> (2) best. I asked my instructor about this, and he thinks I
> should do it. What he recommended that surprised me, however,
> was to do the instrument-instructor first, since he says it's
> easier than getting the CFI. What's up with that??

Again, improper use of terminology rears its ugly head.
First...no such thing as a CFI, we're just Flight Instructors
now.

Second...."airplane-single engine" and "instrument airplane"
are ratings on a Flight Instructor Certificate.

Third....He should have said.."Get your Flight Instructor
Certificate with an Instrument Airplane rating before you get
the Airplane Single-Engine rating.

Forth....Yes, you can be qualified to teach instrument flying
without being qualified to teach private or commercial students.

Bob Moore
Flight Instructor, ASE-IA

[Stan Gosnell]

"Marty Ross" > wrote in
et:

> Interesting... There's no such thing as "CFI" or "CFII" anymore??
>
> I guess I'll look into the curricula for all of these -- the "Flight
> Instructor" certificate, and the "Instrument Airplane" and "Airplane
> Single Engine" variants, as I understand you to be saying. Seems
> strange (to me) that it would be easier to get the rating to teach
> instrument flying than to teach private or commercial students.

Why? Presumably an instrument student is already competent to fly the
airplane, so you don't have to teach him to do that, just to fly
instruments.